Pinstripe

 PC
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 16
  3. Negative: 1 out of 16
  1. DarkStation
    Jun 6, 2017
    40
    Pinstripe is a game that has such promise at its start but fails to capitalize on what makes it special by its completion. The simplistic platforming and combat take away from the game’s excellent atmosphere and world building and instead give the game this odd mix of tension in cutscenes immediately followed by easy-to-beat levels. While the minister was in Hell, facing the fears of humanity, I never felt like I was there with him. While the art and atmosphere are worthy of all the praise in the world, the gameplay and storytelling hurt the game exponentially, leading to a short and forgettable experience.
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  1. Vice
    Apr 28, 2017
    Don't sleep on this weird, dark little game. It's a very spooky, very worthwhile trip.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 36 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 36
  3. Negative: 2 out of 36
  1. GlaringOwlG
    Feb 24, 2023
    7
    Pinstripe is a dark and beautiful macabre 2D adventure game that takes players on an emotional journey through a fantastical and haunting set.Pinstripe is a dark and beautiful macabre 2D adventure game that takes players on an emotional journey through a fantastical and haunting set. Developed by the independent game developer, Thomas Brush, the game was released in 2017 and is available on multiple platforms.

    STORY:
    Pinstripe is a narrative-driven game where you step in the shoes of a former minister named Ted.
    You start the game inside a train, and you quickly understand that something wrong is going on here. After a bit of exploration, a creepy guy with a creepy voice called Pinstripe takes your daughter Bo and you understand immediately that this will be your main villain throughout the game. Your adventure begins , and It’s now your goal to find your daughter Bo in this unsettling snowy environment that you find yourself in.
    Despite the game being set in this dark and macabre world, you manage to find some comic characters throughout your gameplay that will bring you a couple of laughs.
    I would say the story of Pinstripe is a mix of horror and fantasy, and the more you dive into the depths of this world, the more you start connecting the dots and understand what really is happening and why you’re there. The game explores themes of grief, redemption, and morality. Pinstripe's story and the way it unravels is definitely one of its biggest strengths.

    GAMEPLAY:
    The game is played from a 2D side-scrolling perspective and features puzzle-solving, exploration, small dialogue and a couple of monster fights.The gameplay is relatively simple, with players moving Teddy around the world, interacting with objects, and solving puzzles to progress the story. A couple of them you might find the clues you need in items you get along the way. You will recognize most of the puzzles the moment you see them, like this one resembling the flappy bird game mechanics. Or another one where you need to find the differences while comparing 2 identical pictures.
    Other than this, most of the game you will be jumping and using your slingshot to keep moving forward, and this can become a bit repetitive. There is also a specific part in the game where you need to move all the way back in the map in order to be able to move forward, and that made me lose my rhythm. If you are new to gaming or on a time crunch, this might be a perfect game for you.I was able to finish my first playthrough in roughly 4 hours, without rushing at all. Most of the puzzles are quickly deciphered and straight-forward ALTHOUGH I did get stuck in one puzzle for putting values in the wrong order ( you will know what I mean if you play the game ). A nice extra is that the moment you finish your first playthrough, you can do it all over again with some extra goodies.If you decide to play a second time and you are a completionist, be sure to check it out!

    GRAPHICS:
    The visual art of Pinstripe is the main gem of the whole game. It manages to teleport us to this haunting and creepy place, while using a beautiful crafted hand-drawn art style environment. Even being less detailed, the type of illustration and gameplay gave me the vibes of the classic Abe’s World video game, and I loved that! The soft color tones combined with the warmth of the yellow color used in some objects, just grab you and take you all the way in this journey from the start of the game! The game's environments are just so beautifully detailed and atmospheric. They really have their own distinct look and feel, and that is a huge plus for a simple game like Pinstripe. I had the feeling that I was playing inside a painting, and that is something that will stay in my memory for sure.

    SOUND:
    The game's sound design is also noteworthy. The music is haunting and beautiful, and it perfectly complements the game's themes and atmosphere, but what really surprised me was that the voice acting was excellent! From the silly voices of the characters you encounter to the creepy and haunting voice of Pinstripe, all of them have their unique tone! Even the dog! Not every indie game goes this extra mile, and it was beautiful to see it. Only the main character, Ted, doesn’t have a voice, ( not sure if it was by choice ) but I believe that would have helped a lot for the player to build a connection with the character.

    CONCLUSION:
    Beautiful, haunting and heartwarming, Pinstripe is an excellent indie game that offers a beautiful and memorable story. While the gameplay is simple, a bit repetitive and doesn’t really explore any new mechanics, the game's art style, sound design and story complement each other in this beautiful story about grief, making it an enjoyable adventure.

    Pinstripe is not only a love letter to life itself , but also to every other indie developer that is pushing forward every day and building their games by themselves. Big shoutout to Thomas Brush to bring us this beautiful experience, and hoping to see much more from him.    … Full Review »
  2. PublicNuisance
    Jan 3, 2020
    6
    Pinstripe has so much going for it. That makes it even sadder that I didn’t enjoy it. You play as a father who is trying to get his abductedPinstripe has so much going for it. That makes it even sadder that I didn’t enjoy it. You play as a father who is trying to get his abducted daughter back from an evil man known simply as “Pinstripe” who took her before crashing the train you were on. You have to solve various puzzles in order to get to where she is held. The flow of the game very much reminded me of Super Metroid minus the combat as you have a lot of backtracking to previous areas where you can access places you couldn’t previously. There is light combat but you’ll use the weapons more for interacting with the environment. The voice acting is top notch by all involved. The story was interesting and kept me moving forward wanting more. The graphics had a great art style to them making them pop. This is all sounding good but sadly I found the puzzles to be just too tedious and frustrating to keep going. Most of them I could figure out without too much help but when they were frustrating they boiled my blood like few games have done.

    I played Pinstripe on Linux. It never crashed once on me. There was no manual save as the game opted for save points that are scattered at different locations that you choose to save at. There is just one save slot so you can’t have multiple saves going. There is just one graphics option. The game uses the Unity engine. I played version 2.1 of the game from GOG. The game worked with both mouse/keyboard as well as my Logitech F310 gamepad. I found the gamepad preferable.

    I really want to recommend Pinstripe but can’t. Everything but the puzzles is top notch and deserves praise. If you can get past that issue you’ll find a gem of a game. I made it as far as the Sack Chute area before giving up. I paid $3.99 CAD for the game and had I enjoyed the puzzles would have said it was worth $30 but as it is I still can say I got fair value.

    My Score: 6/10

    My System:

    AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | 16GB DDR4-3000 CL15 | MSI RX 580 8GB Gaming X | Mesa 19.1.4 | Samsung 850 Evo 250GB | Manjaro 18.0.4 | Mate 1.22.1 | Kernel 5.2.8-1-MANJARO    … Full Review »
  3. GReviews
    Apr 30, 2018
    7
    Pinstripe is a well respected Indie platformer with a dark story of ruin but also redemption. It certainly earned its reputation through hardPinstripe is a well respected Indie platformer with a dark story of ruin but also redemption. It certainly earned its reputation through hard work and earnest story telling but also satisfying gameplay and gallows humour. Well worth a play through although I'm not sure I'd have the urge to go back and play it again for a while.… Full Review »
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