ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree

About

ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree is a single player role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Wildboy Studios and was released on January 27, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

"ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree" is an action-adventure game set in a Norse-inspired world. As Estra, a young heroine, you must explore vibrant landscapes, solve puzzles, and defeat mythical creatures to uncover the truth about your past and save your village. With its hand-drawn art style, atmospheric soundtrack, and challenging gameplay, "ATONE" offers an immersive and engaging experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree screenshot

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84%

Audience ScoreBased on 80 reviews

story35 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

Beautifully stylized art and engaging soundtrack enhance the atmospheric experience.
The branching storyline offers meaningful choices and multiple endings, encouraging replayability.
The rhythm-combat mechanics are fun and accessible, making it enjoyable even for those unfamiliar with rhythm games.

Traversal feels slow and cumbersome, detracting from the overall gameplay experience.
Puzzles can be overly simplistic or frustratingly unclear, leading to potential confusion.
The lack of a manual save system forces players to replay the entire game to explore different endings, which can be tedious.

story
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
59%
5%
The game's story is a beautifully stylized and engaging narrative that incorporates elements of Norse mythology, featuring branching paths influenced by player choices. While some players found the pacing uneven and certain gameplay elements distracting, many praised the depth of characters and emotional resonance of the story, making it a highlight of the experience. Overall, the combination of compelling storytelling, unique visuals, and a strong soundtrack creates a memorable journey that appeals to fans of narrative-driven games.
- “Beautifully stylized with a genuinely interesting branching story, mainly driven by the characters.”
- “The story itself is good, telling Esra's tale well, and involving a few choices throughout the game that can change the player's course. The voice acting adds so much to the already engaging story.”
- “The story is very good and never seems to leave you in a situation like 'what is happening', it's pretty self-evident and only adds to the significance of every battle.”
- “The story starts off pretty rough and sad.”
- “I may have been able to grow into liking it if the story had a more steady progression in terms of story intrigue, but the prominence of the story in the gameplay felt like it would make puzzles confusing and be tedious if I were to skip all dialogue and cutscenes.”
- “Can't split your save files at plot branches, which is very annoying in a multi-ending game with many secrets.”
music
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
41%
6%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its quality and ability to enhance the overall experience. The soundtrack is described as beautiful, captivating, and well-suited to the rhythm-based gameplay, making battles more enjoyable. While some players found the rhythm mechanics to be less challenging, the combination of excellent music and engaging visuals creates a unique and immersive atmosphere that many found compelling.
- “Highly enjoyable soundtrack.”
- “The music throughout the entire game was truly phenomenal; the tracks always got me hyped or sad for what was to come.”
- “A surprise early favorite for 2023, Atone combines clever puzzles and rhythm battles accompanied by absolutely gorgeous music.”
- “Puzzles are average, the story is dull most of the time, and the rhythm battles had a cool idea with nice music but the timing is bad, unclear, and it doesn’t really matter if you hit everything right, just keep pressing and you’ll win.”
- “The puzzles are mostly easy, but some can be very unclear despite hints, but even if so, trial and error works (unless the puzzles are those with only one chance), the way combat works is by hitting musical notes at the right time (mostly multitasking), which I sometimes found fun when it worked but often it didn't because it's easy to mess up with these.”
- “I wanted to like this based on the art style (graphically and musically) but it just didn't motivate me to keep playing past the 20 minute mark.”
gameplay
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
53%
9%
The gameplay is a mix of puzzle exploration and rhythm-based battles, offering a unique experience with multiple endings and choices that impact the story. While some players appreciate the engaging music and art style, others find the mechanics repetitive and the overall gameplay lacking depth, particularly in the overworld sections filled with dialogue and cutscenes. Overall, it appeals to those who enjoy story-driven games with rhythm elements, but may disappoint players seeking more complex gameplay mechanics.
- “Gameplay-wise, the game alternates between puzzle-exploration and rhythm game-style battles.”
- “Perfect length, well-developed story with multiple endings, characters you care about, and gameplay that hits the sweet spot.”
- “It's got a unique and fun gameplay style, nice art, and beautiful music throughout.”
- “I think what worked with me is the presentation of all these game elements rather than the actual gameplay.”
- “After the unique art style fades its novelty, you'll find that the gameplay is boring, especially at the start and mid-game.”
- “By my personal taste, the overworld portions had too little gameplay, too much dialogue, and too many cutscenes.”
graphics
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
38%
