Pine Hearts: Everything We Know

It appears Animal Crossing has spawned yet another cozy life simulation game for PC—a Scottish art piece that’s currently under the title of Pine Hearts, according to its developer, Hyper Luminal Games. In a similar fashion as its adversaries, the title promises to deliver a game “about love, life, memories, and family,” all from the sleepy setting of Pine Hearts Caravan Park. So, if you’ve been yearning to scratch that itch that’s been grating since the previous IP of its breed, then you might want to consider stapling this one to your to-do list for when it arrives later this year.

Locale and basic outline set aside, what more do we actually know about the upcoming adventure? Will there be a story to unravel in this homely world, or will it more or less adopt a simple sandbox blueprint for players to explore and tailor to their own liking? Here’s everything we currently know about it.

What Is Pine Hearts?

Pine Hearts is an adventure game in which players fill the shoes of a spud-like character—a seasoned traveler, of sorts, who embarks on a journey to unravel the mysteries of Pine Hearts Caravan Park and reconnect with the memories of their childhood. In addition to it featuring a heartfelt story and bite-sized world to roam around in, the game will also include “Souls-like” level design — which is an odd combination, given its hearty aesthetic.

In the words of its founders, “Pine Hearts is a warm, thoughtful game about love, life, memories, and family. It tells a story of the loss of a family member with tenderness and care, but please be aware of this subject matter before playing the game.” In other words, it’ll touch base on some pretty heartbreaking issues, so expect a bit more than a simple walking sim, basically.

Story

From what we’ve gathered so far, Pine Hearts will center its narrative around Tyke, a backpacking traveler who has returned to the idyllic world of Pine Hearts Caravan Park to rekindle a few childhood memories. But that’s not all, apparently. In the words of its creators, the story will also cast a light on the loss of a family member—a theme that it promises to treat with “tenderness and care.” So again, while the story will harness a gentle aesthetic and beginner-friendly progression, it’ll also make room for some darker themes.

Aside from all of the above, not a lot else is known about Tyke, much less his reason for returning to the Caravan Park other than to meander around memory lane and fill out a journal along the way. Who knows? Perhaps that it? Whatever the case may be, the devs will no doubt shed a bit more light on the premise over the coming months.

Gameplay

From the looks of it, gameplay in Pine Hearts will revolve around one thing: one traveler’s undying desire to chronicle the items and secrets of the Pine Hearts Caravan Park. As Tyke, players will need to unlock a series of tools, and with them, a web of hidden locations and historic landmarks that once stood as the staging grounds for the traveler’s fondest memories. There’ll be the “item-based progression of Zelda,” and “Souls-like level design” — only without the combat and permadeath bogging it down.

Going by the game’s description that was teased earlier this year, “Pine Hearts takes the item-based progression of Zelda, combines it with Souls-like level design and wraps it all up in a wholesome aesthetic with a focus on puzzles, not combat.” Suffice to say, it probably won’t be looking to wrangle any deadly foes and force players to thrash it out for a crown of some sort.

“As Tyke, hop into your hiking boots and explore the paths and rivers of this cosy little world,” the description adds. “Rummage around the park and find handy tools that will help you on your journey as you fill out your trusty hillwalking journal. Rediscover memories of Tyke's time in the park many summers ago and unearth the heartfelt story of his childhood.”

Development

Welcome to Pine Hearts Caravan Park 🏕
Our first self-published game on our new Indie Publishing label: @LittleNookGames!💫

🌲An itsy-bitsy narrative-adventure
🗺Discover secrets within the park
🧭First public demo at @EGX!

🏕Wishlist Pine Hearts today! https://t.co/MxnZOLpcU7 pic.twitter.com/HlDdAHqifm

— Hyper Luminal Games (@HyperLuminalUK) October 5, 2023

In case you missed the memo, Pine Hearts is being shaped by Hyper Luminal Games, a Dundee-based independent studio that’s previously worked on the likes of Cloud Jumper and Big Crown. According to its site, the team has “delivered 70+ games by working with a wide spectrum of clients, from high profile entertainment brands to other independent games developers.”

“Hyper Luminal is creative, ambitious, and is making its mark on the industry with unique, high-quality games that fill our team with pride and create lasting memories,” reads an excerpt from the site. “We make games where every team member proudly states: “I built that!”. We put smiles on people’s faces with beautiful and fun experiences that people play and love.” There are ten points for wholesomeness, right there.

Trailer

Thanks to a couple of reputable streaming handles, we do in fact have a bit of footage to share of the upcoming adventure game. You can check out one of the early announcement trailers for Pine Hearts in the video embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Pine Hearts is currently slated for a Q1 2024 launch on PC via Steam. As for whether or not it’ll be securing ground on the likes of Xbox, PlayStation, or Switch, however, is still anybody’s guess. For now, though, it appears that it’ll be exclusive to Steam.

Interested in staying up to date with Pine Hearts? If so, then be sure to check in with the good folks over at Hyper Luminal Games for all the latest updates via their official social handle here. If anything does change ahead its global release, then we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Pine Hearts when it arrives on PC later this year? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.