Fellow Traveller announces Pine: A Story of Loss, a reflective game of love, life and letting go

Fellow Traveller :

25 April, 2024 - Today, narrative games publisher Fellow Traveller announced they’ve signed Pine: A Story of Loss, a debut game from New York-based developer Made Up Games. Following the tale of a woodworker grieving the recent passing of his wife, the game is a poignant and reflective story told through wordless interaction and hand-drawn animation. Pine: A Story of Loss will launch on Nintendo Switch, PC, and mobile in late 2024.    

Alone in the forest glade where he made a home with his wife, a woodworker struggles to move on as his simple daily chores are interspersed by cherished memories of a past life. As each season changes, the woodworker must prepare for what’s to come. Tasks such as collecting water, thatching the roof, or planting crops each bring back vivid memories of his wife. Desperate to not let her memory disappear, the woodworker captures these moments in beautiful wood carvings. Yet, while each one is a promise to her memory, they soon become a dangerous obsession. 

Designed to be enjoyed in one or two sittings, Pine immerses the player in the woodworker’s world with environmental storytelling, ambient soundscapes, and an original musical score. Everyday chores such as tending to his garden and gathering wood for the next winter are conveyed through interactive puzzles and mini-games, with beautiful landscapes that transform with the four seasons. Pine’s artwork features impressionistic environments inspired by works such as the likes of N.C. Wyeth. These gorgeous backgrounds contrast against the clean character animations of the game, inspired by classic comics such as Tintin.    

Pine is developed by Made Up Games, led by professional illustrator and children’s book author Tom Booth and programmer Najati Imam. The woodworker’s first inception was in a sketch created by Booth following a tragic loss, which sparked an outpouring of support from fans who resonated with the powerful depiction of grief. Determined to bring the woodworker’s story to life, Booth and Imam transformed it into Pine, an emotional and interactive experience that serves as a reminder that no one is alone in their loss.    

To stay tuned with Pine: A Story of Loss updates and announcements as they go live, follow Fellow Traveller on Twitter/X, Made Up Games on Twitter/X, or reach out via [email protected].  

About Fellow Traveller Games
Fellow Traveller is an indie games publishing label exploring the possibility space of what narrative games can be. Since our founding in 2012, we have sought out and partnered with pioneering game developers working on unusual games with narrative at their core.
You may know us from the tabletop-inspired RPG set in the ruins of interplanetary capitalism (Citizen Sleeper), the polar exploration survival story riddled with difficult decisions (The Pale Beyond), the noir adventure set before, during, and after the Big Bang (Genesis Noir),  or the murder mystery with a cast of otherworldly suspects (Paradise Killer).

Join us on a journey into a world of surprising games and unusual stories.
Website: http://fellowtraveller.games
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FellowTravellr

About Made Up Games
Made Up Games is Tom Booth and Najati Imam. Lifelong gamers and longtime friends, Pine is their first narrative game.

Tom has been a professional illustrator for over a decade, previously working for Nickelodeon and Scholastic, and a published children’s book illustrator and author. His Instagram audience and their love for the woodworker are a large part of the inspiration for bringing Pine to life.

Najati’s been programming since he was a kid. In his previous professional life he’s done embedded systems programming, full stack application development, and managed engineering departments. He’s also been a hobbyist game dev for as long as he’s been able to type.

Website: https://madeupgames.com/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/madeupgamesbk