Pinhole Universe

Pinhole Universe is a single-player game of exploration, curiosity, and fascination.

If you enjoy walking along a beach, looking under stones to see what you find, that is the sort of experience we aim to create.

Your universe is held at a moment in time, which you can investigate in endless detail.

Play at your own pace, with few explicit goals and no time pressure.

Features

A colorful, generated 2D universe

Infinite zoom 🔍

Unique graphical style

Play at your own pace

Simple controls; no fast reflexes needed

Appropriate for all ages

No microtransactions or other shenanigans — just buy the game and play it

Note

If you want to follow development, please check the dedicated website (see link), or our subreddit, or sign up for the mailing list.

Gameplay

The Early Release will be light on gameplay, focusing on the core exploration experience.

However, there will be some explicit goals, if you're that type of player:

Achievements for finding special objects (eg: Cat Planet)

Some progression of your abilities as you explore, unlocking new areas

In future releases (V1 and beyond), we'll add more "game-y" aspects.

There is a myriad of possibilities, but here are a few:

Build a "curiosity cabinet" of objects you've found.

This could evolve into a "take care of your digital garden/pets" sub-game.

Converse with intelligent creatures you find. Help them via short generated "quests" and story arcs.

Collection-based goals, such as "find all the birds in this field guide for planet X."

A more structured progression of abilities, culminating in a final "you win" goal.