The First Tree

If you have a dad, lost your dad or dont have a dad. Either save yourself the tears and pain or play this game and wonder WHY

The First Tree has beautiful music and pleasing visuals. If you like short games with a bit of a story and a lot of free roam and exploration and collectibles, and if you love playing as a fox, I would recommend this game.

It's very rare that I leave a negative review. I can find the appeal in almost any genre or any gameplay. But this game...broke me. The gameplay and story feel completely misaligned. The puzzles require an absurd amount of tedious backtracking. The levels transition from one area to another with little to no warning, thrusting you into the next scene even if you weren't done exploring (with seemingly no way to return to previous areas). I didn't understand the fox, the tree, and most importantly why I the player should be emotionally invested. Did I, arguably, care too much? Should I have instead just muted the narration and enjoyed wandering around as a fox? I feel like I would be more sane if that were the case. Overall the game is...fine. There's nothing outright wrong with it, it just feels incredibly lacking in certain areas by ignoring the player's desires in favor of the plot. Which would be fine if the plot was incredible, but it's not. It feels confusing and self-important and vague in world building when it doesn't need to be. It's not a theory game, it's a linear story. It feels like it needs to explain itself with the amount of exposition the narrators are providing, but then it doesn't give detail to the most important questions. Why the fox? Why the tree? Who is Rachel? Hence my frustration

This is one of those games that are more about the narrative than the gameplay itself. Contrary to the norm however, this one contains a LOT of dialogue and narration, so you need to be in the right mindset to enjoy it - don't expect a "chill" silent winter-ish game. No spoilers but the overall message of the game is as deep, mature and adult as expected.

It's often the case that you only get out what you put into an experience. This goes double for The First Tree.

When you're focused on the adorable fox trotting around dreamy landscapes and swaying to the melancholy soundtrack, the game's stories strike a cord and are affecting. But the second your mind drifts from the emotion at hand, it gets pretty difficult to ignore just how out of sync the two narratives are and how barren the levels you've been traveling through have become. At that point, The First Tree has lost you and won't be getting you back under its spell by its own power.

The game is clearly heartfelt. You can sense an earnest, single set of hands on the whole thing. But in the end, it simply expresses grief and stops there with nothing new to say about it.

nice story and BGM, but some of the intervals between the cut-scenes are too long that it becomes boring and kills the mood/immersion.

Probably they're saying something interesting but I don't know because for me to be able to listen to the music on a volume that it's not annoying, I need to lower the dialog too much so I cannot hear it. Separate volume levels please. I'm a musician and it distracts me a lot. Music, gameplay and story, too much input for my brain at the same time.
Apart from that I don't know what's the path. I can't remember if I'm going back or what I need to do. So frustrating. Too much time pressing forward with no motivation for me to do that.
I don't want to be disrespectful with all of the work put on the game, but I can't continue like that.
Also the physics are weird. You can change direction mid air. Maybe necessary for the game to work, but still a little ugly aesthetically.

I would 100% recommend this game. The story is very heartfelt and I personally don't relate as much, but it drives me towards certain goals. If you want to 100% this game like I did I RECOMMEND playing this game blindly first and then finding a guide to get all of the collectables, there is something totally worth it in my opinion at the end if you 100% afterward.

Although the maps are a little too big for what there is to explore, the storyline is beautiful and it is absolutely worth it

Did not find the experience enjoyable at all. You were just thrown into fields with different themes collecting stars and looking for collectibles while listening to boring stories.

Beautiful story, but the game feels a bit empty. Is one of those games you walk around for hours collecting pieces of the story. Still, I recommend the game because it was enjoyable and the story is really good. Have fun!

Good voice acting!
Good music!
Good graphics! I especially liked the graphics in the last fox scene.
Nice game!

This Game is very pretty, some of the best beautiful story line as well. Worth playing it.

