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PINE CREEK (GB)
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Publisher: Carmelo Electronics.
Developer: Carmelo Electronics. Released: Q2 2020. Genre: Investigation. Other versions: GBC; PC. Posted 5th November 2022. By Tom Clare © 2022 |
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Now here’s something a bit different: a 2020 Game Boy release that serves as both a visual throwback to top-down adventures of Pokémon and a nod toward more modern, narrative-focused investigation games. The combination is a successful one, thanks to some strong exploration elements and an immersive story. Pine Creek focuses on the day-to-day lives of a sleepy, backwater community, which is rocked by the disappearance of Judith, a teenage girl and friend of the central protagonist, Adso.
What seems a sedate enough opening is soon flipped on its head when Adso discovers the police investigating his friend’s house. Sneaking into her bedroom, he discovers a bloody scene, with an unsettling assortment of items seemingly arranged for a ritual. From here, the player must investigate a breadcrumb trail of clues. Wandering around Pine Creek, Adso can consult a super-snazzy notebook via the SELECT button, where objectives and clues are neatly and attractively ordered. Whilst unsurprisingly simple to navigate, Pine Creek does a really good job of giving life to its settings. This is aided further by its lively, humorous and relatable dialogues that cover (or at least make reference to) a scattergun range of topics including video rentals, Asperger’s, gender stereotyping, family dynamics and the broader concept of trust in a community.
What seems a sedate enough opening is soon flipped on its head when Adso discovers the police investigating his friend’s house. Sneaking into her bedroom, he discovers a bloody scene, with an unsettling assortment of items seemingly arranged for a ritual. From here, the player must investigate a breadcrumb trail of clues. Wandering around Pine Creek, Adso can consult a super-snazzy notebook via the SELECT button, where objectives and clues are neatly and attractively ordered. Whilst unsurprisingly simple to navigate, Pine Creek does a really good job of giving life to its settings. This is aided further by its lively, humorous and relatable dialogues that cover (or at least make reference to) a scattergun range of topics including video rentals, Asperger’s, gender stereotyping, family dynamics and the broader concept of trust in a community.
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Despite its simplistic appearance, Pine Creek has a compelling story. It's a shame it isn't a little longer.
Pine Creek has a host of personable touches. Adso’s bedroom features an endearingly dodgy pack-in game for his console, called Heroes of Perestroika, which amounts to just about the most left-field interpretation of a Pokémon battle you’ll have ever seen, as well as a rather lovely looking (and very eighties) music poster. Around town, he can read a host of excerpts from books, visit a bunch of shops and pet the local animals. Much of it is undemanding fare, as you receive objectives such as delivering pizzas, obtaining a rail card and buying a new phone from the city, but a dash of variety and likeable character interactions keep things ticking over.
A mixture of puzzling and investigation means Pine Creek is a more distinctive experience than it first appears. The story takes place over five days and each sees a gentle evolution in the playing environment, featuring the odd new objective and a fresh set of conversations to be found. Whilst the game never pretends to be an out-and-out horror story or a thriller, the dynamic of Pine Creek’s community trying to come to terms with and move on from a traumatic event plants a pleasing thrum of tension. It’s really absorbing. Both the town and the adjoining mall that is Apricot City are filled with cool little details and hold a considerable amount of charm.
A mixture of puzzling and investigation means Pine Creek is a more distinctive experience than it first appears. The story takes place over five days and each sees a gentle evolution in the playing environment, featuring the odd new objective and a fresh set of conversations to be found. Whilst the game never pretends to be an out-and-out horror story or a thriller, the dynamic of Pine Creek’s community trying to come to terms with and move on from a traumatic event plants a pleasing thrum of tension. It’s really absorbing. Both the town and the adjoining mall that is Apricot City are filled with cool little details and hold a considerable amount of charm.
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There are a few areas where it could be improved, however. The majority of the quibbles are small and relatively easy to overlook, such as the odd typo in the text. Of more significant impact, however, is the game’s brevity. For the duration of the story, I was hooked. However, Pine Creek is a brief excursion, one that most gamers will clear in a couple of sessions. It’s not inconceivable you might return for a second run, but the occasional dialogue choice fails to result in any significant branching, so there isn’t a great deal of replayability here.
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Adso's bedroom has some quirky cultural throwbacks to unearth...
Pine Creek is a very fine and distinctive aftermarket Game Boy title. The game deserves particular credit for capturing precisely its narrative tone, on a platform that’s never been renowned for weighty storytelling. Perhaps its biggest crime is leaving the player wanting more. A branching story, or some slightly more distinctive endings, might have given it this. Nevertheless, as the original Game Boy version is free, this well-conceived mystery will keep you gripped right up to its abrupt (and surprisingly dark) conclusion.
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VERDICT
"a very fine and distinctive aftermarket Game Boy title. Pine Creek deserves particular credit for capturing precisely its narrative tone, on a platform that’s never been renowned for weighty storytelling. Perhaps its biggest crime is leaving the player wanting more." OVERALL: 6/10 |