Pine

Friend of mine got the game as a present and we both played it but couldn't get far, maybe because his system couldn't really handle it. But I liked the idea and concept so I got the game for myself.Well, quite a mistake this turned out to be :( The concept and idea is really great, having an isle with humans basically being strangers and all the different types of animals struggling for survival. But that's it - everything beyond the original idea went totally the wrong way. First, there's combat. Now, this in itself is ok, it's in the description after all, but the amount is way over the top. And I mean WAY too much. Most of the actual time playing will be spent fighting or running away, at least trying to. Forget about exploring and looking at the scenery or investigating the island - if you want a 3D version of Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat this is the game for you. Seriously, it's almost non-stop battle. Normally, Hue could run away but he gets tired and in order to refill his stamina (and his health) he needs food. Gathering it takes time and during which you are still being attacked. And eating takes time too, during which an attack will not only drain health further but also undo the health gain from any food you've just eaten. It's a vicious circle. The fighting is sluggish, unpredictable, slow and basically purely random. Maybe with hyper-speed reactions it's somehow doable but I don't have those. Savegames could be a solution but they aren't. The exact position is not saved, so you can reload to a location quite a bit away. And loading takes almost FOREVER, I'm talking like two minutes every time, on a system that's well beyond the recommended specs. That's probably why there is no quick save/load feature - it wouldn't be quick. So almost all of your time with this game will be spend waiting for the game to load after Hue died from another fight :( And did I mention the needlessly included jump&run puzzles? Better not…

I like the idea for the game. But can't exactly be happy with the execution. First of all, despite some time passing from release, the game has constant graphical glitches with the plants on the ground appearing and disappearing from the view randomly, even when right next to it. Secondly and more importantly, the storyline is kind of bad, and far more linear than it would sound from the idea of having to balance relations with multiple tribes of beings. Furthermore, no matter who you side with in the quest just before the final boss battle, the chief of the tribe you sided with will still appear with others trying to stop you, even though he just helped you reach where you are(Talking like this to avoid any spoilers, even though storyline is nothing special). Thirdly, majority of the game feels like needless padding to make the storyline last longer. Having to look for resources can quickly get dull when you realize you are missing one moss to craft armor you want, but to get that moss you must walk to other end of the map, because you aren't allied with tribes that have villages in that area at the moment, so can't fast travel... and also you need to constantly forage and fight with limited inventory(even after first expansion of it) to get on the good side of the tribes, to craft, and to keep your stamina up. Also, there's no warning whatsoever that at one point all tribes will turn hostile, and until end of storyline you won't be able to buy armor and weapon idea plans from them, possibly leaving you stranded with sub-par gear, unless you check wiki to see where to find best gear on the map in chests. Also this is a nitpick, but why does sidequests tab(Called Island Stories I guess) even exists, if whole game has entirety of TWO SIDEQUESTS? XD

Pine was forgothen by it own dev. You should do this same.

Novel species system, with relations simulation, barter engage in fights to gain influence, towards reaching end goal With phenomenal music, to say the least Variety of puzzles and good progression system

I find it strange how people just decided to collectively crucify this game for every imperfetion it has. No, it isn't perfect, but it is great, and I hope the devs keep making games with simulations like this. The simulation aspect of it works exactly as I expected. I don't understand people who complain that it's underwhelming. The factions fight and impact each other with or without your help and the game does a great job at making you feel like an unnecessary part in something much bigger and stronger than you. I LOVE that. This game doesn't feel like it was designed for you, but rather that you're an unwanted guest who's struggling to fit in and stuvive. And that exactly the point, because that's who your character is. The ludonarrative in this game is excellent because it not only compliments the plot but blatantly overpowers it. Another thing this game excels at is emergent gameplay. Early on it feels impossible to take on the factions' foot soldiers 1v1, let alone when outnumbered. This forces you to improvise and adapt. In an early quest you need to get specific items from the dead bodies of faction members. I felt like I couldn't take them in a fair fight, so what did I do? I stalked and waited for them to run across a hostile who would weaken/kill them for me and then swoop in and grab what I needed. The game wasn't holding my hand - I had to figure out creative solutions on my own, using the game's systems and simulation. The combat gets a lot of flack but I don't understand why since it's nearly identical to the combat of the endlessly praised Witcher 3, just a bit slower and jankier. Honestly, I prefer Pine's combat because the AI really does change its tactics and isn't nearly as predictable. It really makes me treat my enemies as actual thinking enemies and not some robots running the same simple script no matter what I do. All in all, great game. I hope the devs will make more like it and won't get discouraged by the overblown hate.