The First Tree
Platforms: Mac, Nintendo Switch, PC and PlayStation 4
Genres: Creative, Narrative, Open World, Platform and Puzzle
Released: October 2018. Added to this library 3 months ago, last updated 11 weeks ago.
Overview
The First Tree is an exploration narrative game. In a dream, you explore a forest wilderness as a mother fox looking for her cubs. Simultaneously, you revisit childhood memories in spoken reflection from two lovers remembering the dream and their formative years.
During the game, we hear the man and his partner discussing the dream and how it relates to his life, in particular his distant relationship with his father, who has now passed away. He deals with his regrets of not having spoken to his father more. Meanwhile, his partner supports him and reassures him that together they are still family and still have each other. Though this game deals with the feelings of an adult losing their parent, with complex dialogue to match, this game has a relatable emotional content for young people playing with adult supervision.
It's a poignant and beautiful journey, told from the perspective of a young adult looking back at their growing up. As it crescendos on arrival at a large tree you realise the landscape and the parent-child memories have become intertwined.
"The path was luminous before her and it led to something ancient, so she ran," says the narrator. While the fox isn't as lifelike as other games, it's the landscape that is the real encounter here. Big and open enough to get lost in, to run and run and run in, but not so big as to frustrate for very long. Through a wide range of terrain and seasons, the game is a chance to find calm and space for your own reflection.
Because there is no way to die or fail, and there are no enemies, this is a game that is good to try as one of your first. Or to play with a young player. With this in mind, you still need to apply some logic at times and deal with the slightly finickety interface. Triggering the three tree stumps in the middle level foiled some, but you just need to stand on them and press A in time with the falling light-bug.
It features an orchestral soundtrack by acclaimed artists like Message to Bears, Lowercase Noises, and Josh Kramer.
This game is good if you want to play aging characters, harm no living thing, connect with grandparents, escape life's storms for a while, find hope, process loss, engage your emotions or play your first video game.
Commitment
Players: This is a single player game. Although it’s a solitary game, at a certain point you get to leave a poignant message that will appear in other people’s game. The massages are vetted by the developer and add weight to the closing scenes of he game.
Costs
Ratings
In addition to the ratings parents and carers should also note that themes of family estrangement and parent-conflict run through the coming-of-age story. There are also dead fox cubs that you discover along the way.
This game has been rated ESRB EVERYONE.
Accessibility
System settings: Nintendo Switch has some built-in features, including a lockable zoom, that can be used on all games. Windows has extensive accessibility features. Some, like colour correction, work with games. Lots of accessibility software can be used with PC games, from voice recognition to input device emulators. PlayStation 4 has a range of accessibility settings. Some are system only, some work in games (invert colours and button mapping)... read more.
Similar Games
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The First Tree is in These Lists
In addition to the similar games listed above, which have been linked to this game specifically in the database, you may find games with a similar theme to The First Tree in the following lists:
Your First Video Game
We've found that it's not just parents who have enjoyed the way these games let them in on the world of gaming, but grandparents, uncles and aunts. In fact it's a great list for anyone who's never played a game and wants to know what all the fuss is about.
Wake Up Your Emotions
The games selected below create emotionally rich spaces in which to explore scenarios with feelings rather than facts. In some games this is achieved with beautiful or soothing interactive visuals; others create charged relationships and settings that invite players to take a role in processing these emotions.
Find Calm From The Storm
Hope Through Play
There is something innocent and childlike in play, and video games each have a slice of that in different ways. Sometimes simple and sometimes complex, games can help us return to the hope we had as children, or call us on to the wisdom and perspective of older years.
Commit No Violence
Many of them are aimed at children and families, but you'll be surprised how many explore deeper, more mature themes in their narratives, or require just as much skill as a fast-paced first-person shooter. This means there's plenty of offer for parents who might lack the reflexes (or interest) to survive a round of Fortnite.
We've focused on the games you might not expect to be played non-violently here, but you can find the full list at Non-Violent Games Of the Day curated by James Batchelor.
Space For Grief
I've come up with some games that explore this topic, along with help and suggestions from Gaming The Mind (Twitter), an organisation of UK-based mental health professionals who aim to promote positive mental health within the gaming community. By focusing on the intersection between gaming and mental health, they want to raise awareness of mental health challenges and reduce the stigma surrounding these issues. "We express grief in different ways depending on our age," they said. "To help children cope with loss, it is important that they receive honest explanations about death, appropriate to their level of understanding. With these games, players may find valuable space in which to acknowledge grief as a completely normal reaction to bereavement."
"The games we have selected don't necessarily offer an ideal way to cope with death but tackle the topic of death openly and with a positive attitude. They can help show the player that they are not alone in what they are going through. Playing these games with young people, and answering questions they might have along the way, can be a useful starting point for important conversations about grief."
Ease Loneliness With Intergenerational Games
Video games are one way that we can reconnect with each other, without needing to be in the same place. Finding games to play online with grandparents and carers is not only a good way to keep in touch but a lot of fun.
The games on this page are part of the PLAY&TALK Weekend, which has launched in time for National Loneliness Awareness Week, aims to reduce feelings of isolation by getting people to talk with friends or family safely online. Backed by over 30 companies in the games industry, the Play&Talk weekend hopes to initiate 10,000 extra conversations across the UK through the power of games.- Co-operative: Some of the games are good ways to connect and play co-operatively online (like Feather, Overcooked 2, Ibb and Obb, Skylanders Children of Light).
- Competitive: With some practice there are easy and fun online competitive games (like Tricky Towers, Videoball)
- Asynchronous: Other games are a way to connect and play without being online at the same time (like Horizon Chase Turbo, Worms, Words With Friends, Wargroove, Animal Crossing).
- Community: Then there are games that connect you with a wider player community in a gentle non-invasive way (like The First Tree, Journey, Lost Words, The Endless Forrest).
Come To Terms With Ageing
Thanks for using our resource. We are editorially independant, written by parents for parents, but welcome sponsorship, partnership and suggestions. It is supported by the Get Smart About PLAY campaign from AskAboutGames.com. For more advice and guidance on video games, also check out my Taming Gaming book.Tweet
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