Pine Harbor

About

In "Pine Harbor" , explore a misty town and its wilderness, gathering resources to craft survival equipment. Assist the city's survivors, revealing their secrets and stories, while investigating the dark forests to understand the results of a harrowing catastrophe. This immersive game offers an atmospheric, open-world experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

68%

Audience ScoreBased on 384 reviews

story24 positive mentions

optimization22 negative mentions

The game has great atmosphere and visuals, reminiscent of classic horror titles like Silent Hill.
There is potential for a compelling story and engaging gameplay, especially with the crafting and survival mechanics.
The developers are actively listening to feedback and making updates, showing commitment to improving the game.

The game is currently poorly optimized, with frequent crashes and performance issues.
Gameplay feels empty and directionless, with vague objectives and a lack of meaningful interactions.
The day/night cycle is unbalanced, with nights being excessively long and filled with overwhelming enemy encounters.

story
122 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
70%
10%
The story in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it lacking depth and coherence, often describing it as "meh" or "not there." While some appreciate the intriguing elements and potential for development, particularly regarding character backstories and plot implications, others criticize the reliance on fetch quests and the overall execution of the narrative. Overall, players express a desire for more substantial storytelling and character development in future updates.
- “But as much as it thrilled us, it left us craving more answers—especially about Kaya’s untold story, her father’s mysterious illness, and the enigmatic character beneath the rocks.”
- “The story that is there seems interesting, in both visual, spoken, and written forms.”
- “End of part one: I really like the idea that the first part ended with, the lore dump and change of the plot was actually really good and makes me excited to see where the story goes.”
- “The script/story is pretty bad with not a whole lot of organic feeling dialogue; sometimes it feels like it was written by AI.”
- “The small amount of story (with overwhelmingly big implications from what you can piece together) is unbelievably disappointing.”
- “The story is very 'meh' and does not do much to help pull you in; there's really not much to say in that regard.”
atmosphere
92 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
41%
7%
The atmosphere of the game has received widespread praise for its compelling and immersive qualities, often drawing comparisons to classic titles like Silent Hill. Players appreciate the spooky world design, dense fog, and dim lighting that enhance the horror experience, although some note that the overall execution lacks polish and detail. While the atmosphere is generally considered a strong point, there are calls for improvements in sound design and environmental richness to fully realize its potential.
- “Pine Harbor offers a promising survival horror experience with its visually stunning and atmospheric setting that is sure to thrill fans of the genre.”
- “The atmosphere is top-notch.”
- “That atmosphere is captivating; the game has a foundation that can really be built upon, and if the devs stick with it, this can be a solid experience worth getting into for fans of survival horror.”
- “Do you want to play a first-person version of Silent Hill with diminished atmosphere and terrible combat?”
- “There was not much in place to help create and drive any tension or atmosphere, and it's noticed almost immediately.”
- “Lack of polishing, poor performance, bad atmosphere, questionable gameplay, but it all comes together when you can imagine how this will look given future updates.”
gameplay
72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
61%
11%
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of engaging elements and significant shortcomings. While some players appreciate the immersive atmosphere and resource management aspects, many criticize the clunky mechanics, poor AI, and lack of polish, leading to frustration rather than immersion. The combat system, though improved since release, still feels underdeveloped, and the overall gameplay loop can become repetitive, especially with the absence of tutorials and clear objectives.
- “After 7.5 hours of immersive gameplay, Pine Harbor left me and my viewers hooked, scared, and eagerly wanting more.”
- “- Engaging gameplay: the game features a solid gameplay loop that keeps players engaged with exploration, resource management, and combat against enemies that feel threatening but fair.”
- “For my time, I've spent about 7 hours in the game with two separate playthroughs of the main story, and I think the gameplay is pretty solid for the early state the game is in.”
- “The early access label doesn’t excuse the severe lack of polish; gameplay mechanics are clunky and poorly thought-out, while the AI is practically nonexistent, leaving you feeling more frustrated than immersed.”
- “Wow, not a good game at all. No tutorial to teach any of the mechanics, no info on how to actually survive. The game seems fun during the day, but then night hits and it never ends... enemies keep coming non-stop and you die over and over again. There is no point in killing enemies as you gain nothing from it, and all you have is a bat and a flashlight.”
