Looking Back
You open your eyes and the light blinds you for a moment, a relaxing landscape appears before you waiting for you to explore it and rediscover those forgotten memories that bring you so much nostalgia, while you meditate on them, on your history.
The First Tree is a storytelling where we will delve into a personal experience told from the skin of a fox, which will walk through the environments that house each piece of the story that they tell us. A game where we can relax to let ourselves be carried away by immersing in the narrative, the landscapes and a music that embraces the player.
What is inside?
Going into what is the question of the game, we can find a very focused experience for those who like the walking simulator or story telling genre, from the first moment the pace is marked as leisurely, without further indications to the player of what to do or where to go, perfect for you to get your curiosity out.
The stage invites you to move around freely, you will find collectibles and points of interest, which will unlock that voice over, which tells a deep story about the protagonist’s memories and experiences, which will connect with you and make the experiences feel like yours.
These discoveries are made through a fox, a representation or excuse to tell everything from the allegory where the same animal is looking for his family.
The experience is accompanied by a beautiful soundtrack which immerses you in the minimalist but attractive visual section that The First Tree has, a very well worked section with a successful use of colors.
The First Tree may not be liked by everyone, even within the walking simulator genre the mechanics are still well reduced, exploration and obtaining collectibles are the main options which guide you to the next story point.
It should also be said that despite its beautiful artistic section, it sins of repeating assets within the game, something that is usually done in all developments but if it is abused, the aesthetics suffer, although this point is justifiable since this is a one-person project.
Lastly, the narration and voice over, although captivating, may also not fit everyone, since it is more reminiscent of the audiobook format, and it does not feel that it affects the gameplay beyond being an objective to activate the following story.
Should I play it?
A rather curious and different title, it is aimed at a very specific audience, but we can all recognize the work and the charms it has, The First Tree has its shortcomings, which can be justified by a practically solo development and an attractive proposal for all fans of the genre.
If you like graphic and minimalist adventures, this is your game.
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