Grieving is an explorative journey everyone takes at their own pace. The path is never completely straightforward, and it’s different for each person. Grief unfolds over time, and we begin to realize that learning to let go is the first step of the journey.
In Pine Hearts you play as Tyke, an adorable hiker train bound for Pine Hearts Caravan Park, in hopes of finishing his hillwalker journal. Although determined to climb the mountain, Tyke doesn’t have all he needs to climb, and in his preparation it’s up to you to help him traverse the cozy world finishing quests and rediscovering memories of the past.
The core gameplay of Pine Hearts revolves around completing tasks to unlock memories. From helping NPCs to interacting with the map, you’re rewarded with teardrops which in turn unlock memories. The map has seven different areas for you to explore. Unfortunately, there are obstacles in your way that can only be unlocked after obtaining certain tools or skills. Each section is densely filled with activities, paying attention to even the smallest details will help you on your journey
The memories Tyke unveils are of time spent at Pine Hearts Caravan Park with his father. These memories are colorful, and resemble drawings you would see in a child’s notebook. It has a very different look to it than other art in the game, and although still Pine Hearts, I believe it’s like looking through child Tyke’s eyes. As more memories are unlocked, you realize Tyke’s purpose for returning is more than conquering a mountain, it’s about conquering the grief of losing his father.
The game tactfully tells a story of love and loss, inspired by the personal experiences of Hyper Luminal Games’ creative director Rob Madden. In 2019, Madden suddenly lost his father to cancer. Finding ways to cope, he turned to what he knew best, and that was creating. As the game progressed he saw that it could be used to help others cope with their loss. In an interview with Safe in Our World, Madden says “Although it’s my story, it’s not a story that’s unique to me, unfortunately.” He hopes that this game brings hope to others going through the same.”
The cozy theme is really forefront in Pine Hearts. There isn’t any combat, time of day, nor time limits. The speed of gameplay parallels the grief journey, and it all depends on how you decide to move through the game. Even sitting through my emotions as I played, I finished the game in around 4.5 hours.
However, I did have some trouble with the map. There are two maps in your journey. In the menu, you can find a large overview map that shares the location of each section, and a zoomed in map in your hillwalker journal. There wasn’t enough detail on the larger map to understand exactly where I was. The smaller map didn’t cover enough ground to figure out which direction I needed to travel. Although I figured it out in the end, I would have loved a middle ground.
What I really liked about this game is from its release, Pine Hearts had accessibility options. There’s so many times where a game waits until after release to implement them. Accessibility should be available from the beginning.
Upon starting the game, I was met with the ability to change accessibility settings. The first being default or simplified controls. The simplified reduces inputs to a single button press rather than holding down timed movements. The next was balanced or color blocking visuals. Color blocking mutes the background color and highlights important people and interactable objects in bold colors. They also have options to change the colors, some presets being specifically for those with color blindness. Black and white mode is also an option.
Text legibility options are also available in settings. I found access to text size alteration, text spacing alteration, and a dyslexia friendly alternative font. There is also button remapping, and a way to disable screen shaking. I am someone who tends to get motion sick from certain games, and this is a great option to have.
Pine Hearts came in and achieved exactly what they aimed to do. Create an adorable and colorful cozy game that resonates a message of hope in a thought provoking way. I look forward to more from Hyper Luminal Games
Pine Hearts can be found on PC & Nintendo Switch. Author was given free game code from developers and reviewed on PC.
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