The First Tree is making the jump from Steam to consoles in 2018

Third person exploration game The First Tree is console bound according to the game’s loan developer David Wehle in this announcement on Steam. DO Games who assisted with porting Pinstripe and The Adventure Pals will be handling the conversion. This game was released in 2017 via Steam and is notable for being created by a team of one person, the aforementioned David Wehle. The First Tree is heading for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch late 2018.

The First Tree is an exploration / platform game focusing on two parallel stories, a fox trying to find her cubs and a son reconnecting with his estranged father in Alaska. Positive reviews at the time focused praise on a heartfelt intimate storyline and the quality of the game’s soundtrack making for a tight emotional experience.  The First Tree also caught some criticism after its initial release.  Some noted tricky platform elements and a sense the narrative had perhaps too heavy a focus on death and loss resulting in a somewhat depressing experience.

One thing that is undeniable though is that the game is very very pretty. It uses that low polygon flat shaded look that is all the rage right now. Wherever you have a game that receives both positive and negative feedback in regards to the same element (ie story) it may mean that story may not be everybody’s cup of tea. Given the game is clearly focused on managing loss, it sounds like it may not be the right game to cheer a person up.

The rise of low polygon count plays right into the hand of Nintendo’s Switch. The game will take around four hours to complete if you take your time and explore. Two hours if you blast through it as fast as you can. Given that it is all about the journey there is no violence or battles so the story evolves over the course of the travel.  It could be perfect for a commute or the times when the TV is in use.

Considering the original game was made by just one person, a few control niggles could be considered par for the course. With this port Do Games certainly have the ability to fix up any tiny issues in that respect. For me personally I quite enjoy the odd meditational game and the trailer reminds me a little bit of Flower, from the PS3 days of old. Having not played nor heard of the game I will certainly be interested to see how it turns out.

Have you played it? Are you looking forward to a console conversion?