The First Tree: Console Edition

 PlayStation 4
User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 19 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 19
  3. Negative: 4 out of 19
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  1. MetaBones
    Apr 3, 2023
    2
    A review for this game is tricky since it's a labor of love from the author. It's an indie game with a minimal budget and a heartfelt center. I admire the passion, the exploration, and the artistry the creator put into this. It really is a beautiful experience by design.

    Unfortunately, the game was a drag and difficult to get through from start to finish. The concept sounded interesting    A review for this game is tricky since it's a labor of love from the author. It's an indie game with a minimal budget and a heartfelt center. I admire the passion, the exploration, and the artistry the creator put into this. It really is a beautiful experience by design.

    Unfortunately, the game was a drag and difficult to get through from start to finish. The concept sounded interesting and I enjoy myself a methodical slow-burn. However, the maps you explore are barren and uninteresting, the objectives are extremely tedious, and the mechanics are amongst the clunkiest and most awkward I've ever experienced. Getting yourself from point A to point B was an extreme chore and not very pleasant.

    For a "story-telling experience" in a game, I also didn't appreciate how unfocused it was. The "open-world" approach where you can go anywhere and do anything at your own order and pace I don't think contributed to the experience. Having a focused objective system with less places to visit that serve no function would've helped the game and the narrative.

    The narrative itself isn't voice-acted particularly well with every line being the same somber one note we hear again and again. The emotional thread felt over-the-top and too sentimental as I didn't feel like there was no development of its themes but rather and "introduce and payoff" structure. Unfortunately when there's no development, the payoff means very little.

    Again, I don't like to harp on passion projects with limited budgets and resources. You can tell there is real passion and I would be interested in this creator's future projects. I simply have to categorically assess the experience on its own and I just didn't really like it, nor would I recommend it to anyone.    … Expand
  2. Darkpunta
    Sep 22, 2022
    7
    Nice graphics, but not very captivating. Interesting way to tell the story but lack of action and not obvious mechanics with collecting of stars
  3. tonymagz
    Oct 19, 2021
    4
    I heard the beautiful soundtrack for this game and the nice cover and decided to go in blind. Big regret from me. The game feels like the developer just learned an engine. Very amateur animation, and really nothing to the game other than just walking through a field, collecting some coins and listening to some cheesy narration.
    Beautiful soundtrack, poor everything else.
  4. SuperkenGaming
    Apr 28, 2021
    7
    The First Tree
    Short But Sweet
    The first tree is a 1 hour long adventure game with light platforming where you play as a fox, inside of a dream. This is game about loss.. both in the perspective of the fox looking for her pups, and of the man narrating the game, talking about his dream, and losing his father. There isn’t much to do here in this game but go forward, collect the stars    The First Tree
    Short But Sweet
    The first tree is a 1 hour long adventure game with light platforming where you play as a fox, inside of a dream.
    This is game about loss.. both in the perspective of the fox looking for her pups, and of the man narrating the game, talking about his dream, and losing his father. There isn’t much to do here in this game but go forward, collect the stars that lead you to the next part of the game, soakin in the beautiful worlds, listen to the stories, and hope for the best for your little fox friend.
    And in general this is a beautiful game, from its message, to its world,
    I loved every minute of it.
    Again there isn’t much here to this game other than an emotional experience through its unique story telling, but this is one worth taking.
    I give The First Tree
    a 7/10    … Expand
  5. korksz
    Feb 28, 2021
    5
    If you hated Death Stranding then this game would be your arch enemy. Death Stranding is action packed compared to this. As far as I went with it the whole game consisted of simply running around open landscapes without any content. I wouldn't call this a game. It's just a medium where the creator wanted to tell his story. Unfortunately he probably doesn't understand how a video gameIf you hated Death Stranding then this game would be your arch enemy. Death Stranding is action packed compared to this. As far as I went with it the whole game consisted of simply running around open landscapes without any content. I wouldn't call this a game. It's just a medium where the creator wanted to tell his story. Unfortunately he probably doesn't understand how a video game works.
    There's nothing to do here. You go from one star to another star and some blobs of dirt that you can dig up. These contain items relevant to the story to be told. When you dig one up, a small dialog occurs between the creator and his wife. This is all that's to be seen here.
    I believe that his story might be interesting for some but for me it was not enough to get over one of the most boring gameplays I have ever seen... and that's knowing it's only a 2 hours long product. I'd rather just read what he has to tell.    … Expand
  6. Snakekiller68
    Nov 25, 2020
    8
    The topic of the game is really interesting. The artistic direction is simple but inspiring. And most of all, the soundtracks is awesome. It makes you travel on a big smooth cloud. Really well built! Just one hour of time, really good discovery!
  7. Jrangula
    Jul 26, 2019
    10
    If you are looking for a story driven exploration game, this is the game. I was captivated almost immediately by the scenery. It was beautiful and fun to look at. The way the coloration is used to express the mood, how the music would change or go silent depending on what was going on in the story that was being told. All the little Easter eggs of the mans story spread throughout theIf you are looking for a story driven exploration game, this is the game. I was captivated almost immediately by the scenery. It was beautiful and fun to look at. The way the coloration is used to express the mood, how the music would change or go silent depending on what was going on in the story that was being told. All the little Easter eggs of the mans story spread throughout the areas. This game was a fun ride, very mellow and had some small puzzles to solve, but otherwise it was all about the story. I would highly recommend this game if you are looking for something that is calm, story driven and will keep you going for a good while. I played the whole story from start to end in one sitting. Very good game, i will play again to see what i may have missed.… Expand
  8. towibabe
    Jun 16, 2019
    1
    This was the biggest waste of $10 in my life. Save your money, don't try this out of curiosity, just trust me.
  9. FinnWolfey
    May 17, 2019
    6
    Escape from reality, or not.

