Astral projection, friendly ghosts, and other reasons why Whispering Willows isn’t your average horror game

Horrifying monsters in a decrepit asylum or bloody hospital. Alien wraiths in an abandoned space station. Zombies … well, everywhere. We’ve played these scenarios a hundred times. Thankfully, what Whispering Willows offers is different.

To understand what makes it special, I spoke with developer Night Light Interactive, which is releasing the game today, first on Ouya, and June 17 for PC, Mac, and Linux (via Steam). You play as Elena, a young girl with supernatural powers who searches haunted mansion grounds for her missing father. And if you think you’ve played that game before, just wait.