Made me cry.
10/10

This game is a work of interactive art. In the sense that, quite frankly, there is very little game to be had and it is mostly made to make you feel things. The "platforming" is just plain bad and the world is in my opinion not interesting enough to explore. On top of that, I am fairly sure I missed some buildup to one rather important emotional beat of the story which as a result didnt really hit. However, the final two did, which is what matters in the end. The walking simulator is not really my genre, the artistic direction of the visuals, which is what got me to want this game in the first place, rather quickly became repetative and too large for how slow your character moves, and yet I think I'll remember my 90 minutes with this interdisciplinairy piece of art rather fondly. I am not sure of whether I would actually recommend it to others, mostly because of the aforementioned "game"-part of the programme being a pain in the bottom, but I wouldn't in good consiounceness be able to give it a thumbs-down. It was an experience, and I guess I'll leave it at that.

A Beautiful and Emotional Journey

The First Tree is a walking simulator that offers a poignant, personal experience rather than traditional gameplay mechanics. In this game, you control a fox on a quest to find her missing children, all while exploring a serene landscape. The narrative is built around the fox’s journey and also includes a parallel story that explores themes of loss, connection, and healing.

The game has a simple premise but its strength lies in the atmosphere and storytelling. The emotional weight of the narrative is carried through by the ambient music and the beautiful, though not highly detailed, art style. It’s clear that a lot of care was put into creating a soothing and reflective atmosphere, and the views are often stunning, even if they aren't overly intricate.

What makes The First Tree special is its ability to evoke feelings, depending on the player’s connection to the story. For some, it will be an emotional, meaningful experience, while for others it may come across as slow and uneventful. It’s a brief, personal journey that might not appeal to everyone, especially those expecting more traditional gameplay, but for those who appreciate introspective and story-driven experiences, it’s a game worth trying.

If you're looking for a short, heartfelt experience with a focus on atmosphere and emotion, The First Tree is definitely worth a look. It may not offer traditional gameplay, but it provides a beautiful and touching experience that can resonate deeply.

It has cinematic music and story telling. I loved the moment when the MC told his wife that his dad died. I wish the game nods you to the right direction because I was lost sometimes.

Overall, it's a 8/10 for me.

Beautiful game, lovely graphics, great music and a decent story.

It wasn't emotional story. it wasn't a sad story. it wasn't a sweet story. I really tried to have fun but it was just a random guy trying to be a therapist in the background in a cringe way NO THANKS . It's just overrated.

Beautiful and Excellently written. Would for sure recommend.

Скажу сразу - деньги вы отдаете не за "игру" игру, а за очень трогательную и захватывающую жизненную историю. Сама геймплейная часть игры является не более чем вкусной и хорошо примененной приправой к главному блюду. По сути - Вы бегаете по локациям, собирая секреты и дополнительные детали для главной истории.
Все описанное выше не могу причислить к минусам, ввиду степени, в которой эта необязательная игровая часть интегрирована в повествование героя истории. Повсюду в игре Вы будете находить мелочи, которые подчеркивают важные (и не очень) детали рассказа. Сама по себе фоновая музыка - огонь. Она идеально переносит настроение конкретных частей истории и помогает Вам сильнее в нее погрузиться.
Для времени своего выхода визуально игра оформлена прилично. Хоть и есть разные недоработки в этом плане, они отходят на задний план, так как игра, в данном случае, вовсе не про графику.
Может показаться, что эта игра является одной из нескольких себе подобных (Spirit of the North, Lost Ember, и т.п.), на самом деле, тут вы получите минимум экшона и геймплея, но максимум вовлеченности.
Своей цене игра подходит. Настоятельно рекомендую к прохождению, если у вас есть 2-3 часа свободного времени, и хочется почиллить и расслабиться (для некоторых может даже и поплакать).
9 из 10.

Didn't really feel like a game, there was little interaction or entertaintment but it did relax me for a couple of hours which is how much time it took for me to finish it. Im not gonna go and compare this to a bigger game with more developers working on it for months ofc. But it was ok work for a small team idk

7/10

Overall this game isn't for me, but i really liked the ending, so originally i would have rated it a 6.5/10 and not have recommened the game but the ending carries the game.

The First Tree is really annoying. There's nothing special to do expect hanging out, the moves are horribles, there's no story. The graphics are awful. 9.75€ for only 2h of playing, it's expensive! The only positive thing on this game is the music. I don't recommend it!!! 👎

beautiful story <3 playing this late night in my room was such a vibe. The last message made me cry xD

Never have I shed a tear before while gaming. But this ending got me good, the story resonated personally. The game didn't really get me until the end, but it's definitely worth a shot. Would recommend to play it uninterrupted and listen to the stories in the right environment.