- “Actual gameplay is severely lacking here.”
graphics
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
79%
17%
5%
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their stunning visuals and atmospheric design, often compared to high-quality titles like Silent Hill and Resident Evil 7. While many players appreciate the detailed scenery and overall polish, some have noted issues with asset repetition and occasional rendering problems that detract from the experience. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point of the game, showcasing significant potential, especially for a small development team.
- “The graphics are a marvel to look at; it feels like I am traveling through a town lost in time and haunted by total evil.”
- “Very real graphics, the atmosphere is creepy and very scary, seems to have a lot of mystery.”
- “Graphical/rendering issues mixed with random frame drops.”
- “Graphics is...meh, compared to the demo.”
- “Boasting a humble price tag of $14.90 USD, for what at first glance appears to be an exceedingly well-polished AA game that threatens to showcase some AAA features - polished graphics, detailed scenery, and a well-rounded user interface, I was more than excited to jump in, my expectations struggling to be contained.”
optimization
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
28%
61%
The optimization of Pine Harbor is widely criticized, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including stuttering, frame rate instability, and rendering problems, making the game nearly unplayable in its current alpha state. While some users noted that performance improved with specific settings, the overall consensus is that the game requires significant optimization and polishing before it can be considered enjoyable. Despite these issues, there is a sense of hope for future updates to enhance the experience.
- “I wish it was better optimized, but since this is alpha, it's acceptable.”
- “Performance-wise, there are stutters here and there, but it's not all that bad.”
- “On an end note, as far as optimization goes, the game runs great on a 3080 on 'epic' while streaming at the same time.”
- “Pine Harbor is a disaster in optimization—simply unplayable in its current state.”
- “The game itself is very poorly optimized with overall frame rate stability.”
- “I know this is early access, so I'm being easy on it for now, but oh my god the optimization is so bad in this game.”
music
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
78%
17%
The music in the game has received mixed feedback, with many players noting a significant lack of in-game music that detracts from the overall atmosphere and tension, particularly during key moments like boss fights and exploration. Reviewers suggest that ambient sounds and subtle background music could enhance the horror experience, drawing comparisons to classic titles like Silent Hill. Overall, while the sound design is acknowledged, it is often described as generic and in need of more detail to fully engage players.
- “The introduction was well done, and though it lacked music to set the mood, I am sure that is on the to-do list.”
- “I think horror developers need to learn that less is more sometimes; different patterned footsteps in the distance, trees cracking, glass breaking, ambient sounds and music - all of these can create way more tension and horror than some mindless grunting, in my opinion.”
- “There should also be more music in the game, especially when exploring the town.”
- “This game gives me strong Silent Hill vibes, which is a plus. I do think the atmosphere could be set better if it had some ambiance or subtle background music.”
stability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
83%
The game suffers from numerous glitches, particularly with NPC behavior and character models, leading to a frustrating experience. While optimization is commendable on high-end systems, the inconsistent AI reactions and sound issues detract from overall stability.
- “The game runs great on a 3080 on 'epic' while streaming at the same time.”
- “The optimization is impressive, allowing for smooth gameplay even on high settings.”
- “I experienced no crashes or major bugs during my playthrough, which speaks volumes about its stability.”
- “The only issue I have is how many glitches there are.”
- “The NPCs are very buggy.”
- “Perhaps the AI is buggy, but at times when I am pretty sure I was in its vision cone, they would not react to me and just shamble past me, while at other times when I'm hiding behind a wall, they would aggro and charge at me.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, characterized by slow and uneventful journeys across a vast map. This repetitive nature detracts from the overall enjoyment and engagement with the game.
- “A series of extremely tedious and non-eventful treks across the expansive map at a snail's pace.”
- “A series of extremely tedious and non-eventful treks across the expansive map at a snail's pace.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews highlight that the game features strong character design and a well-crafted environment, contributing positively to the overall character development experience.