No Pineapple Left Behind

About

No Pineapple Left Behind is a single player management game. It was developed by Esther Alter and was released on February 17, 2016. It received neutral reviews from players.

"No Pineapple Left Behind" is a satirical school management simulation where you must keep your school running smoothly while addressing challenges such as budgeting, curriculums, and staff. To reduce complexity, you can turn misbehaving children into pineapples, who only take tests and get grades. Use various tools like magic spells, lasers, and manipulation to handle students and parents. The game features nine unique schools and a variety of management options to explore.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

46%

Audience ScoreBased on 35 reviews

humor5 positive mentions

gameplay4 negative mentions

The game presents a unique and satirical take on the US education system, effectively highlighting its flaws through humor.
The narrative and thematic elements are engaging, providing a thought-provoking experience about the pressures of academic performance.
The mechanics, while complex, offer a challenging puzzle-like gameplay that can be rewarding for players who enjoy strategy games.

The gameplay is repetitive and tedious, often requiring excessive micromanagement that can become overwhelming.
The user interface is cluttered and unresponsive, making navigation and gameplay frustrating.
Despite its interesting concept, the execution falls flat, leading to a lack of depth and engagement in the overall experience.

gameplay
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
72%
16%
The gameplay of "No Pineapple Left Behind" is criticized for being repetitive, tedious, and lacking depth, with many players finding it unenjoyable after a short period. While the game's concept and narrative are praised, the mechanics are described as simplistic and poorly executed, leading to a lack of engaging content and a frustrating experience overall. Despite some humorous elements, the gameplay fails to deliver a compelling experience, leaving players wanting more variety and challenge.
- “No Pineapple Left Behind shines in the two most powerful aspects of video games: its gameplay and the narrative that it tells.”
- “You get about 10 hours worth of gameplay for your money, which is more than I got out of some games.”
- “The mechanics are easy to understand for players who don't play a lot of strategy games, but substantial enough to stay interesting.”
- “Although the game has an intriguing and comical concept, I found the gameplay unenjoyable and tedious.”
- “Unfortunately, NPLB’s fantastic representation of the issues with the education system isn’t quite enough to save it from its rather dull gameplay.”
- “As I’ve said, the gameplay is pretty simple because once you’ve worked out your strategy, there is literally nothing to do. In my experience, there aren’t any random events or anything like that to shake things up, and so you’re left with about five minutes of real gameplay for each school you play.”
story
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
45%
33%
The story is a standout element of the game, showcasing a well-crafted narrative that effectively reflects its themes and character management in a school setting. However, while the story is compelling and emotionally resonant, it is criticized for being inadequately supported by other gameplay elements, leading to a perception that it is not enough to elevate the overall experience.
- “Because of that, the story is clearly a head above the other elements of the game.”
- “The story was the shining star of the game, and happened to be the only part of the game that really stood out to me as controlled and carefully planned.”
- “It's just such a shame that the story is so unsupported by every other element of the game.”
- “But a third of a great game just isn’t enough, and I’d maybe even argue that, depending on the game, the story is the weakest of those three elements.”
- “Everything, and I mean everything in this game, was designed after the story was set in place.”
graphics
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The graphics of the game are generally considered subpar and bland, with many reviewers noting that they feel like an afterthought. However, some acknowledge that for a small indie title, the visuals are relatively good, and the overall presentation is complemented by simple controls and fitting audio.
- “The graphics are subpar, but for a game made for a small number of gamers from a small company, the graphics are actually quite good.”
- “The controls are simple, the visuals are pleasing, and the audio fits the mood well, too.”
- “The visuals of the game are quite impressive, showcasing a unique art style that enhances the overall experience.”
- “Bland visuals and an okay soundtrack do not do enough to redeem it.”
- “There's nothing particularly special about the actual graphics; they're pretty bland in fact, but the real problem with the presentation is with the UI.”
- “There's not much else to say other than the fact the visuals of the game seemed like an afterthought.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by its dark and absurd elements, including quirky scenarios like manipulating digital pineapples and humorous writing, such as students learning "cantaloupian" and having traits like "fruity." Players appreciate the funny sound effects and the engaging title screen music, which enhance the overall comedic experience. Overall, the humor effectively tackles real issues in a lighthearted manner, making it a unique and entertaining strategy game.
- “Funny strategy game tackling real issues.”
- “I recommend giving it a shot if you enjoy dark humor, manipulating digital pineapples, and underpaying employees to improve your bottom line.”
- “There’s some really funny writing in the game, such as the students learning cantaloupian, some students having the trait 'fruity' that meant they are attracted to pineapples, and so on.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization is criticized for repetitive gameplay that drags on excessively, compounded by a malfunctioning fast forward button, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “A school management game where you lobotomize your students in the name of academic performance is a very solid concept, but the gameplay is repetitive and takes way too long, and the fast forward button is bugged.”
- “The optimization in this game is severely lacking, leading to frustratingly long wait times and a lack of meaningful progress.”
- “Despite the interesting premise, the game's performance issues make it nearly unplayable at times, especially during critical moments.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and boring, detracting from the otherwise intriguing and comical concept.
- “In the end, it gets tedious.”
- “Boring and tedious.”
- “Although the game has an intriguing and comical concept, I found the gameplay unenjoyable and tedious.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The music in "No Pineapple Left Behind" is generally considered basic, with only the background score receiving positive remarks. While the title screen theme and humorous sound effects add some charm, the overall soundtrack is viewed as underwhelming and fails to elevate the game's bland visuals.
- “The music theme at the title screen, along with the still image art, adds a charming touch to the game.”
- “The funny sound effects when you click on a child or teacher enhance the overall experience.”
- “The background music is well done and adds to the atmosphere of the game.”
- “No Pineapple Left Behind features a pretty basic score, with only the background music being well done.”
- “Bland visuals and an okay soundtrack do not do enough to redeem it.”
- “Where it does get some points from me is the music theme at the title screen, along with the still image art there, and the funny sound effects when you click on a child or teacher.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game currently suffers from stability issues, with users reporting numerous bugs; however, there is optimism that these problems will be addressed in future updates.
- “The game is buggy at this time, but hopefully will improve.”
- “Frequent crashes make it hard to enjoy the gameplay.”
- “I experienced multiple glitches that disrupted my experience.”