Pine Hearts and the Healing Power of Kindness

I had the pleasure of interviewing the developer of Pine Hearts two years ago, after playing and thoroughly enjoying the demo. I was excited to play the game, but as it does, life caught up with me, and I ended up delaying my playthrough until just now. I'm definitely sad that I didn't play this sooner! Pine Hearts is an adorable, heartwarming, and sometimes heartbreaking romp through a small English nature reserve full of fun, quirky characters and memories for our darling protagonist.

Grief and Moving Forward

Pine Hearts follows the story of Tyke, who is determined to climb to the summit of the titular nature reserve, following the journal his father left behind cataloging their adventures in Tyke's childhood. Along the way, Tyke helps the various inhabitants of the reserve to resolve their problems, from a missing performing band to puzzles in castle ruins to shady fishermen and more. Tyke assists others while working through his own memories of his father, all in an attempt to overcome the challenge - both physically and emotionally - of conquering the summit of Pine Hearts.

I found this adventure, while brief, to be very satisfying. Tyke never talks, but he certainly feels things deeply. With every memory you uncover in this game, you're presented with a little bit more about his connection to his father, and the sometimes rocky relationship they shared. It's touching to see how young Tyke viewed the world, so full of scary things but easily faced together; at the same time, it's heartbreaking to see how much Tyke lost when he lost his father.

At the same time, Tyke doesn't let this grief overwhelm him. Every action he takes is for the benefit of others, often going well out of his way to do so. Rather than simply taking the most direct route to achieve his goals, he engages with this park that's so sentimental to him, building new memories to supplement and support the old ones, and finding closure in other people's stories. I find this deeply beautiful, and I found myself often tearing up throughout Tyke's journey.

Cutesy and Clever Visual Design

The aesthetics of Pine Hearts are, in a word, charming. The blobby, noodle-limbed character designs feel like they're pulled straight from a children's show, with matching bubbly background elements in bright, saturated colors that make it a delight to behold. I adored each different area of the game, which felt distinct and yet cohesive as a world, and appreciated the attention to detail that came with each space; there are distinct greens in the golf course and lush gardens in the castle! As a bonus, every animal you encounter in the game is precious, and yes, you can pet all the dogs.

The secondary setting - Tyke's memory world - has a lovely cardboard-cutout design that feels like when kids work together to put on backyard plays for their parents, which I think is entirely appropriate. The softness of the world through Little Tyke's eyes, complemented by dreamy overlays and a smaller field of view, gives a lot of weight to the fact that he hasn't been back to this park since his father's passing; all of his memories of it have been aggrandized by time and distance, leaving us with this rounded view. It's a really clever way to include the inconsistency of memory into this game that uses memory as a main plot.

Metered Progress and Memory-Based Movement

The actual gameplay of Pine Hearts is just as solid as the visuals. Though movement through the environment can be challenging at times - the movement controls aren't super precise, and there are brief moments where paths are obscured by the landscape - interacting with it never felt like much of a chore.

Progression through the game relies on Tyke collecting teardrops, either from the environment itself or by completing tasks for the various characters within it. When he hits certain milestones, you unlock memories that reveal a new movement mechanic like chopping through blocking logs, digging to reveal hidden items or collect quest pieces, jumping to clear gaps, and a few others. All of the different areas of the largely open world map are explorable using a combination of these abilities, so you're encouraged to return to previous areas and re-explore as you unearth new mechanics.

I found this to be both an interesting way of exploring and slightly frustrating at times. Progress was occasionally difficult when I didn't have a mechanic I sorely needed and couldn't figure out how to get around it (though there was always a way to progress without the missing mechanic, even if it wasn't obvious at first). Still, there were always more than enough drops available to ensure I unlocked what I needed eventually. In the meantime, I simply explored other areas of the map and came back to puzzles I got stuck on later.

This slow, unlocking progression meant that I was encouraged to interact with everyone and everything, which made for some fun moments I wouldn't have thought about trying otherwise. It was nice to see the interaction prompt pop up in a seemingly random area and watch Tyke do something silly like play hopscotch, roast a marshmallow, or clap at a seal. These little moments always rewarded you with drops, making them both cute and satisfying. It kept me invested and playing for long stretches without getting bored.

A Genuine Work of Heart

Pine Hearts was so clearly made with a great deal of heart and care that I can't really find any fault in it. It's a wonderful experience to curl up with, especially if you're someone who's experienced a similar grief or shares a similar level of love and respect for a childhood vacation spot. These memories aren't perfect, and they can be difficult to relive, especially if we've lost the person we made them with, but that doesn't mean we have to give up on them, even when things get hard. Helping Tyke to find closure through kindness to others was rewarding in its own right; I genuinely felt like the world had the potential to be a little nicer after finishing the game.

You can find Pine Hearts on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Google Play, and the Apple Store.