Steam Greenlight has a reputation for poorly made games, but sometimes you'll be able to find a gem in the rough - and one of these rare gems looks to be Pine, a game that was released on Greenlight yesterday. Pine is an action adventure game that adapts to you, and has an ever-changing world that will have the inhabitants of the island fighting for survival whether you're in the area or not - creating a unique experience driven by what the AI feels is best for that species to do at that time.
At first glance, Pine is a gorgeous game with a number of creatures and species for you to encounter - but beneath that beauty lies a game with complex systems that offer an experience that lives and breathes all on its own. With a weather system that can send the islands inhabitants scrambling for cover, or even migrate with the seasons, each day can offer a different challenge as you progress through the game. Even the species that populate the island will make decisions on their own, and an area you've been to before may be different when you return!
Every step you make, no matter the direction, can have far reaching implications across the island of Albamare. The inhabitants of the isle will do what it takes to survive, and based on the theories of evolution and ecology - the AI will make decisions that are "best" for the species. This creates a truly "living" world on Albamere, with shifts in power between groups, small changes in factions, and even the complete extinction of a group - it's all based on survival and happens whether you're there to help or not!
Enemies will even learn to combat your fighting style, according to the developer. Pine features a combat system inspired by the "dance-like" attacks from the game Bloodborne, and gives the player a number of different ways to fight. You'll have to learn to change up your fighting style, however, as the island's inhabitants will observe how you fight and try different attack combos in an effort to defeat you. In order to win fights, you'll have to adapt to your enemy even as they work to adapt to you!
Beyond the systems of the game's ecosystem, there's an entire island for Hue (the main character) to explore, and during your travels you'll learn about the history of the island and even how the course of evolution came to be. You'll need to use the resources of the island to progress through the game, and even find helpful tools like the "Igniter", Airglider, and when you need to climb a tall cliff - there's some Climbing Axes that you'll need in order to scale them!
With the release of Pine on Steam Greenlight, the game has been in development for about 2 years. The developer wants to bring Pine to Steam in order to reach a larger audience, especially with the launch of their Kickstarter on March 9. If you want to stay up to date on the latest info about the game - check out the Pine Greenlight Page, as well as the developer's Twitter and Facebook!
Update: After 72 hours, Twirlbound announced that Pine has been Greenlit by the community.
Quick Take
This game looks really interesting. I absolutely love the art style and am dying to see more of how the game's environmental and species-based systems work with how the game grows as you play. I'll be looking forward to the Kickstarter in March for sure!
