Pinstripe
- April 25, 2017
- atmos
- 4h median play time
Solid and definitely has an audience. There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun.
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Get on itch.io Store"Pinstripe" is a suspenseful adventure game about Teddy, a former minister, navigating a frozen Hell to rescue his abducted daughter Bo from the clutches of the mysterious, demonic Mr. Pinstripe. Along the way, Teddy will face his past and confront the dark secrets that led to his current predicament. With unique hand-drawn art and a focus on narrative, "Pinstripe" is a deeply personal and emotional journey.
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Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
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Playstation 4
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Windows
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Mobile Platform
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- Beautiful art style and soundtrack that create a captivating atmosphere.
- Engaging story that explores deep themes of love, loss, and redemption.
- Simple yet enjoyable gameplay with clever puzzles and memorable characters.
- Very short playtime, typically around 2-3 hours, which may not justify the full price.
- Some gameplay mechanics, like backtracking for collectibles, can feel tedious.
- Achievements are often bugged, leading to frustration for completionists.
- story467 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The game's story is widely praised for its emotional depth and beautiful presentation, often described as a touching narrative about a father's quest to rescue his daughter, set against a backdrop of dark themes like alcoholism and loss. While some players found the story predictable or simplistic, many appreciated its artistic storytelling, engaging characters, and the way it intertwines with the game's stunning visuals and soundtrack. Overall, the narrative is seen as a compelling and memorable experience, despite the game's short length.
“What truly matters is the experience and emotions you feel during that time, and in that regard, this game feels like reading a truly wonderful storybook.”
“A charming game with a deep storyline and some delightful hidden dimensions.”
“The story, artwork, and music are beautiful enough on their own to make this game worthwhile just to experience the atmosphere, but the gameplay and puzzles are equally clever and entertaining.”
“The story is pretty immature.”
“I couldn't get connected to the characters, the story that is there is pretty hollow, and you are forced to go back to the start of the map a couple of times in the way puzzles are designed.”
“The story follows themes of alcoholism, religion, neglect, etc... in a really in-your-face, dull way.”
- graphics210 mentions
- 73 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their stunning and unique art style, often compared to Tim Burton's aesthetic, which enhances the overall atmosphere and storytelling. Players appreciate the beautiful visuals that complement the gameplay and music, creating an immersive experience, despite some noting that the game is relatively short. Overall, the art direction is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's emotional impact and charm.
“The graphics are beautiful, and so is the soundtrack.”
“The art style is amazing and the atmosphere that is created is wonderfully tailored to the game.”
“Beautiful graphics, rich story, and very enjoyable gameplay.”
“Aesthetically, it's consistent in the style, however the gradient banding on virtually all the sprites was painful and I feel completely avoidable.”
“I really wanted to be able to recommend this for the setting and art style alone, but I just can't.”
“The graphics have a unique style, the voice acting is excellent, the music is very ambient, and the puzzles are fun.”
- music184 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its emotional impact and suitability for the game's themes. While some found the soundtrack occasionally repetitive or lacking in variety, the majority appreciated its haunting and immersive qualities, often highlighting it as a standout feature alongside the game's stunning art and engaging story. Overall, the music is considered a significant contributor to the game's charm and emotional depth.
“The story, artwork, and music are beautiful enough on their own to make this game worthwhile just to experience the atmosphere, but the gameplay and puzzles are equally clever and entertaining.”
“The music is relaxing and wonderful as well.”
“The art style and music fit perfectly to the theme of the game and the plot develops over time into a wholesome and heartwarming story.”
“The music was okay, but lacked consistency throughout (Zelda plus 20's music, plus generic background music, then suddenly metal??) the story was absolute shallow garbage.”
“Although after finishing the game, it feels more like you paid for the soundtrack and it just came with a free game.”
“The puzzles are mostly guesswork, which was just really frustrating, and the songs the game gave me to listen to while I puzzled away weren't very interesting.”
- gameplay159 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay in this game is generally described as simple and easy to pick up, featuring basic puzzle-solving and platforming mechanics that are not particularly challenging or innovative. While some players appreciate the engaging atmosphere and art style, many feel that the gameplay lacks depth and can be hindered by unclear mechanics and occasional bugs. Overall, it serves more as a vehicle for storytelling rather than a standout gameplay experience.
“The story, artwork, and music are beautiful enough on their own to make this game worthwhile just to experience the atmosphere, but the gameplay and puzzles are equally clever and entertaining.”
“Gameplay is puzzle-oriented with some combat mechanics, and although it is nothing groundbreaking, it's an average gameplay experience which isn't really what this game is for.”
“Very satisfying gameplay, nice and fast-paced, not too difficult but challenging enough to be enjoyable and just mind-blowingly beautiful in art, soundtrack, and story.”
“The gameplay is very simple and easy to pick up.”
“But unfortunately, great aesthetics are hindered by mediocre gameplay.”
“The gameplay itself isn't anything special, but there's still plenty of fun to be had here, and the story is great.”
- atmosphere87 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its beautiful art, haunting music, and emotional storytelling, creating an immersive experience that captivates players. While some reviews note a juxtaposition of dark themes with humor that can disrupt the mood, the overall consensus highlights the game's ability to evoke strong feelings through its atmospheric design. Many players appreciate the attention to detail and the seamless integration of sound, visuals, and narrative, making it a standout feature of the game.
