Image via Twin Sails
Developer Twin Swans recently revealed the voice cast list for its soon-to-be-released immersive folk-horror title, Hunter’s Moon, and it’s one you’ve got to sit down for if you want to take it all in.
The voice cast list for games these days almost always includes at least one name you’ll know among the handful or so that make up the entire cast. This game has gone ten steps further with over 100 roles fulfilled by 48 people, making its immersive world feel like I’m already lost in it.
Variety Is The Spice Of Life And Spook Of Horror
Hunter’s Moon puts you in the shoes of an accused witch as she attempts to evade capture, torture, and death at the hands of the local guards and villagers. To me, it’s incredibly reminiscent of one of the very first indie games I ever played, Sir, You’re Being Hunted. In both, you’re a powerless character on the run from everyone else in the game, and you’ve got nothing but your wits to support you in your quest for freedom. However, in this latest title, I doubt you’ll be able to enter houses, pick up guns, and fight back against the posh robots seeking you out.
No, Hunter’s Moon sounds far more terrifying. You’ve got to find assistance where it’s offered by the locals, which won’t be very often, considering the penalty for helping a witch was often death. Most of the time, you’ll need to hide in tall grass and woodland and listen out for tidbits of information that will help you move past guards and survive an hour longer.
That’s why the voice cast is so important. Every character is voiced by a human, with most of the cast voicing a couple of characters each. It brings this immersive folk-horror sim to life in a way that’s just impossible otherwise. It actually makes me think it’s even more immersive than games such as Deathloop, which have a set of generic voices and barks for NPCs that are reused to give you an idea of what they’re doing or what class of enemy they are.
While researching this game after hearing this news, I was transported back to the first time I played Dishonored’s The Brigmore Witches DLC. Throughout the base game and this DLC, you’re a tooled-up assassin with the ability to go gung-ho and take on every guard with swords and sorcery. You might lose a few fights, but you have the option to fight head-on.
It’s in hiding, sneaking, and stealth, though, that the game truly shines. The levels built around avoiding enemies and reaching a target or destination unseen are thrill rides from start to finish. This is exactly what Hunter’s Moon is, but its world is enriched with unique characters at every turn. From the most random guard in the corner of the map, to a key NPC who provides help, there’s dialogue that makes these characters someone apart from everyone else, and I find that truly fascinating in an industry that’s pretty much trained players to expect repeating dialogue, shouts, and random grunts.
Check out the full list of voice actors below to see if you recognise any, and wishlist the game on PS5 if you don’t want to miss it.
- Hannah Morley – Lilith Thorne
- Gregg Lowe – Witchfinder General
- Anthony Howell – Anthony Talbot
- Joe Pitts – John Purdy
- Laurence Bouvard – Mother Sontheil
- Kingsley Judd – Singing Mummer
- Kymberley Cochrane – Mum Mummer
- Siu-See Hung – Little One
- Gabriel Paul – Pedlar Mummer (and additional)
- Sophie McShera – Maggie Kindreth, Isobel Blacke
- Kristin Atherton – Miriam Kindreth, Thomasin Device
- Matt Stokoe – Abel Towers (and additional)
- Fenella Norman – Ma Mallory (and additional)
- Michelle Fox – Alice o’ the Woods (and additional)
- Lyn Paul – Nell Harsnep, Beatrix Knipe (and additional)
- Martine Brown – Nan Harsnep (and additional)
- Sarah Earnshaw – Katherine Crosthwaite, Dorothy Allerton
- Eleanor Kirby – Mary Crosthwaite, Annie Hawker
- Ewan Bailey – Parson Benedict Whittaker, Ambrose Wiseman (and additional)
- Dan Parr – Henry Ashburn, Silas Creary (and additional)
- Luci Fish – Ellen Ashburn (and additional)
- Mark Stanley – Thomas Carpenter, Victor Goodale (and additional)
- Claire Cooper – Janie Goodale (and additional)
- Danielle Phillips – Sissy Miller, Jannette Rutter (and additional)
- Neil Bell – Jacob Crosthwaite, Robert Carpenter (and additional)
- Alastair Parker – Richard Allerton, Edward Blacke (and additional)
- Ben Hunter – Jack Marsh, James Hale (and additional)
- Amy Forrest – Margery Towers (and additional)
- Isobel Steele – Cicely Glover (and additional)
- Frazer Hadfield – Billy Allerton (and additional)
- Christopher York – Eddie Sadler, Bryan Goodale (and additional)
- Danielle Steers – Madam Whittle (and additional)
- Jennifer Daley – Grace Kirkby, Jellian Hodges (and additional)
- Emily-Mae – Bess Hodges, Nessie Lambe
- Leah Brotherhead – Peggy Purdy (and additional)
- Iona Champain – Mary Phillips (and additional)
- Alasdair Linn – George Towers, Edmund Glover (and additional)
- Harriet Carmichael – Jeremiah Allerton, Maude Blacke, Rachel Towers
- Claire Morgan – Samson Allerton, Isaac Towers (and additional)
- Clare Louise Connolly – Mercy Towers, Amy Blacke
- Eleanor Bennett – Jane Blacke (and additional)
- Shannon Rewcroft – Patience Towers (and additional)
- Samuel Barnett – Roland Glover (and additional)
- Jacob Dudman – Christopher Talbot (and additional)
- Charlotte Bellamy – Margaret Carpenter (and additional)
- Sarah Belcher – Ailis Sinclair (and additional)
- Laura Elsworthy – Frances Miller (and additional)
- Natalie Anderson – Elisabeth Glover (and additional)
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