Beacon Pines

 Xbox Series X
User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 18 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 18
  3. Negative: 4 out of 18

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  1. MrMT
    Oct 13, 2022
    10
    A delightful and charming feelgood story… the tone is just wonderful, a town filled with mystery, a creative book-based choose your own adventure mechanic, and lots of sweet interactions. Bravo. I look forward to more from this studio!
  2. jj350
    Oct 16, 2022
    10
    Probably the best story based game I have played. It does something uniquely well.
  3. BradMorgan
    Oct 16, 2022
    7
    At first glance, Beacon Pines seems like a simple game. However, if you spend time exploring the characters and the story, there appears to be a lot of depth in the mystery of Beacon Pines as it is told by a narrator who reads a book to the gamer. The way of storytelling has to be your cup of tea tho. For example, the gamer has to read a lot to be able to make sense of the course. If thisAt first glance, Beacon Pines seems like a simple game. However, if you spend time exploring the characters and the story, there appears to be a lot of depth in the mystery of Beacon Pines as it is told by a narrator who reads a book to the gamer. The way of storytelling has to be your cup of tea tho. For example, the gamer has to read a lot to be able to make sense of the course. If this isn't an issue, you'll love spending your time in the atmospheric village that comes to life with its beautiful art style and soothing soundtrack. The story is not chronological as you can influence your adventure through 'charms' (key words) you collect during the story. As a result, you often encounter story endings that require you to go back in time to be able to positively transform your story. It feels like a setback but you actually learn more about the storyarcs of the characters.

    At the end, it is a nice little experience where the story is surprisingly cool. Pros:
    - Art style
    - Story
    - Characters

    Cons:
    - A lot of conversations between characters felt to long since you have to click to go to the next sentence    … Expand
  4. GhXc7oPS
    Oct 12, 2022
    2
    PRESS A. Must love pressing A. Get a good movie playing on second screen and press the same button for 2 hours.
  5. butters25
    Nov 22, 2022
    9
    Beacon Pines is an incredibly charming game that hooked me not long after the start of the game. The artwork and simplistic animation of the characters is perfect with who they are as a character and adds that edge of excellence to the dialogue. The writing was witty and fun. The game is basically linear yet the gameplay itself doesn't feel that way, and exploration is still encouraged. IBeacon Pines is an incredibly charming game that hooked me not long after the start of the game. The artwork and simplistic animation of the characters is perfect with who they are as a character and adds that edge of excellence to the dialogue. The writing was witty and fun. The game is basically linear yet the gameplay itself doesn't feel that way, and exploration is still encouraged. I couldn't stop myself from talking to everyone at all times. The story kept me very interested and I couldn't help wondering which timeline would be the one we ride to the end. I can tell passion went into the project, and that's how you know it is a good game. Bonus kudos for the narrator for being pleasant the whole journey.… Expand
  6. Rhinogamer
    Feb 26, 2023
    3
    Nice artwork and an interesting story, but it's really not a "game" of any kind. This is more just an interactive story where pressing a button on the controller to progress every...single...line...of....dialogue. Novel concept, that falls flat after an hour or two; after which you're just left hitting the button as fas t as you can, and thinking "omg would you get on with it already?!".
  7. Xplocion
    Jun 7, 2023
    8
    The good:
    It is a point and click book type game of choose your adventure (based on decisions of how you approach an action). The artistic design is very beautiful, characters and backgrounds drawn by hand, making the animals very beautiful. It seems like a game for children, but as you begin to delve into the options, you see that there is much more than meets the eye. The game is full    The good:
    It is a point and click book type game of choose your adventure (based on decisions of how you approach an action). The artistic design is very beautiful, characters and backgrounds drawn by hand, making the animals very beautiful. It seems like a game for children, but as you begin to delve into the options, you see that there is much more than meets the eye. The game is full of plot twists, each one more amazing (or ridiculous) than the last. It has a fishing minigame, at least this one is easy. It's on Xbox Game Pass / PC Game Pass enter it without fear. 1000G accessible.

    The bad:
    Very short, once you have seen all the endings, you have finished all the dialogue options, there is nothing else. They use the cliché something very strange happens here and it's tiring (in small and indie games). It is only in English.

    The Meh!:
    The cliché of the town where they are doing something very strange and only the children get to the bottom of the situation is so old and we have seen it in Saturday morning cartoons like Punky Bruster or Scooby Doo (more recently Gravity Falls or Stranger Things ). If yours is "a lot of text", do not approach it. Many of the references and word games are only supported in English, translated they would lose meaning. The furry or semi-furry theme in the forums about the sexuality of certain characters is very ridiculous and worrying     … Expand
  8. dafunkk
    Jun 19, 2023
    8
    Charming soundtrack. Beautiful artwork. Well written. Funny. Heartwarming. Tear-jerking at times. I don't typically go for this type of game but this one just clicks. It seems like the creators had a simple story to tell and they told it well. The characters are all enjoyable, the town is quaint... They even manage to cram in a girl with two moms and it (shocking!) doesn't feel out ofCharming soundtrack. Beautiful artwork. Well written. Funny. Heartwarming. Tear-jerking at times. I don't typically go for this type of game but this one just clicks. It seems like the creators had a simple story to tell and they told it well. The characters are all enjoyable, the town is quaint... They even manage to cram in a girl with two moms and it (shocking!) doesn't feel out of place (not forced, just good writing.)

    Overall I'd give it a 10 and knock off 2 points for length/replay value being very low.    … Expand
  9. ehtaco
    May 28, 2023
    8
    There is nothing groundbreaking gameplay-wise, but this is a pretty stellar narrative, story-book style game. It has arguably the best use of truly branching paths I have ever seen, too. A lot to like here, and a unique experience from start to finish -- even if it was a little too light on gameplay for my liking.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. XboxAddict
    Sep 29, 2022
    86
    Beacon Pines is a simple game. There is nothing earth shattering in its gameplay mechanics. It’s full of cute animals, a mystery in a small town and is a chill story game to just sit and lose yourself in. I loved ‘choose your own adventure’ books as a child and something about this game has captured my attention in a way that I haven’t experienced in some time. It may not be for everyone, but I would highly recommend this charming ‘cozy horror’ game to anyone, especially as we draw nearer to Halloween.
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  2. Movies Games and Tech
    Sep 22, 2022
    85
    Beacon Pines is a phenomenal adventure title that is touching and amusing. Control a group of friends who must discover the truth no matter the cost. With visual novel elements and some puzzle mechanics, this is hard to put down. Consequently, it is a great indie title that must be seen to be believed.
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  3. TheXboxHub
    Sep 21, 2022
    100
    You will adore Beacon Pines from start to finish, mostly as you get hooked by the impressive and unusual narrative. Ultimately it's a game about the power of story and the decisions you make when choosing different narrative paths, but it’s helped along by the warmth of the characters, ensuring you’ll want to invest time and emotion into the hunt for the perfect ending.
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