“The story, artwork, and music are beautiful enough on their own to make this game worthwhile just to experience the atmosphere, but the gameplay and puzzles are equally clever and entertaining.”
“The art style is amazing and the atmosphere that is created is wonderfully tailored to the game.”
“The blend of the beautifully atmospheric soundtrack, excellent voice acting along with the solid story and gorgeous graphics, for me made this a fantastic gaming experience.”
“The voice acting feels out of place from the eerie atmosphere, with the exception of one or two characters.”
“My first playthrough was around 2 hours, none of the puzzles were particularly difficult as the game mostly just consists of going from screen to screen finding items and shooting things, but as a short, atmosphere-focused story game it didn't require anything more involved.”
“The extremely gloomy atmosphere, somewhere between Limbo and Tim Burton, is amazingly beautiful due to the great art style and soundtrack.”
- emotional68 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised for its touching and heartwarming story, which often evokes strong feelings, including tears from players. Many reviews highlight the effective combination of beautiful artwork, atmospheric music, and engaging voice acting that enhance the emotional experience. While some players found the humor and gameplay mechanics at odds with the story's depth, the overall sentiment is that the game successfully delivers a poignant narrative that resonates deeply with its audience.
“It's an emotional simple platformer with a deep dark storyline and amazing voice acting.”
“The story was emotional and I was genuinely moved by the end.”
“I cannot begin to express the depths of beauty highlighted in this game, as well as the emotional roller coaster that is experiencing this.”
- humor31 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as a mix of quirky, childish, and dark elements, often blending absurdity with poignant moments. While some players appreciate the clever writing and funny character interactions, others find the humor hit-or-miss, with certain jokes feeling forced or tasteless. Overall, the game balances its artistic visuals and immersive soundscapes with a variety of comedic styles, making it both charming and occasionally off-putting.
“Such gorgeous art, immersive soundtracks, beautiful scenery, it's creepy and disgustingly hilarious in a way that I just love it.”
“For a game made by one person, Pinstripe's amazing cast of funny and well-written characters are a treat!”
“The game possesses a certain Burton-esque quality, featuring beautiful art, clever and frequently funny writing, and a certain fancifulness of the music, which are combined with a story full of dark undertones, populated with wacky, almost absurd characters, and centered around a menacing, sinister villain.”
- replayability29 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game offers moderate replayability, primarily through its New Game+ mode, alternative endings, and the ability to unlock additional content and achievements in subsequent playthroughs. While the main story can be completed in a few hours, players seeking to fully experience the game will find value in multiple runs, although some reviewers noted that knowing the story may diminish the incentive to replay. Overall, it caters well to achievement hunters and those who enjoy exploring different choices and outcomes.
“There is still a lot more to do in New Game+ and the good vs. evil choices in the dialogue offer a bit of replay value that I will get around to eventually.”
“It also has its fair amount of replay value, as many locations and items cannot be unlocked until the second playthrough, and there are two endings depending on your dialogue decisions.”
“Also, as the game encourages replayability, unlocking various content after the completion of the first playthrough, achievement hunters and indie gamers will easily find that more runs are required to experience it to the fullest.”
“My only issue is, if you play it at least once, there isn't that much replayability after that since you know the full story already.”
“There is apparently a little replayability, as your currency carries over from game to game, allowing you to buy things you are unable to afford in the first playthrough, though these items mostly seem to be for achievements or speed runs and do not affect the gameplay.”
“Although there is replayability consideration, that in itself is a frustration - as the replay function means some features are only unlocked on replay - with your first playthrough leaving you puzzled where the god damn golden key is...”
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, often involving repetitive backtracking and item collection that detracts from the experience. While some appreciate the immersive adventure and underlying messages, many criticize the gameplay for being boring and frustrating, particularly due to long cutscenes and mandatory tasks that feel like a chore. However, a few users note that the game manages to avoid becoming overly tedious by keeping its length short and incorporating engaging challenges.
“It's way too grindy, and I could tell from the start it would take forever to gather the amount of items needed in the most boring way, backtracking and killing one enemy after another for little gain.”
“❌ Lots of tedious backtracking (especially if you miss something) without an increased freedom of mobility or new and significant events.”
“Tedious platforming, repeated backtracking, mandatory collectible hunting...”
- stability9 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is highly inconsistent, with many users reporting frequent freezes, memory leaks, and game-breaking glitches that necessitate deleting saved progress. While some players experience smooth gameplay without issues, the overall sentiment leans towards a buggy and unstable experience, particularly on Windows 11.
“This game has a memory leak issue on Windows 11; it freezes after playing for one or two minutes.”
“It's full of glitches and bugs to no end.”
“I've had to delete my saved game 3 times because of glitches that made the storyline impassable.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Overall, users report no significant performance issues or bugs, although some note that certain characters have excessive dialogue and overly dramatic voice acting.
“No issues with performance or bugs.”
“The optimization is impressive, allowing for smooth gameplay even in intense situations.”
“The game runs flawlessly, with no noticeable lag or performance dips.”
“Performance and bug-related incidents are a major concern.”
“Some characters talk too much, and those that do feature voice actors delivering overly dramatic performances.”
