Pine Hearts News

[p][/p][p]Hey Campers!

Open up your adventure journal and prepare to take notes so that you don’t miss these wholesome hidden moments that lie just off the beaten path in Pine Hearts. [/p][p]They're not signposted, nor are they part of your main quest, but these wholesome moments will bring you joy as you play, enhance your experience, and may even reward you for engaging with those seemingly innocuous objects.[/p][p]
From finding treasure maps to wildlife encounters, we’re here to make sure you don’t miss them. [/p][p]Campsite[/p]

• [p]If you’re a fan of skipping stones, you’ll find the perfect pile of rocks close to the Lone Campers HQ just waiting to be skipped across the water.[/p]
• [p]Keep a look out for a very good boy waiting patiently for some pets if you’re on your way to the Ruined Castle. Just don’t let Bonnie see.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Ruined Castle[/p]

• [p]The Castle Wall has a number of cannons placed along it which can all be interacted with. You may even find something useful inside one of them.[/p]
• [p]Find a penny, pick it up, for the rest of the day you’ll have good luck. Especially if you throw it into the wishing well near the Ruined Castle.[/p]
• [p]Watching the butterflies flit about among the gravestones is wholesome in itself, but once you have the right tools and abilities, you may find there’s more to them once you come back…
  [/p]

[p]Caravan Park[/p]

• [p]Fancy a kick-about? Try your best to score a goal at the pitch close to the Play Park. [/p]
• [p]There’s nothing more Scottish than The Highland Games. You can attempt to beat the current champion just a log’s toss from the Gala.[/p]
• [p]Just a hop, skip and a jump away from the Pitchside Lets, you’ll find a fun and nostalgic way to indulge your inner child.
  [/p]

[p]Golf Course[/p]

• [p]If there’s one thing we highly recommend, it’s searching around the Golf Course for the Otter’s Den. If you take the time to find it beyond the blossom trees, you’ll be in for a treat.
  
  [/p]

[p]Rockpools[/p]

• [p]The Rockpools offer a diverse habitat for wildlife. If you’re lucky, you may encounter the elusive King Crab, as well as a family of seals, both of which offer wholesome and entertaining interactions.[/p]
• [p]There’s nothing more fun than scaring seagulls, which you’ll be able to do by pressing some big red buttons near the lighthouse.[/p]
• [p]Once you have earned the fishing rod, you’ll be able to fish at any of the many fishing spots around Pine Hearts. You might find some interesting things while fishing, and if not, it’s a pleasant way to pass some time.[/p]
• [p]We’ve left a special piece of treasure lying around somewhere near the Rockpools, we just can’t quite remember where. Keep your eyes peeled for a message in a bottle which we're sure will offer a clue as to where to find it.[/p]

[p][/p][p]If you’ve found any more wholesome moments we may not have included in the list (there are a lot!), please share them in the comments so that others can find and enjoy them.[/p][p]
Stay tuned, as we’ll soon be exploring some easily missed side quests, but for now, if you’re ready to begin your adventure, Pine Hearts is 25% off in the Steam Summer Sale until July 10.

If you’d like to chat more about Pine Hearts, you can join us over on Discord, and if you’d like to follow Tyke’s Adventures, drop by his blog on Tumblr. We’d love to see you there.

Chat soon!

Melissa and Vicki
Pine Hearts Community Team[/p]

[p]Hey Campers!

Today we’re releasing a small patch which contains some subtle but effective quality of life updates and minor bug fixes, the biggest of which is the “Gameplay prompts have been adjusted and improved” which has been done to improve game feel and make interactions feel more engaging and natural.

Full Patch Notes:[/p][p]New Publisher Recognition[/p]

• [p]Secret Mode logo added to start screens[/p]
• [p]Secret Mode credits added[/p]
• [p]Copyright notice updated
  [/p]

[p]QOL Updates[/p]

• [p]Gameplay prompts have been adjusted and improved[/p]
• [p]The UI for the Headlamp has been improved[/p]
• [p](Switch) New game and Continue flow was added
  [/p]

[p]Bug Fixes[/p]

• [p]Tyke can no longer get stuck in a small area next to the river in the Caravan Park[/p]
• [p]Fixed a change in lighting that occurs before entering the dungeon in Ruined Castle[/p]
• [p]Lighting changes reset when players select “New Game”[/p]
• [p](Switch) Fixed a visual error in the final cutscene[/p]

[p][/p][p]As always, if you’d like to chat more about Pine Hearts, you can join us over on Discord, and if you’d like to follow Tyke’s Adventures, he now has a blog on Tumblr. We’d love to see you there.
[/p][p]Chat soon![/p][p]Melissa and Vicki[/p][p]Pine Hearts Community Team[/p][p]
[/p]

[h3]Hey Campers! [/h3][h3][/h3][h3]This Sunday is Father’s Day here in the UK, and while not everyone will observe this occasion, with Pine Hearts having a heavy focus on Tyke’s childhood memories of his dad, we thought today would be the perfect time to dedicate a whole blog post to the devs and their dads. [/h3][p][/p][h3]You may not know this about Pine Hearts, but it was created after the creative director at Hyper Luminal Games, Rob, lost his dad to cancer. Not only did Pine Hearts provide him with a way to channel his grief, but it was a great way to honour his dad and the times they shared together visiting the Cairngorms National Park up in sunny old Scotland.


