The First Tree: Console Edition

 Xbox One
The First Tree: Console Edition Image
Metascore
67

Mixed or average reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 5 Ratings

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  • Summary: 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    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.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 4
  3. Negative: 1 out of 4
  1. TheXboxHub
    Dec 5, 2018
    90
    The First Tree represents what storytelling can be in the industry today, provided that real care and thought has been put into it. This is an indie title that tells a beautiful, emotionally affecting story while painting a vivid, colourful world for you to explore, all in under two hours. It’s an impressive achievement.
  2. MondoXbox
    Dec 9, 2018
    67
    The First Tree tells a touching story aided by some nice graphics and a good soundtrack, but it's unluckily ruined by a too boring and repetitive gameplay and an overly short length.
  3. GameSpew
    Dec 5, 2018
    60
    If you’re a fan of meditative adventures such as the likes of Firewatch et al, then there’s some enjoyment to be had in The First Tree. You’re unlikely to get emotionally invested, but its vulpine protagonist and charming visuals may be enough to keep you interested through its short running time.
  4. Xbox Tavern
    Nov 30, 2018
    49
    There’s moments of beauty to be found in the parallel stories here, but much of that is lost in the midst of its abundance of heavy-handed sorrow. It doesn’t help that The First Tree is far too basic for its own good. Whilst the game’s several worlds seem diverse and interesting at first glance, the lack of any padding makes for a very empty experience, one that, despite its few highs, ultimately succumbs to its many lows.

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. Crimsonvisions
    Oct 6, 2019
    10
    Simply amazing. It's not a game, it's a piece of art. Just trust me and try it.
  2. 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    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
  4. Xbox_Alive
    Dec 1, 2018
    7
    The different environments in the game are beautiful and when you combine that with the very good sound design you do end up having anThe different environments in the game are beautiful and when you combine that with the very good sound design you do end up having an immersive experience. I found the story to be charming throughout my time with the game and it did stir up a number of different emotions along the way.
    Exploring the beautiful world in the game always felt rewarding and in a way it makes you become even more attached to the main character. In terms of length I think the game is perfect because it does what it sets out to do and doesn’t overstay its welcome in the process. The gameplay doesn’t have much depth present in it and some people may find themselves getting bored every now and then.
    Sometimes progressing took longer than it needed to be and a little bit more in terms of guidance would’ve been nice at times. Technically the game suffers with a few issues along the way, but thankfully none of these issues are game-breaking. The First Tree is one of them games that focuses more on its story instead of its gameplay and for me that kind of places these types of games in the niche market. This doesn’t mean though that these types of games don’t offer an enjoyable experience. In fact if a game goes down that route then you tend to remember that game long after completion, and that’s exactly the case when it comes to The First Tree. Without a doubt the story in this game will stay with you long after completion because it does a wonderful job of creating a number of different emotions along the way. The story is also enhanced further due to the beautiful visuals and sound design that have been implemented and when exploring the beautiful world you do become attached to everything in it. Whilst the world has depth sadly the gameplay doesn’t because there really isn’t much to do in terms of gameplay and the things you can do aren’t really that special. Thankfully though the length of the game means that the lack of gameplay isn’t much of a problem and the issues the game suffers with a few and far between. This then means that The First Tree does enough to get a recommendation from me and if you’re a fan of gorgeous scenery and a story that brings you closer to the game then you’ll thoroughly enjoy what this game has to offer.    … Expand