Pine Hearts
- May 23, 2024
- Hyper Luminal Games Ltd
- 7h median play time
Get on Steam"Pine Hearts" is a touching, wholesome game set in a caravan park, where you play as Tyke, exploring the area and uncovering memories of his childhood. With item-based progression similar to Zelda and Souls-like level design, the game focuses on puzzles and offers a heartfelt story about love, life, and family. While exploring, you can make new friends, unlock tools, and pet cute dogs. Please be aware of the subject matter, as the game deals with the loss of a family member. "Pine Hearts" is an emotional and thoughtful experience with no barriers to play.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a charming story and beautiful artwork, creating a delightful and emotional experience.
- Gameplay is relaxing and encourages exploration, with a variety of tasks and mini-missions that keep it engaging.
- The game includes great accessibility options and allows players to interact with a colorful cast of characters, enhancing the overall enjoyment.
- There are frequent 'power checks' that can disrupt the flow of gameplay, requiring players to perform specific actions to progress.
- The game has some glitches and bugs that can affect the experience, such as invisible interaction hotspots and quest tracking issues.
- Exploration can feel overly guided and on rails, which may disappoint players expecting a more open-world experience.
- story48 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's story is praised for its emotional depth and charming presentation, featuring a protagonist's heartfelt journey conveyed through delightful animatics and a whimsical aesthetic. Players appreciate the blend of lightheartedness and poignant themes, particularly regarding loss and memory, while also enjoying the engaging quests and vibrant world. However, some technical issues with quest tracking and navigation detract from the overall experience.
“What a delightful experience - a peaceful, fun jaunt through a Scottish campsite with a good dose of storytelling oomph to it!”
“Lovely little game full of heart <3 a wholesome game with a cute yet emotional story, mixed in with a colorful cast of characters in a charming toy-like world!”
“The main story of our protagonist Tyke is told through a series of charming animatics that convey to us the reason for Tyke's venture to the park and the emotional significance of his journey, which I thoroughly enjoyed and said story hit me in the feels.”
“The story felt vague, but I understood the point of it.”
“But if you start the quest in another area before finishing the one in your quest log, you will not get a reward when you actually finish the quest, making it so that you will be short of the 1500 drops that you need for the completionist achievement.”
“The land/map layout is like a maze, and it's a puzzle game with a story.”
- emotional30 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its heartwarming narrative and charming interactions, which resonate deeply with players. Users appreciate the touching story of loss and healing, conveyed through beautiful animatics and an emotional soundtrack, creating a cozy and immersive experience. Overall, the game is celebrated for its ability to evoke a range of emotions while providing a wholesome adventure in a colorful, inviting world.
“The main story of our protagonist Tyke is told through a series of charming animatics that convey to us the reason for Tyke's venture to the park and the emotional significance of his journey, which I won't spoil but will say that I thoroughly enjoyed and said story hit me in the feels.”
“A beautiful, emotional journey wrapped up in a gorgeous, wholesome world.”
“The greater story about living on after losing a loved one is very touching as well.”
- music16 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its ability to enhance the gameplay, with each area featuring a unique and emotionally resonant soundtrack that complements both lighthearted and serious moments. Players appreciate that the music remains engaging without becoming repetitive, contributing to the overall cozy and immersive experience. The combination of beautiful art and a relaxing soundtrack adds to the game's charm, making it a delightful adventure.
“The music supplements the gameplay perfectly as each area of Pine Hearts Park has a unique song that plays on a loop during your questing.”
“I worried that listening to such music for hours on end might irritate me, but fortunately, the music doesn't outstay its welcome. There is also music that tugs on the heartstrings during the game's more serious moments.”
“I worried that listening to such music for hours on end might irritate me, but fortunately the music doesn't outstay its welcome, and of course, there is music that tugs on the heartstrings during the game's more serious moments.”
“It has a wonderful world to explore with an emotional soundtrack to boot and lots of humor in visual gags and writing to liven it up.”
“Fantastic cozy game with an emotional story, great accessibility features, and a relaxing soundtrack.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- 7 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their adorable art style and charming aesthetic, contributing to a delightful storytelling experience. However, some players noted frustration with the lack of clear visual cues for interactive elements, despite the overall well-crafted world and sound design. Overall, the visuals enhance the game's chill atmosphere and emotional depth.
“The art style is adorable, the sound design is incredible, and the world and puzzles are so well crafted!”
“Super chill with a cool art style.”
“A welcomed change of pace, this game delivers a lovely and at times tear-jerking story, with an adorable aesthetic.”
“The key prompt is there, but the graphics for what you interact with aren't. For me, it was a message in a bottle. It is marked on your map, so you will be able to find it, but it's still annoying.”
- gameplay13 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "Pine Hearts" is described as simple yet engaging, focusing on collecting tools to unlock new areas and discover NPCs, which adds an unexpected thrill. While the core loop of item collection can become repetitive, the unique music for each area enhances the experience. Reviewers suggest that future iterations could benefit from incorporating more puzzles, riddles, and light combat to diversify the gameplay.
“I found the gameplay simple yet engaging; collecting different tools to unlock new areas for exploration and NPCs to discover provided more of a thrill than I was anticipating.”
“The music supplements the gameplay perfectly, as each area of the Pine Hearts park has a unique song that plays on a loop during your questing.”
“Searching every nook and cranny for the necessary 1500 tears achievement was a little annoying, but nothing I'd deduct points for, as I 100% completed Pine Hearts in about 7 hours of gameplay.”
“If the developers of Pine Hearts ever attempted this type of game in the future, I'd like to see more puzzles, riddles, and perhaps some PG combat to spice up gameplay. Although there were instances of gameplay diversity throughout Pine Hearts, such as the lawnmower and sowing section, the core gameplay loop of walking around to pick up items can get a bit repetitive.”
“Gameplay is incredibly simple; I would very much say this is a kids' game.”
“Searching every nook and cranny for the necessary 1500 tears achievement was a little annoying, but nothing I'd deduct points for as I 100% completed Pine Hearts in about 7 hours of gameplay.”
- stability6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -17 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game experiences several glitches that require attention, though none are game-breaking, and players are optimistic about future fixes due to the developers' active engagement with the community. Overall, the game runs well on platforms like the Steam Deck, contributing to a positive experience despite the stability issues.
“It runs great on Steam Deck!”
“It runs great on Steam Deck!”
“It runs great on Steam Deck!”
“But there were quite a few glitches that need to be resolved; nothing outright game-breaking, and I'm sure they will be fixed in time. The game hasn't been out that long, and the devs are active in the forums answering bug reports.”
“But there were quite a few glitches that need to be resolved; nothing outright game-breaking, and I'm sure they will be fixed in time. The game hasn't been out that long, and the devs are active in the forums answering bug reports.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in "Pine Hearts" is characterized by its charming and whimsical interactions, with players noting the amusing background animations of characters and animals that add a layer of fun to the gameplay. The game successfully blends humor with heartfelt moments, creating a cozy and engaging experience that surprises players with its depth and variety.
“Pine Hearts is a cozy, colorful, charming, funny, and heart-warming game.”
“Each area invokes a range of emotions, with cute and funny interactions, to heartfelt memory sequences.”
“The background animations are funny if you take the time to stop and watch what the animals, characters, and objects do when you're not directly interacting with them.”