[/h3][p]Melissa Cocker (Social Media and Community Coordinator @ HLG) [/p][p]“My Dad and I have always bonded over our love for music. He took me to my first gig when I was 11 to see My Chemical Romance, and he’s continued to completely inspire my taste in music as I’ve grown up. We’ve continued to be gig buddies, having the privilege to see many of our favourite bands together over the years. He’s also the person who got me interested in sci-fi and fantasy, so he’s played a big role in shaping the interests and passions that make me who I am.”[/p][p][/p][p]James Law (Art Manager @ HLG)  [/p][p]“My Dad taught me a billion things: he built us a proper action-figure sized concrete castle outside in our wee garden and filled around it with sand, he would hide surprise presents at the end of a treasure hunt, he always protected us seeing the fallout from what must have been tough experiences as a paramedic, he always supported my artistic pursuits and when he taught me how to paint he gave me this advice: 'never judge it until it's finished.' So now when I'm halfway through anything and can see the wobbles and doubt the outcome, I hold steady until it's at least complete. Then you can do better next time, or you surprise yourself with how it turned around. His dad also died before I was born, so he never had the luxury, as I do, of being a dad and going to his own father for advice.”[/p][p]
[/p][p]Mihai Georgescu (Principal QA @ HLG) [/p][p]"I can't say I've had an idyllic relationship with my dad, but I still cherish the short times we spent together. Several years ago, we went on a family road trip across Romania. There were a few more disagreements on the way than any of us would have liked, but wherever we ended up staying for the night, dad and I would stay up and share a drink in silence, taking in the atmosphere of the summer air. In hindsight, I wish either of us had been brave enough to speak, but I'm still grateful for those few quiet moments together."[/p][p][/p][p]
Vicki Fieldhouse (Senior Community Manager @ Secret Mode)[/p][p]"My dad was the best. I have so many great memories from my childhood, from the piggy back rides to helping him build things in the back garden, but the memory that really sticks out is him reading The Hobbit to me and my brother. He'd do all the voices, sing all the songs and really brought the characters to life. Even to this day, it's one of my favourite books, but only because of the way he read it. He's also the reason I got interested in games. He introduced me to games really early on and never saw them as a waste of time, but something that could be enjoyed together, either with him or with my brother, and I'm so grateful for that." [/p][p]We'd love to hear about your favourite memories of your dads, feel free to share them in the comments.
[/p][p]As always, if you’d like to chat more about Pine Hearts, you can join us over on Discord, and if you’d like to follow Tyke’s Adventures, he now has a blog on Tumblr. We’d love to see you there.
[/p][p]Chat soon![/p][p]Melissa and Vicki[/p][p]Pine Hearts Community Team [/p][p][/p]

[p]Hey Campers! [/p][p][/p][p]The Access-Ability Summer Showcase returns for its third year, with a Steam event highlighting games that have gone the extra mile to include accessible settings and design choices. Making Pine Hearts as accessible as possible is really important to us here at Hyper Luminal Games and Secret Mode, and we’re super proud that Pine Hearts has been selected to take part in this year’s showcase.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]You can watch the Access-Ability Summer Showcase on YouTube on Friday 6th June 2025 at 4pm BST, 11am ET, 8am PT.

How did we make Pine Hearts accessible?[/p][p]You can access the Accessibility menu as soon as you load Pine Hearts - and you’ll see it’s broken down into three sections: Gameplay, UI Support, and Visual Support.[/p][p][/p][p]Gameplay[/p][p]Run Mode allows you to adjust the default movement speed for Tyke, giving you the choice between a run or a slower walking pace, while Simplified Controls reduces the timed and held button presses for actions, replacing them with easy single-button presses.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]UI Support[/p][p]Here you’ll be able to adjust text size and spacing, switching to a dyslexic-friendly font, as well as having the option to turn off UI animations.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Visual Support[/p][p]Here you can adjust the contrast, turn off screen shake, switch to black and white mode, and even colour blocking, which highlights the most important aspects of a scene with 4 colour blind-friendly palettes to choose from.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The Hyper Luminal Games team have built this accessibility toolkit which can now be imported into future projects, ensuring all of our games continue to be as accessible as possible.

Pine Hearts will be 25% off during the Access-Ability event.[/p][p][/p][p]If you’d like to chat more about Pine Hearts, you can join us over on Discord, and if you’d like to follow Tyke’s Adventures, he now has a blog on Tumblr. We’d love to see you there.[/p][p][/p][p]Chat soon!
[/p][p]Melissa and Vicki[/p][p]Pine Hearts Community Team[/p][p][/p]

Hey Campers!

We can’t believe it’s been a year since we released our cosy narrative-adventure game set in a caravan park. As well as celebrating this momentous occasion, we also have lots of great news to share.



We’re delighted to announce that Pine Hearts has a new publisher! We’ve found a new home with the award-winning team at Secret Mode, with the aim of bringing Pine Hearts to even more players.

Not only will they be helping us with some in-game improvements and quality of life updates, such as side-quest tracking, but we’re also teaming up to bring Pine Hearts to mobile platforms later this year. We’ll have more details to share soon.



To celebrate this news and the anniversary of Pine Hearts, Community Managers Melissa and Vicki, of Hyper Luminal Games and Secret Mode respectively, have collaborated to bring you a new ‘let’s play’ video which you can watch now, either on our Steam store page or on YouTube:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

We’ve created a new Pine Hearts community channel over at the Secret Mode Discord server if you’d like to chat about the game, share your fan-art, and get the latest updates.

We look forward to bringing you more updates soon, so watch this space!

Melissa and Vicki
Pine Hearts Community Team