Pine:
A Story of Loss

Pine: A Story of Loss (2024) is a narrative puzzle game about a woodworker coming to terms with losing his wife. Play involves taking on simple chores like organising produce, tidying the kitchen and collecting wood for winter. It stands out for how these simple tasks bring you into the mind of the woodworker and are punctuated with memories of his wife.

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You start the game alone in the forest glade you used to share with your wife. The game unfolds through wordless hand-drawn animation. You are tasked with everyday jobs that remind the woodcutter of his wife. They are repetitive and simple but completing them is a way to hold onto those memories.

As you progress, you capture each of these memories in beautiful carvings made of the wood he collects. You work at the wood by deciding where to carve and slowly see the mementoes emerge that help him remember.

Pine is a game about mundane life carrying on in spite of catastrophic loss. It invites you to simple tasks, and in doing so, offers a way to cope with the grief you carry into life after loss.

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Our examiner, Jo Robertson, first checked Pine: A Story of Loss 4 weeks ago. It was re-examined by Andy Robertson and updated 4 weeks ago.