Life goes on for the grieving woodworker in Pine: A Story of Loss, a touching interactive tale set in the months after his wife’s passing. Chop wood, tend the garden, and watch the seasons change as you carry out his daily routines—and recall the person who meant everything to him.

What we love: The minimalist storytelling. Beautiful hand-drawn animation and stirring music set the scene as your character performs daily chores and fondly remembers taking walks and playing music with his beloved. Without a single word, the game perfectly encapsulates the hurt—and healing—of the grieving process.

Quick tip: Some of Pine’s most poignant moments come during its woodcarving sections, where you create statues of your former partner. Struggling to find the right place to carve? The shadows on the wood hint at which spots to cut.

Meet the creator: Based in Brooklyn, Pine developer Made Up Games was cofounded by Tom Booth and Najati Imam. Pine started as a digital storybook—with interaction limited to turning virtual pages—but Booth and Imam wanted to make the narrative more interactive to better connect players to the woodworker’s sorrow.