Pine

 Switch
Metascore
48

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 6
  3. Negative: 2 out of 6
  1. Nintendo Life
    Dec 7, 2019
    40
    Pine could have been a lot better. There are genuinely impressive systems at play here – for example, the other creatures inhabiting this world are gathering resources in much the same way as the player, and will even snatch up crops and objects that you were making for. But its smarter touches are totally obfuscated by the shadow of absolute technical unsuitability to the Switch hardware. When you look at ports like Doom and the recent Alien: Isolation, you'll wonder what exactly went wrong for Pine to be so disastrously sub-par in purely technical terms. We can only imagine how cool it looked on the design document; it's just such a shame about almost literally every single aspect of the execution.
  2. Screen Rant
    Nov 26, 2019
    20
    Pine’s interesting diplomacy system can’t save it from its dull combat, repetitive quests, and severe technical problems.
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  1. NintendoWorldReport
    Nov 26, 2019
    Pine is a brilliant idea backed by some truly wonderful systems. Other elements of its gameplay fall short but would ultimately be forgivable if it would just run reliably. No matter how much I wanted to enjoy Pine, I always found myself ending my play session in frustration as a stared down another loading screen, found a key character glitched into an inactive state, or an entire village simply blipping out of existence. Pine feels like a very promising alpha, not a game that should be sold as finished. The presence of Pine on the eShop is baffling. While I earnestly hope it improves, I simply can’t recommend it in its current form.

User Reviews

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User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 22 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 22
  3. Negative: 7 out of 22
  1. maisel97
    Jan 20, 2021
    8
    Switch Version 2.01.

    Pine is addicting. The world of Pine is beautiful with varied biomes, plenty of items for crafting, and secrets to find    Switch Version 2.01.


    Pine is addicting. The world of Pine is beautiful with varied biomes, plenty of items for crafting, and secrets to find everywhere. It is quite impressive that this 6 person team was capable of creating such a lived in world despite working with a limited engine.
    _______

    Story

    The main plot of the game is that you are a human that is part of a village on top of a small mountain that is slowly falling apart. The village elders refuse to leave, believing the outside world is too dangerous for them. With a tragic event unfolding, you takes the matter into your own hands and proceeds to leave the village and look for a new home for the people to live. A solid premise that gives the player drive.

    You then must go to any of the animal races and ask for help. They will be hesitant to do so, as they have their own villages to take care of. They will only help you as long as you help them. Thus the game is essentially you donating, trading, or teaming up with various factions to find your people a land of their own.

    This leads to you trying to learn the history of the island, and how ancient humans must have survived in order to save humanity. It is enough to keep me invested, and makes the in game lore intriguing in its own right.

    Overall its compelling in the way classic adventure games have been, making me give it an 8/10
    _______

    Gameplay

    The core gameplay loop is pretty much that of a living breathing world. Each race has its own desires and needs, and will send out traders, gatherers, and warriors to ensure they can expand their control of the island to the best of their ability. This makes the world quite dynamic, as you will see different races interacting with each other in the fields and terrain outside of villages. You will also find them taking over different settlements throughout the game.

    You will have to work with multiple factions to help your own people. I have noticed many people criticizing this system in that you cannot stick with a single faction, and must constantly switch who you are allied with. I personally think this was a logical choice, on the dev's part, as it encourages you to learn each race's perspective in the world and do more than the generic grind of leveling up a single village until you finish the game.

    I would have definitely liked if there was more variations in NPC dialogue however. It would have been nice to see more side quests that provide materials or perhaps even some added lore. Outside from a few island stories I have played through, you will mostly be playing through multiple main story quests that you can do in any order you wish.

    Outside of that however, you will also go through 3 Zelda like dungeons called "Vaults" and solve puzzles in the overworld. These dungeons have been mixed, with the first time you entering a vault not really explaining what to do. Once you figure out the first puzzle though, the remainder of the dungeon become solid challenges.

    Combat can be improved, but is still good enough.

    Just fix the crashing. 7/10.

    8/10 with fixes.
    _______

    Visuals

    The graphical art style of this game is beautiful, and very reminiscent of Fable. Sunsets, and shadows from the moonlight give the world a serene look. Character designs amongst the factions is also well done, with plenty of detail. 9/10
    _______

    Sound

    I cannot stress just how amazing the soundtrack of Pine is. It is a perfect 10 in my book, and deserves the utmost praise. Sound effects are also surprisingly high quality. 10/10

    Replay Ability
    _______

    The world is interesting to experiment with, but aside from that the world could have a few more side quests. 7/10
    _______

    Verdict
    Overall Pine is fantastic despite some flaws in the code. 8/10    … Full Review »
  2. Tatted504
    Jan 13, 2021
    8
    Alot Better Game now Then at Release. If you tried it before you should try it again
  3. zanderlex
    May 30, 2020
    8
    Pine has come a long way from its release late last year. Originally heralded as a wonderful open-world RPG, the game was not well-receivedPine has come a long way from its release late last year. Originally heralded as a wonderful open-world RPG, the game was not well-received upon release. The game's quality left something to be desired in many areas, whether it was poor graphics, incredibly long load times, or a plethora of frame rate and rendering issues.

    The game has since been patched and not only is it playable, it's fairly enjoyable as well. The graphics, while still feeling a bit outdated are much more clear and vibrant, and really add to the exploration aspect. Other aspects, including combat and load times, have also been improved, making Pine more of a fun pick up and play kind of experience

    There are still a handful of issues that begin to take their toll on the overall experience of Pine. Loading screens, while much shorter than before, can still last nearly two minutes at times. While your immediate surroundings may look pretty, looking more than a few feet ahead can get pretty dull. Lastly, there are some bugs that could randomly cause you to start floating or temporarily get stuck somewhere.

    None of the remaining issues are inherently game-breaking and there's another patch expected out soon, so if you can get past these minor annoyances, you may find the game to be pretty enjoyable, especially if you are a fan of games like Breath of the Wild of Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles.    … Full Review »
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