With Summer Game Fest comes a plethora of new game releases, announcements, DLC reveals and more. One of those this year was a deeper look into the investigative, creepy and downright unsettling cinema adventure The Pines.
Featuring Edward, a detective down on his luck and instructed to take some time in a retreat by his therapist, things quickly go off-kilter when he arrives, and what was supposed to be a relaxing break to gain some sort of stability turns into another case, or cases, and a world turned upside down for him.
When talking to Kevin Jochems, the sole developer at Studio Abattoir, the studio responsible for The Pines, I asked him for some further detail and clarity on the ‘deep skill and perk system’ mentioned on the game’s Steam page. He said:
“You have for example the perk: Here’s Johnny which will make you more experienced with an axe, but will also give you the ability to bash through certain doors. Perks will also give certain dialogue options.”
For those less in the know, “Here’s Johnny!” is the famous catchphrase said by Jack Nicholson during the iconic scene in The Shining, directed by Stanley Kubrick. During a separate conversation, Jochems said he’d also been inspired by film and games alike:
“Yes, Alan Wake and Twin Peaks have been a great inspiration for me. But to be honest, I take inspiration from a lot of different games and films. Film directors like Edgar Wright, Scorsese, Fincher, Tarantino, they all have a lot of things I take inspiration from. And I’ve played A LOT of games from all different genres. So I also really look up to games like Bioshock, Fallout, Obsidian Games, Larian, Silent Hill… So I think a lot of different titles inspired me.“
As this was just one example given of the perks present in The Pines, it’s interesting to see what others we will be getting to use (or not) when the game launches in 2027. While there’s no official release date right now, Kevin has assured us he is hard at work on the game, and what we’ve seen so far looks incredibly promising.
What do you think of The Pines? Will you be picking it up? Let us know in the comments below!
For more from us, see THQ Nordic’s reveal of its upcoming Digital Showcase, or how about Ben Starr’s upcoming Kickstarter, Cresata?
Luke Addison is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Thumb Wars. Having previously been a part of multiple outlets over the years, including building an entire gaming team from nothing to something, he thought it best to forge his own path and answer only to himself. As likely to be found playing the latest game as he is in the kitchen relaxing (by cooking), he always brings the same bold and brash attitude to everything he does, with a heavy leaning on sarcasm and dry wit!
