Thumbnail by The First Tree
I found The First Tree free in Epic Games Launcher. Spent approximately two hours. Here’s how I experience the game.
The game started with us playing as a fox. Apparently, this was all a dream. A dream of a man called Joseph reminiscing his past. The vixens (female adult fox) is a mother to three missing cubs. Intertwined with our man, Joseph, we found one by one Joseph’s mementos throughout the adventure. It’s satisfying when I get to know deeper about Joseph every time I find his memento.
The environment matches the mood of the story as well. Joseph’s narrative was parallel with the visual of the vixens. High wall to emphasize the high barrier to overcome. Bright when the story is bright and raining when we went through the unhappy experience. Each cub representing a turning point in Joseph’s life.
The game can use some improvements about cues but I don’t write this to review the game itself. I write this to review my experience with the game. I get lost in the first chapter, figuring out where I should go. Fortunately, I was feeling lost in real life so it actually fits me. What I really like about the game is the way it is used for storytelling. It drew me in. Made me interested in why and how. I care enough to seek what’s next or how will it end.
Also, it was developed by a single person. As a side-project, it’s an amazing game. It encourages me to realize my own game idea. If you asked me who would like the game, I suppose those who don’t expect big-budget games and those who want to learn the possibility of interactive storytelling would like this game. Maybe.
I gave The First Tree four out of five stars.
To get the game or read further, you can click this link.