The First Tree

Released on November 18, 2018 for the Nintendo Switch by David Wehle, LLC, The First Tree is a walking simulator with light adventure and platforming touches

At this just over-the-hill stage of my life (hopefully walking down will take longer than walking up), I'm absolutely certain of what video game genres I love most, and "walking simulator" is not among them. However, due to a combination of great marketing and Nintendo Switch eShop sales, I somehow end up playing roughly one walking simulator a year. 2018's The First Tree, recently deeply discounted on the eShop, just did a great job of fooling me into buying it.

 

I guess foxes are tricksters

In The First Tree, players find themselves behind the paws of a mother fox, who is supposed to be searching for her lost cubs, but is really just walking/running from point A to B as the game's narrator (game creater, David Wehle, doing more than double duty here) talks about his emotions surrounding the recent death of his father. The narrator's wife sometimes chimes in (Wehle's real life wife) to offer encouragement.

 

Also, their therapist and accountant chime in from time to time

I was excited to control a forest animal in a natural environment, but within several minutes, found myself shouting "DAMMIT, THIS IS A WALKING SIMULATOR, ISN'T IT?!" Thankfully, there are a few light gameplay elements sprinkled into this game where you're not just walking...sometimes you have to JUMP. There's even a cool double-jump that's well utilized.

Not coincidentally, the parts where I wasn't just walking around were my favorite

Generally, the area you need to travel toward is marked by a searchlight, so there's little difficulty getting through this 90-minute game, though I did get turned around in some boulders for a little while. There are also 150 stars to collect throughout the game as you're running around, as well as several other hidden achievements like catching rabbits, none of which the game ever really hints you should do. These don't really give you anything, except for something else to do.

 

Hold up, let me collect these items for some reason

I will say, though, the game's environment is very pleasant. While there's not a lot of heavy detail in these graphics (the polygon count is low, even for the fox), and there’s some distance draw-in (i.e. trees suddenly popping into view), any fan of the natural world will enjoy running through this dreamscape, which is reminiscent of and inspired by the Alaskan wilderness, and lit beautifully. The seasons even change between segments. The music is also very pretty. In a walking simulator, everything is really just a narrative delivery system, anyway.

 

Just like the stars are just a gas, light, and heat delivery system

That narrative is...fine. For what The Last Tree tries to accomplish, the story could come across as extremely cheesy, but as much as the narrative walks the tightrope, it never quite falls into the Velveeta, despite the narrator's usage of overly flowery language.

 

Now, pretend that adjectives cost money, and you only have $5

The actual ideas explored are both abstract and fairly obvious, i.e. find and enjoy family where you can get it, don't fear connecting with people, etc. The general subject matter, grief, is starting to feel like every walking simulator's theme of choice. Thankfully, the developer and his wife have natural chemistry, and sound natural together, even if, as noted above, they use a few too many adjectives.

The cruel irony is that this game reminded me of how much more I prefer being out in nature than around other human beings.

Overall, I don't regret the 90 minutes I played The First Tree. The visuals and music are lovely, and the novelty of running and jumping around as a fox doesn't quite completely run out before that 90 minutes ends. The story, while moving at times, doesn't cover any new ground these damn walking simulators haven't been treading over these last few years, and if I KNEW beforehand that The First Tree was a walking simulator, I probably wouldn't have played it. However, for what it is and what I paid, The First Tree is fine.

 

There are worse places to spend an hour and a half

SCORE: 7.0/10