Therapy is not the cure all that many like to make it out to be, but that doesn’t mean your favourite gruff fictional detective couldn’t still do it. This is, sort of, what The Pines is about, a game that if you squint real hard could probably pass for Alan Wake. The vibes are certainly similar, especially with Alan Wake 2, given that The Pines sees its protagonist finding himself in a strange, wooded (sort of) town, but it’s got enough of its own thing going on to pique my interest.

I said sort of town because the setting of The Pines is also called The Pines, a “secluded retreat that promises quiet, recovery, and therapists on site.” It looks like your average American suburb, just in the woods rather than in a flat, lifeless stretch of land. The protagonist, Edward Walker, ends up here on the recommendation of his own therapist after a previous case went cold. But, much like Alan Wake and Twin Peaks before it, there is something a tad sinister underneath it all.

To put a genre to The Pines, it is an open world psychological horror RPG, one where you get to know the local residents, many of whom are plenty odd. There’s a guy who talks from an outhouse, your stereotypical tin foil hat wearing conspiracy theorist, the usual suspects. Amongst all the chatting you can also get up to some sleuthing, with Batman: Arkham looking detective sequences where you can find clues to put pieces together and help you solve puzzles.

What I’m most interested in is its “stalker” system. This is one of those games that emphasises how your actions have consequences (I know they all say that). In The Pines, if you mispeak or pry a little too much, “a resident who once seemed harmless may return as a stalker, haunting you throughout the forests of The Pines,” explains the game’s Steam page. Almost seems like a fusion between Shadow of Mordor’s nemesis system and Silent Hill 4’s victims that follow you constantly. I’m quite curious to see how this works in action, and how that game responds to different actions. And I’m interested in seeing how therapy factors into all of this! If at all.

There’s no release date for The Pines just yet, but you can wishlist it on Steam here.