Gorgeous interactive fiction Pine: A Story Of Loss is a small sad game about a big sad man
Chopping wood, cutting onions
Pine: A Story Of Loss, which stars a bereaved woodworker and thus may be a play on the double meaning of ‘pine’, is a gorgeously animated interactive fiction game that sees you performing farming chores and wordlessly reminiscing upon cherished memories. It’s short - designed to be played in a couple of sittings - and while the fiction is the focus here, you’ll spend time gardening and whittling in bespoke minigames as you find out more about the woodworker’s relationship. The publisher describes it thusly:
As each season changes, the woodworker must prepare for what’s to come. Tasks such as collecting water, thatching the roof, or planting crops each bring back vivid memories of his wife. Desperate to not let her memory disappear, the woodworker captures these moments in beautiful wood carvings. Yet, while each one is a promise to her memory, they soon become a dangerous obsession.
The game comes from two-person team Made Up Games, following a successful Kickstarter in 2021. Between then and now, the game was signed by Fellow Traveler, them of Citizen Sleeper, Genesis Noir and upcoming Great God Grove. Below is a video and if you click on it, it will play a reveal trailer.
Look, maybe I’m just extremely shallow, but if I had forearms that big, I simply would not become sad about anything ever again. Still, I actually really like the concept of performing what should be simple and comfortingly routine daily tasks, but feeling estranged from the familiar due to grief. It’s a lovely angle, and an interesting riff on the concept of ‘cozy’ games like the publisher’s own Beacon Pines, which Graham enjoyed.
Pine: A Story Of Loss is set to release sometime late this year.