This is not a good game. Poor game design is "justified" by artistic ambition, but its not good art either. Its really just the authors egotrip told through his dialogue with his wife full of unnatural questions and bad voiceacting. The result is rather awkward.

Bought this game to play at the end of the day to chill out, but I'm also always looking for a good story along with it, and this game definitely delivered. It's a fairly short game, but it packs a punch. I only have one small complaint, and that's the fact that the game doesn't clearly mark when it's about to move you to the next section of the game and you can't go back to where you were. There were a couple of times I was exploring the landscape and accidentally progressed to the next section before I was finished exploring the section I was in. But that's all I had an issue with. I loved the vibe and the story and could see myself playing through again and again. Great to check out if you're looking for the same kinds of things (short, chill, great story). Definitely recommend.

A good story well-told. Yes, the physics are a bit jank, but it doesn't matter because the platforming is very light and not the point anyway. You've here for the vibes and the vibes are good. A peaceful memento mori.

Yeah at first i played this just , because i like cute fox games . And this game got me into walking simulators as this was first real walking simulator i ever played . And i played this in the past only to get all achievements and i played this like 6 times first few times i didn't really like this game and did it only for achievements . But when i replayed it 4 more times years later i really got immersed in this game and really enjoyed it a lot it has good and beautiful visuals , good enough story , sad and wholesome , hearthwhelming ending too . And it has good soundtrack definetely a good game to relax to after a long and hard day . And it really almoast make me cry at the ending first time played through it . It's a beautiful cute little story . And it has some easter eggs which are also 2 achievements which is interesting . And the message in the end is interesting feature that the ending message in the end is what players wrote which is creative . And this game even has second 100 % completion ending which is also nice and rewarding . So yeah not the best , but also not the worst walking simulator . Walking over big distances is long though in this game . It has some bugs and glitches and you can skip many parts of game which is funny and fun . And as it turns out this game wasn't as hard to perfect game 100 % as i thought years ago . So yeah idk 7 / 10 .

I've played this game 3 times over 6 years, its such a lovely and sad story. I loved playing it each time and I love that players can write each others notes under the guise of the mother fox leaving a message to her dead cubs. I've received others messages 3 times and each time they were heartwarming. It isn't a long game but it you have patience and enjoy a calm narrative driven story, you will enjoy this game.

A short, simple, and sweet story.

This journey is made emotional by the dreamy environments and touching soundtrack. However, the gameplay is - unfortunately - uninspiring, and only because of that, the memory of playing The First Tree was a forgettable one.

not sure, if a "game" is the right medium to talk about your personal childhood problems and grief. maybe try an audiobook or podcast next time instead.

i cried. good game

THE WRITER HAD ME ALMOST CRYING OVER A FOX AND HER CUBS.

I hoped to enjoy this game, but awkward platforming controls, very limited gameplay mechanics, and a generally dull experience ultimately stopped me from doing so.

:)

Pros:

Cons:

I really took a lot of effort to enjoy this game.. but this was ultimately hard. After a while I started to yawn every few minutes because of the boredom. I only completed the game because it was quite short (and I am patient I guess)

• The story maybe would be interesing but the bad voice acting, lack of emotions doesn't help at all. It sounds like you bought quality mic and recorded the dialogues on discord call or something. It just feels so flat. You can't make the story intersting only by playing piano music and saying some sad lines.
  
• Terrible controls and walking mechanics. The dev even admitted in commentary mode he doesn't have the skills to make it right.
  
• The visuals are... just ok. Sure you can screenshot some nice views. But you can also notice: stretched and repetetive textures, copy-paste trees, trees are doing weird flips as you move away from them.
  
[*]The environment can be stunning sometimes but overall... is pretty dull. There's a lot of empty space. Totally not enjoyable for a walking simulator game.

made me cry

I'll start off by saying that I don't hate this game. It sat in my library for years, I don't even remember buying it... I think it was free at one point when it was in development and I added it to my library. I decided to play it when I was feeling lazy on a Saturday night and I have to say that my feelings are mixed.

