Pine Hearts Review: A Short, Tender Trek That’s Cozy To Its Core

At first glance, you wouldn’t think a game like Pine Hearts would pack the emotional punch that it does. Cutesy, colorful, and very obviously cozy, you’d be forgiven for thinking that you’re setting out for a happy little adventure — and for the most part, it is. But studio Hyper Luminal Games have sprinkled in a little more substance than that, which left me unexpectedly teary-eyed in places. 

The game follows Tyke — a young man on a small journey through the Pine Hearts Caravan Park, a place that he visited when he was a child with his father. On the surface, Pine Hearts presents itself as an adorable and quaint adventure, but it holds a very sentimental story about loss, the parent-child dynamic of navigating sickness leading to that loss, and the grief that follows years after. These themes aren’t overpowering, which works to Pine Heart’s strengths, but it’s these relatable moments that hit the hardest and will easily resonate with anyone who has gone through a similar experience. 

In the game’s opening moments, we learn that Tyke’s motivation for going back to Pine Hearts Caravan Park is to reach the peak of the mountain, as outlined in a hiking journal belonging to his father who has passed away. Upon arriving, he reunites with the park’s ranger who tells Tyke that he should explore the area more and become a more skilled hiker before she lets him climb the mountain. In order to hone his skills, Tyke visits each area of Pine Hearts, offering his help to the local residents and campers. Some characters give Tyke special tools, which he can use to find resources and other items. Others award little droplet-like tokens which, when enough are collected, unlock a new memory. 

These emotional beats have Tyke recollecting pastimes with his father, told through short childlike imagination sequences. The purpose of each one is to unlock an important ability, such as learning to climb up rock walls, or hopping across small stretches of water, which help Tyke to access new areas of Pine Hearts and continue his journey. At the same time, we learn a little more about Tyke’s childhood, and his relationship with his father. All of this is depicted through the gameplay sequence and imagery alone, rather than needing to use any dialogue.

What makes Pine Hearts such a cozy treat are the clear influences you can pick up in various aspects of the game. The soundtrack, which varies in each area, is very much on the same level of charm as Animal Crossing. One particular side quest highlights this especially. In the caravan park, Tyke is asked by an ice cream seller to hunt for his missing CDs. After finding all three, the seller allows Tyke to choose which of the musical tracks to play from the ice cream van’s speakers, all of which sound as if K.K. Slider himself had performed them.

As for the general gameplay, inspiration for puzzles and progression have been taken from games such as The Legend of Zelda series, with paths opening up as more tools are at your disposal, staggering your progression so as not to get overwhelmed. Though, unlike the Zelda series, there’s no combat that you’ll need to be concerned with. No threat or stressful obstacles. You’re encouraged to make your way through Pine Hearts at your own pace, however fast or slow that may be. From start to finish, however, the game will take you roughly 3-4 hours to complete, depending on your level of thoroughness. 

Despite being a short game, there’s a surprising amount of ground to cover in Pine Heart’s open world. Each area is carefully designed to incorporate not only puzzles but enjoyable little interactables, mini games, and side quests, such as hunting for buried treasure on a small beach, or picking black roses to gift a goth couple in a cemetery. It’s these little moments where players will uncover delightful surprises to help soothe against the game’s more hard-hitting beats. These little instances aren’t handed to you on a plate, either. You’ll explore and uncover them by yourself, should you go looking for them, which is a great way to reward the more curious players.

For some, Pine Hearts might come across as overly simplistic. Outside of a few items hunts and easy puzzles, there’s not a huge amount of gameplay to absorb yourself into, sharing a lot in common with a walking simulator. Its replayability is limited, too, being a very linear experience. But, what Pine Hearts lacks in mechanics and complexity, it makes up for in charm and tenderness. Few games are able to condense genuine emotional gameplay into a short experience with such effectiveness, and fewer in such an accessible and wholesome way. 

Verdict - 8/10

Though it features a heavy topic, Pine Hearts isn’t designed to put you through the ringer. Rather, it’s a friendly pat on the shoulder reassuring you that those often complicated emotions associated with loss are natural and valid, and will heal in their own way. This short narrative adventure never rushes or makes demands of you, and is lovingly designed to be as gentle as it is cute. It doesn’t hold much in terms of replayability, but the emotional and concise story is well worth experiencing. Pine Hearts is a great game to cozy up with for an evening, and one that’ll definitely leave you misty-eyed before the credits roll.

Pine Hearts is available now on Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam. A PC code was provided for review.