A Jaunt through Pine Hearts

[LynodFrost]

I've always seen delivering feedback best arranged as a "bad news, good news" sort of situation. You get hit by the rough stuff fresh, while your mind is eager and receptive. You're left feeling a bit heavy, but you know what you need to go forward. You're then presented with the happy stuff, those beloved elements, making the bitter taste just a little sweeter, helping you go on to refine your craft.

So I'm gonna hit you with the hard truths first. Some are little details, others are big fixes, but know they're meant in the spirit of success. I believe that you can take these nuggets of information and refine them into something truly worth your game.

1. The mallet lacks impact. You go up to a rock, you hit up, and... it's over. I think the idea of miming the tool actions is kind of brilliant, especially in such a "simple" game. It invests you all the more in the setting as you feel like you're performing the actions yourself. Might I suggest up, then down? You're hefting the mallet up and then using all your Tykesian strength to bring it down.

2. This is a big one -- you can climb rocks, and this means you can climb nearby trees. While this looks just a little silly normally, I did get hardlocked at a rosebush at the beginning of the Ruined Castle. I went over it, to a section of the map I couldn't escape and that's where I remained -- well, until I reset the game and gave it another go!

3. The jumping down sound effect is a little long. Even in the longest of plunges, it more than outstayed its welcome.

4. This is among the tiniest of nitpicks, but turning on gas lamps feels a bit abrupt. Maybe it could require a little startup? A hiss and then fwoom? It'd just add a better feel to the process.

5. Memories are such a crucial element of the game that you want to have everything up to snuff concerning them. One thing I think is lacking is the transition to accessing the memory to the memory itself. Things go white and it's a bit unsatisfying. Perhaps you could go to the clouds like you do in the memory itself?

6. The quest log is a little difficult for use. Perhaps you mean for the character to wander about as a feature of the game, but when I'm told to go somewhere I've never been, I find it hard to know quite where to go -- I spent a decent amount wandering without any luck. I'd suggest maybe having the location you need to go highlighted on the map, making traversal more of a joy.

7. The quest log doesn't actually carry all the quests you get. I had the burger quest at the same time as the stump-splitting(?) quest, but only the former was there. It was also difficult to know which burger ingredients I had gotten because the quest log didn't actually detail it. I had come across most of them by simple exploration, so finding the last was more trouble than maybe it should have been.

8. Okay, this is THE big one. I think this is an important part of your game that you need to fix before release, or it's going to knock it down a peg if not two.

The writing needs another pass. In the world of Pine Hearts you have whimsy and delight. Small children seek squirrels as pets, a birdwatcher doesn't notice the little stowaway on his head, and a slightly deranged outdoorsman hunts the Gruffumpkin with a contracted out hamburger.

None of the writing contains this. It's all straight forward, without playfulness, without imagination, without outdoor dreams. It's fine, it's serviceable, but it does a disservice to the game in which it sits. Please, please take your team and try to add these qualities to the writing. It is a noticeable disconnect and your game deserves a story that embodies all the best parts of Pine Hearts.

That there's the rough and tumble. If you've made it this far, I appreciate you holding on. There are elements to fix in your game, but it's by no means a horror to behold. In fact, you probably gleamed my ultimate thoughts about Pine Hearts in my last comment:

It's beautiful. I wasn't a fan of the simple art style at first, but it quickly conveys a warmth that I didn't first glimpse in the screenshots. It's better helped by the depth effect you have going, making things in the background fade out while the foreground is perfectly clear. It's a nice wrinkle in a simple style, and I found myself really appreciating it.

I can't comment on the art style without mentioning the Memories. You bring childhood to life with the scrawled figures and their cardboard forms. Some sit still, others jump around, but all are alive. This stylistic choice brings childhood just a little closer to those of us who left it long behind. I found my heart a little warmer for it and my day just a bit better, too.

The storybook cutscenes are good. They're a bit simple, but they convey trepidation and warmth well. Tyke's anxiety was evident but also his warm nature as he was handed his book. It made a likable protagonist from the start, and I look forward to learning more about him.

Just like so much of Pine Hearts, the gameplay is straightforward, but that's by no means a knock against it. Tyke is responsive to control and even a joy when you get him running. The actions you perform are also enjoyable, directional, timing, and button prompts giving a sort of "hands-on" feel to the gameplay. When I'm swinging the axe it's not in-game -- I'm holding the handle in my hands.

The music is not simply a soundtrack -- it, like the tools, is a part of the setting itself. As I move through nature, the music sounds as natural as footfalls or creaking trees. I'm back home in a place that brings old comfort and sweet memories, and the soundtrack makes that readily known.

You folks at Tiny Nook and Hyper Luminal have something special on your hands. Cozy games are rarely my cup of tea, but I find its soul to be irresistible. There is love and depth here, both in its style, but also its development. It is strange to see a manufactured product in our capitalistic society and think, "This is a labor of love," but here I am, saying just that to you. Whatever happens in the future, success or failure, good times or bad, never forget that you made something beautiful in a difficult world. You made something to ease the burden, lighten the heart, and take us to a little park next door.

I'm glad I went to Pine Hearts, and I can't wait to return.

[melissaHLG]

Thank you so much for taking the time to detail your feedback and for your very kind words 💖 I'm so glad you felt the heart of the game resonate as much with you as it does with us. I've passed on your feedback to our team, we hope you'll stick with us as we get Pine Hearts into the best place we can! Can't wait to have you back ✨

[LynodFrost]

My utter pleasure, Melissa. You folks have something special here and I can't wait to see what comes of it. The world is always better for beautiful things.