Pineview Drive - Homeless
- April 5, 2019
- VIS-Games
Get on Steam"Pineview Drive - Homeless" is the sequel to the psychological horror game "Pineview Drive." Players take on the role of Miles Roberts, a former Army soldier who finds himself trapped in an old abandoned country house after seeking shelter from a storm. The game features nonlinear gameplay, dark atmosphere, exciting puzzles, and numerous shock moments. Players' reactions to frightening events can affect their health, making for a challenging and immersive experience. This installment delves deeper into the estate's dark history.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a creepy atmosphere and effective jump scares that enhance the horror experience.
- Improvements over the first game include a quicker pace and a coherent storyline, making it more engaging.
- The addition of a brightness slider is a thoughtful feature for players who struggle with darkness.
- The game suffers from a lack of direction, leading to tedious wandering and frustration in finding clues.
- Many players found the ending abrupt and unsatisfying, leaving numerous story questions unanswered.
- The flashlight mechanic is poorly designed, with batteries depleting too quickly, making exploration difficult.
- story20 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The story in this game is considered an improvement over its predecessor, featuring a coherent narrative but lacking depth and background, leaving players wanting more. Many reviewers criticized the story for being unengaging and failing to provide closure, ending on a cliffhanger that sets up the next installment. Additionally, the reliance on fetch quests detracts from the overall experience, leading to a perception that the story does not justify the game's length or price.
“This is better than the first game in the series and has a coherent story line.”
“More background story would have been ideal.”
“This game is unnecessarily difficult to pad the amount of time spent playing; it seems there really isn't any kind of depth to the story at all.”
“These notes could have told so much more story and are an abject failure as far as making me interested or informed on what this chapter in the series is actually about.”
“It doesn't really close up anything on the story and just leaves with a 'cliffhanger' to the next game, which isn't out at the moment.”
- music16 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as overly loud and intrusive, often overshadowing important audio cues and failing to enhance the experience. While it contributes to the game's atmosphere, many players feel it is too dramatic and not well-integrated, suggesting that allowing players to control the music volume could improve the overall experience.
“I think music excels when you don't necessarily notice it blatantly, but it adds emotional weight to scenes.”
“The music doesn't really seem to cue anything, it seems to be dramatic at times just to be dramatic...which still absolutely helps sell the atmosphere of the game.”
“I can't hear anything but your orchestral swell! This game has great audio cues, but is drowned out by the blaring music that often doesn't even fit with the experience.”
“Tldr - cool spooky audio ruined by overbearing music.”
“The music doesn't really seem to cue anything; it seems to be dramatic at times just to be dramatic... which still absolutely helps sell the atmosphere of the game.”
- atmosphere12 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its eerie and creepy qualities, significantly surpassing that of the original. Players appreciate the effective use of psychological terror and dramatic music, which enhances the overall tension and fear, even if the visuals may not be as polished as other titles. While the scares are impactful, some players feel that the gameplay itself may not be as engaging.
“The scares are excellent (even one of the ones I saw coming a mile away still made me jump) and the atmosphere is much, much better than the original game.”
“I played the game for about an hour and I can say the game definitely has a creepy atmosphere and some jumpscares here and there, but in the end this game is not really all that fun due to a combination of a few things.”
“The music doesn't really seem to cue anything, it seems to be dramatic at times just to be dramatic...which still absolutely helps sell the atmosphere of the game.”
“This game is one that relies heavily on psychological terror in the beginning, in that, nothing much is actually happening, but the atmosphere is freaking you out...and then it gets more terrifying as the game moves along to new corridors and rooms in the mansion.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and unengaging, with players noting that it exacerbates motion sickness due to excessive camera movement. Many feel that it fails to reward exploration and offers a repetitive experience similar to its predecessor, Pineview Drive, with obscure and random puzzles that contribute to a frustrating gameplay loop.
“I found this to be incredibly tedious, and it wreaked havoc on my motion sickness sensitivity with all the camera movement I had to do to search every nook and cranny.”
“It's pretty much the same tedious, boring gameplay of the first Pineview Drive, with its lack of rewarding the player for exploring and an endless buildup that never goes anywhere.”
“If you have played the first Pineview Drive and found it extremely tedious due to how obscure and random the puzzles were, then I'm happy to say that this does nothing to improve on that.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers highlight that the music in the game subtly enhances emotional depth, effectively adding weight to scenes without being overtly noticeable. This understated approach contributes significantly to the overall emotional experience.
“I think music excels when you don't necessarily notice it blatantly, but it adds emotional weight to scenes.”
- gameplay2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been criticized for its poorly designed flashlight mechanic, which many users find to be a significant flaw.
“The flashlight mechanic in this game is absolutely a terrible design choice.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by the absurdity of the oversized batteries that provide a comically brief power supply, leaving players with a dim, inadequate light reminiscent of a small Christmas bulb. This exaggerated scenario adds a lighthearted and amusing element to the gameplay experience.
“The battery (though you get several and are the size of a soda can) lasts for a hilariously short amount of time, and after the first two bars are gone, you're left with a little Christmas light of a bulb to see in the dark.”
- graphics2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The graphics are generally considered subpar, yet the lighting effects, particularly the lightning and reflections, receive praise for their quality and impact.
“Not the best graphics, but I love the lighting effects, most notably the lightning and the reflections.”
