Pine: A Story of Loss

About

Pine: A Story of Loss is a single player action game. It was developed by Made Up Games and was released on December 13, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

A game about life after love

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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79%

Audience ScoreBased on 84 reviews

story23 positive mentions

gameplay9 negative mentions

The game beautifully captures the emotional weight of grief through its stunning hand-drawn art style and atmospheric soundtrack, creating a deeply immersive experience.
Pine's storytelling is heartfelt and poignant, effectively conveying the protagonist's journey through loss and the mundane aspects of daily life that accompany it.
The simplicity of the gameplay, while repetitive, serves to enhance the emotional tone of the game, allowing players to reflect on their own experiences with grief.

The gameplay is overly simplistic and repetitive, which may lead to feelings of tedium and frustration for players seeking more engaging mechanics.
Some players found the short length of the game (around 90 minutes) insufficient for fully exploring the emotional arc of the story.
The lack of dialogue and traditional narrative structure may leave some players feeling disconnected or confused about the protagonist's journey.

story
88 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
71%
3%
"Pine: a story of loss" is a poignant exploration of grief, told through a meditative and non-linear narrative that relies on environmental storytelling and emotional visuals rather than dialogue. The game captures the protagonist's journey of processing loss with a beautiful art style and a haunting soundtrack, though its slow pacing and repetitive gameplay may not appeal to everyone. Overall, it is a heartfelt, interactive short story that resonates deeply with players seeking a reflective experience on love and loss.
- “Pine: a story of loss is a beautiful game depicting grief and moving on after losing someone you love.”
- “The story strikes a delicate balance between sadness and sweetness, following a character processing grief and touching gently on themes of depression.”
- “A thoughtful, emotional, and bittersweet short story that fully captures the process of grieving and depression.”
- “The agonizingly sad story told via agonizingly slow pacing only worked to make me feel uncomfortable, sad, and like I’d rather be playing anything else.”
- “While the game is undeniably cute, with precious artwork, I was hoping for a story that would evoke more emotion and offer more to do.”
- “Yes, it’s a sad story, but beyond that, there isn’t much substance.”
gameplay
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
69%
20%
The gameplay is characterized by its intentional simplicity and repetitiveness, which some players find fitting for the game's emotional themes of loss and solitude. While the minimal mechanics, such as wood carving, effectively convey the narrative's mood, they can also lead to a monotonous experience that detracts from overall engagement. Ultimately, the game prioritizes storytelling over complex gameplay, appealing to those who appreciate narrative-driven experiences despite its mechanical limitations.
- “Perhaps the most striking mechanic is the act of carving.”
- “The gameplay is chill, with enjoyable mini-games that add variety and charm.”
- “The game uses its visuals and gameplay to powerfully convey the weight of losing a loved one.”
- “Others have noted its limited interactivity and repetitive mechanics as drawbacks.”
- “While the artwork is nice although simplistic, the gameplay itself unfortunately is very repetitive.”
- “The gameplay doesn’t add enough variety or depth, and the repetition made it hard to stay immersed.”
emotional
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its deeply emotional narrative, focusing on themes of grief and personal reflection, which resonate strongly with empathetic players. Despite its simplistic gameplay, the art direction and emotional soundtrack enhance the storytelling, creating a moving experience that can evoke tears and introspection. While some may find the emotional depth challenging if they haven't faced similar losses, the game is recommended for its heartfelt portrayal of sorrow and healing.
- “The color palette softens as days go by, mirroring the emotional arc of the protagonist.”
- “The story strikes a delicate balance between sadness and sweetness, following a character processing grief and touching gently on themes of depression.”
- “A thoughtful, emotional, and bittersweet short story that fully captures the process of grieving and depression.”
graphics
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
35%
15%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning hand-drawn art style, which creates a cozy and immersive atmosphere that enhances the storytelling. Many reviewers highlight the beautiful use of color and minimalist design, which effectively conveys the protagonist's emotions. However, some players feel that while the visuals are impressive, they do not compensate for repetitive gameplay and a lack of engaging content.
- “The art style is amazing.”
- “The art style in the game is absolutely beautiful, and the soundtrack complements it perfectly, creating a calm and immersive atmosphere.”
- “The hand-drawn art style is lovely, and it feels like you are watching a movie instead of playing a game.”
- “While I appreciate the effort and the visuals, the overall experience just didn’t live up to the potential I had hoped for when I backed it.”
- “I wouldn’t recommend Pine unless you’re purely interested in admiring the artwork or exploring the grieving woodworker’s emotional journey.”
- “While the game is undeniably cute, with precious artwork, I was hoping for a story that would evoke more emotion and offer more to do.”
music
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
23%
18%
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, effectively complementing the beautiful art style and enhancing the emotional storytelling. Many players appreciate the melodic soundtrack, which guides them through the reflective experience, despite some criticism regarding the gameplay itself. Overall, the combination of music and visuals creates a captivating ambiance, even if the gameplay may not resonate with everyone.
- “Everything in the game — from the ambient soundtrack to the slow pacing — is calibrated to guide the player inward, into reflection.”
- “The art style in the game is absolutely beautiful, and the soundtrack complements it perfectly, creating a calm and immersive atmosphere.”
- “There are simple interactions and a few puzzles to help progress the story of the lonely woodworker, but an emotional soundtrack and beautiful hand-drawn art helps convey this short and lonely story.”
- “Maybe the history is good, I did like the visuals and soundtrack, but the gameplay is way too boring for me.”
- “And the music.”
- “The art and music may bring me back someday, the gameplay itself may keep me away, but I will have always been grateful to have known it then to have not known it at all.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Reviewers highlight the game's stunning art direction and emotionally resonant atmosphere, enhanced by a beautifully crafted soundtrack that fosters a calm and immersive experience.
- “Reviewers have praised its art direction, emotional sincerity, and atmosphere.”
- “The art style in the game is absolutely beautiful, and the soundtrack complements it perfectly, creating a calm and immersive atmosphere.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find that "Pine" lacks replayability, with one user noting a playtime of 105 minutes and no incentive to revisit the game afterward.
- “Lastly, it took me 105 minutes to play through Pine, and there is no replayability.”
- “Once you finish the game, there's really no incentive to go back and play it again.”
- “The lack of different endings or choices makes replaying the game feel pointless.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by the absurdity of online reactions, particularly the backlash against negative reviews, which adds a layer of irony to the player experience. Additionally, the exploration of grief is presented with a darkly comedic undertone, suggesting that survival often leads to unexpected and humorous situations.
- “The fact that there's someone in the comments of other negative reviews calling them misandrists for disliking Pine is hilarious, because about ten minutes in, I already knew that would be the core conversation around this game, in some form or another.”
- “Grief is a funny thing, and you can sort of shut down, just doing what you know you need to do in order to survive.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and reminiscent of busy work, with daily chores intended to convey the character's grief becoming monotonous over time.
- “I wanted to give the game a real chance, but it started to feel like tedious busy work quite quickly.”
- “The daily chores, while intentional in showing the character’s grief, started to feel tedious after a while.”