I've noticed a few special effects, like small particles floating in the light to create quite a "nostalgic" impression of dust or fog in the air. Despite the environment being static at the first glance, there was always something moving if you took a second look. But even with these special effects, which make the game stand out from the usual fare in today's adventure games, The Whispered World feels too heavy sometimes. A sign of sporadic drop in FPS? Then there might be something true in russ' statement about the game being not very optimized.
Generally, my new computer handled it well, (even though playing Modern Warfare was a smoother experience
) and I didn't feel the long loading times. The game is great. Russ already mentioned its strong points, and I really like atmospheric games. It's hard to pinpoint the exact feeling it generates. Despite what I've read in some impressions of the game, The Whispered World doesn't feel like a retro experience (what certainly resembles the titles of the old are the characters and the dialogues, which only get more highlighted considering the pale counterparts offered by most European adventures nowadays). An easier way to explain it would be to associate it with a fairy tale. Indeed there is this small universe-big universe-small universe continuity in the storyline, much like in those stories where a son of a peasant goes into the wide world and becomes king. Hopefully you'll understand what I mean when you'll play the game. The bits you make out about the universe from the interaction with the characters are complemented by amazing fantasy backdrops, that make you stop and admire them for a while without moving.
I can't find titles to compare it to. At some points The Whispered World reminded me of the Syberia games. Has nothing in common with the fairy tale experience from Dreamfall, though I'd like to see how similar it is to The Longest Journey, since I haven't played that one. Overall I was very pleased, it has good voice acting, memorable characters and moments, and all the +++ I already mentioned. I'm sure it will be a hallmark of post-2000 adventures in the future. If I need to give it a score, it'd be a 8,5, but don't cling too much to it.