2.5/5 ★ – clunkymechanics's review of The First Tree.

Completed: December 24 2020 Time to beat: 2 Hours Platform: Nintendo Switch The First Tree is a quiet little experience about a couple recounting their personal histories contextualised by a dream one of them had about a fox looking for her young. I chose to look at this game as a love letter from the solo developer David Wehle to his family, friends, and the world he grew up in. This experience was touching, and very insightful, however a tad sloppy on the execution. This game does very little by way of mechanics, however the few mechanics it did have felt unreasonably clunky. The reason I am so critical of the mechanics in a game like this, is that if the developer didn't have the technical prowess to execute a platformer this game could have just as easily fit into the walking simulator genre and skipped all of the 'gamey' elements. I am always disappointed when games with something really important to say go for the traditional platformer feel, because as 'easy' as making a platformer seems if it's not perfectly executed it just feels bad to play. I think I would have enjoyed The First Tree a lot more if it was more story focused, and I wasn't as bogged down trying to get a game mechanic to trigger that was sloppily implemented. However, as I mentioned previously the story was unique, special, and felt close to home. You could tell by the voice actor (done by the developer and his partner) this story was dear to both of them. The story elements felt genuine, and I will not soon forget the prose-like writing in this game.