    Going through the two stories while listening to the beautiful soundtrack of The First Tree proved to be a calm ride. The narrator's story did not entirely manage to grab me but listening to his personal story was at times relatable but more importantly emotional. Our fluffy mother fox and her adventure in the pretty game world is what gave a soul to this    Escape from reality, or not.

    Going through the two stories while listening to the beautiful soundtrack of The First Tree proved to be a calm ride.
    The narrator's story did not entirely manage to grab me but listening to his personal story was at times relatable but more importantly emotional.
    Our fluffy mother fox and her adventure in the pretty game world is what gave a soul to this game though.
    There is no one story without the other.

    It could have been polished even further though.
    While the landscape is pretty, you often see more clunky areas that could have been worked on to make the game world look even more impressive. Draw Distance and foliage density could have been increased greatly.
    To add, the pace of the game could have been enchanted a bit.

    The last thing is the price. I liked this game but I can't see myself buying this game for 9.99€.
    Recommended on sale for those who are looking for a good short story.    … Expand
  10. Dubeau
    Feb 10, 2019
    8
    You can play this game in a 2 hours span. The story is pretty good and feels personal. It's easy to relate to. I like the graphics. The vegetation isn't always accurate but there is a reason for that. There isn't much to do apart moving the story. The jumping mechanic isn't very elegant or fluid and there is basically 2 small puzzles. I like the music and the atmosphere in the game.You can play this game in a 2 hours span. The story is pretty good and feels personal. It's easy to relate to. I like the graphics. The vegetation isn't always accurate but there is a reason for that. There isn't much to do apart moving the story. The jumping mechanic isn't very elegant or fluid and there is basically 2 small puzzles. I like the music and the atmosphere in the game. Considering it's a game made by 1-2 persons, it's a nice piece of work. I give it a 78%. And thanks for the nice story.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. PlaySense
    Dec 17, 2018
    65
    The First Tree hits and misses; hits in terms of story and soundtrack, misses as far as the clumsy controls, useless puzzles and messy technical aspects are concerned.
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  2. PlayStation Universe
    Dec 9, 2018
    95
    The First Tree is an exceptional story of loss and regret. The achievement by the game's one developer, David Whele, cannot be understated. The combination of all the elements of this experience creates one of the most memorable games this year. If you enjoy narrative adventure games then The First Tree is more than worth the two-to-three hours it takes to beat it.
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  3. Push Square
    Dec 8, 2018
    80
    Everything aside from the story is simplistic, but it doesn’t matter if the puzzles are non-existent or that the graphics are basic, because The First Tree packs an emotional narrative and is a game that every indie fan should play as a result.
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