12%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and beautiful art style, which enhances the overall exploration and atmosphere. Many reviewers highlight the impressive visuals, geometric designs, and vibrant color palettes that contribute to an engaging experience, although some note that the novelty may wear off as gameplay progresses. Overall, the art style is considered the strongest element of the game, complemented by a fantastic soundtrack.
- “The general aesthetics (visuals, audio) is very unique and sets an off-kilter tone that serves very well the engaging story.”
- “Incredible visuals hit you first, with a color palette so gorgeous it’s utter eye candy.”
- “Gorgeous art style allows for atmospheric environments and impressive visuals, matched by a fantastic soundtrack.”
- “I wanted to like this based on the art style (graphically and musically), but it just didn't motivate me to keep playing past the 20-minute mark.”
- “After the unique art style fades its novelty, you'll find that the gameplay is boring, especially at the start and mid-game.”
- “ Graphics don't matter in this game.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game performs exceptionally well on the Steam Deck, with no reported issues, ensuring a smooth experience during battles that are influenced by the player's performance in the music.
- “Atone has absolutely no issues when it comes to performance on the Steam Deck!”
- “SDHQ is a website made for curating Steam Deck news, guides, and providing optimization/builds for games on the deck.”
- “The battles remind me of Elite Beat Agents, where your performance in the song dictates how well the fight goes.”
- “This review is based only on the performance of the game on the Steam Deck.”
- “Atone has absolutely no issues when it comes to performance on the Deck!”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, featuring a captivating mix of genres, stunning art style, and an impressive soundtrack that enhances the immersive experience. While traversal may not feel great, the richly detailed environments and engaging visuals keep players captivated. Overall, it is recommended for those who appreciate atmospheric games with strong narratives.
- “Very atmospheric game with an interesting mix of genres; I liked it a lot.”
- “I love its atmosphere, the music, and the animations.”
- “Gorgeous art style allows for atmospheric environments and impressive visuals, matched by a fantastic soundtrack.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a blend of heartwarming storytelling and engaging character narratives that evoke curiosity and sadness. Players appreciate the unique experience of solving challenges, which enhances their sense of accomplishment, while the battles provide a triumphant feeling, contributing to an overall impactful emotional journey.
- “It is a very heartwarming story though.”
- “This blend of genres tied into a heartfelt story is exactly the kind of unique experience I crave in games these days.”
- “Some moments were sad and that also made me feel the same.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
While the game is designed for replayability, many users note that there is limited variation between playthroughs, which may affect long-term engagement. However, some players still find it infinitely replayable.
- “Infinitely replayable.”
- “The game is meant to be replayable, but there isn’t much difference between playthroughs.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the lack of a steady story progression, which can lead to confusion if they choose to skip dialogue and cutscenes. This disconnect between gameplay and narrative may hinder enjoyment and engagement.
- “The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
- “I found myself spending hours on grinding without any real sense of progress or reward.”
- “The lack of variety in grinding activities made it feel like a chore rather than an enjoyable part of the game.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features strong character design enriched by Norse mythology, showcased through animated cut scenes, and includes charming companions like a little froggy best friend, enhancing the overall character development experience.
- “The character design is strong, enriched with tons of Norse mythology lore presented in animated cutscenes, and I absolutely love the little froggy best friend!”
- “The depth of character development is impressive, allowing players to form meaningful connections with each character.”
- “Each character evolves throughout the game, making their journeys feel authentic and engaging.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is well-received, featuring clever references and amusing Easter eggs that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the lighthearted moments and the witty interjections that contribute to the game's charm.
- “There is some great humor throughout, for example, the funny little Easter eggs scattered throughout!”
- “I liked all the references and the little humor interjected throughout.”

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70%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

Atone review
Issues with the combat aside, there is much to enjoy in what Untold Tales have served up with Atone.
Godisageek.com
70%

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Frequently Asked Questions

ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree is a role playing game with fantasy theme.

ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac OS, Phone and others.

ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree was released on January 27, 2023.

ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree was developed by Wildboy Studios.

ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its optimization.

ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree is a single player game.

Similar games include Omensight, Call of the Sea, Röki, ANNO: Mutationem, Tormentum: Dark Sorrow and others.

ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree

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