THE GOOD:
The visuals in this game are done quite well. I especially like the ending (I think its the ending...?) where you are at the house and you can see the mountains all around you with a gorgeous sky-box. I've spent lots of time in the mountains IRL and the game does a great job at capturing the vastness of the terrain and it makes you feel small the way that mountains should. Not many games capture that feeling as good as this one.

THE BAD:
This game is a story/walking simulator with some great visuals and a philosophical take on life and death. However the way the game-play is structured causes the delivery of the story to be confusing and even un-enjoyable at times. You are placed in the middle of an open world playing as a fox and you wander the world searching for objectives. Collecting these objectives rewards you with a snippet of the story(s) described in the games synopsis. However the exploration in this game is super non-linear and it is possible to pick up these objectives out of order and receive pieces of the story without context. Oftentimes I found myself not sure where I should be going or needing to backtrack several minutes across the map to pick up a snippet of the story I missed. At times like this, playing this game felt like a chore. Walking around an open world hoping that you find every snippet of the story in the correct chronological order is not very fun, especially not if you miss one. A story should be told in a linear fashion, and trying to mix something linear with something as non-linear as an open world is like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. The BEST and most enjoyable part is when Rachel is telling her story and you are following the deer across the water. It's GOOD because you are heading in a DEFINITE direction and the story is being told in ORDER which is almost the polar opposite of how the rest of the story was delivered leading up to that point.

TLDR: This game is only OKAY and could be much better if the delivery of the story is improved. Buy it when you're bored and it's on sale.

EDIT: Just realised I did not get the achievement for finishing the game so the house in the mountains that I thought was the ending is in fact NOT the last area. I'm not sure where I am supposed to go.

I burst into tears more than once while playing this game. It was so so well made. No frills, no fuss, just a beautiful story put against a beautiful experience. Absolutely worth the money and the time.

I have never experienced something like this. VERY RECOMMENDED

This is a very pretty, chill game with a nice story. I wish the there was a sprint option in addition to run, sometimes the vast amount of land you need to cover is fusterating. Also there seemed to be a weird glitch trying to "activate" the stones in one level, took too many tries. besides that no complaints, would recommend overall.

From the creator of Home is Where One Starts… comes The First Tree, a third-person exploration game centered around two parallel stories: a fox trying to find her missing family, and a son reconnecting with his father in Alaska. Players take control of the fox on a poignant and beautiful journey that crescendos at the source of life, and perhaps result in an understanding of death. Along the way, players can uncover artifacts and stories from the son's life as he becomes intertwined in the fox’s journey towards The First Tree.

The First Tree is a visually enchanting journey that proves you don't need photorealistic graphics to create something beautiful. The papercraft-inspired art style, with its stunning landscapes and thoughtful use of color, creates an almost dreamlike atmosphere. The way sunlight filters through the stylized trees and the graceful movements of the fox against the vibrant environments made me stop multiple times just to take in the scenery.

What truly elevates this game is its deeply moving narrative that weaves together two parallel stories - a fox searching for her cubs and a son reflecting on his relationship with his father. The way these tales intertwine is masterfully done, with excellent voice acting that brings genuine emotion to every moment. Developer David Wehle has created something truly special here, turning personal loss and love into a universal story that resonates long after the credits roll. While it's a relatively short experience, it's one that deserves to be savored. Recommended for anyone looking for a meaningful, contemplative gaming experience.

This is a SUPER quick game, only took me a couple hours to finish the whole thing. It may not be very in-depth from a gameplay perspective, but it is a pretty peaceful little trek as a fox, and the art style is lovely. If you're looking for a simple, aesthetically pleasing experience, this is for you.

This is not a FPS game and should not be thought of as one. This is a game that works with emotion and storytelling to allow you to imagine life, love, and the experiences that go with it, in a simple way. There isn't much guidance, since life doesn't have a guidebook, yet you find your way. Describe your own experiences along with the story, weave your life's tale, and learn that everyone has problems, big and small.

Nice game, but a little boring.