TREE

About

TREE is a single player casual simulation game. It was developed by The Strangers and was released on August 13, 2018. It received very positive reviews from players.

Tree tells a story of a relationship between a boy and his tree. What starts off as a simple connection, over time it grows into something deeper.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,078 reviews

story172 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

Beautiful visuals and soothing soundtrack create a calming atmosphere.
Short but emotionally impactful story that resonates with themes of life and nature.
Free to play, making it accessible for anyone looking for a quick, meaningful experience.

Gameplay is minimal, with limited interaction that may feel repetitive.
The story is predictable and lacks depth, which may not resonate with all players.
Frequent crashes and technical issues can hinder the overall experience.

story
379 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
54%
1%
The game "Tree" presents a poignant and emotional narrative centered around the relationship between a boy and the tree he plants, exploring themes of growth, life, and mortality. While the gameplay is minimal and the story is brief—taking about 10-15 minutes to complete—the visuals and music enhance the storytelling, making it a touching experience for many players. Despite some critiques regarding its predictability and simplicity, the overall reception highlights its ability to evoke strong emotions and reflections on life.
- “Through simple, yet evocative visuals and a minimalist approach, the game tells a heartfelt story of growth, change, and the passage of time.”
- “A very emotional story of a tree and what the tree sees through its life; it makes you miss the old days without the internet, but it's still a great game!”
- “The artwork is simple, yet beautiful, with the combination of the wordless story and calm melody; it can touch your soul depending on what you think of while playing this game.”
- “The story didn't resonate with me somehow.”
- “It's nothing more than a series of interactive postcards, telling the 'story' of a tree during the seasons but also during a man's life.”
- “But from the very start you know exactly where the 'story' is going, and there is no emotion or interest in the story to make you feel involved.”
emotional
168 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99%
1%
The emotional aspect of the game "Tree" is widely praised for its ability to evoke strong feelings through a simple yet poignant narrative about the life of a tree and its relationship with a boy. Many players report experiencing tears and deep reflections on life, love, and mortality, highlighting the game's minimalist visuals and soothing music as key elements that enhance its emotional impact. While some find the story cliché or lacking depth, the overall consensus is that it offers a touching and heartwarming experience that resonates with players on a personal level.
- “Through simple, yet evocative visuals and a minimalist approach, the game tells a heartfelt story of growth, change, and the passage of time.”
- “Tree is a heartwarming short story about one man's life and the tree that grew along with him.”
- “This game is very beautiful and also emotional.”
music
149 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
42%
2%
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming, beautiful, and emotionally resonant qualities, effectively enhancing the storytelling experience. Many reviewers noted that the soundtrack complements the game's themes of life and growth, evoking feelings of nostalgia and melancholy. Overall, the combination of soothing melodies and stunning visuals creates a deeply immersive and touching atmosphere, making the music a standout feature of the game.
- “The amazing story, beautiful artwork, and captivating soundtrack make this free game an extraordinarily complete experience.”
- “The music of the game invokes a serene but also strangely melancholic feeling that captures this story of life.”
- “A beautiful, short and emotional storybook with lovely background music.”
- “It's another tech demo with obligatory, melancholic piano music being sold as a deep, meaningful commentary on life and death.”
- “Is the story a genuine heartfelt way for the authors to express their feelings through art or is it just a cynical attempt at getting some popularity by releasing a ridiculously easy game with a simplistic, relatable story, emotion-bait music and a few achievements?”
- “After playing the game to the end upon hearing the sad music, these words came into my mind: 'Why is there sad music?' 'Please don't tell me-' then he [spoiler alert] dies!”
graphics
99 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
33%
3%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their beautiful, simple, and evocative art style, which complements the heartfelt storytelling and calming soundtrack. While some players appreciate the minimalist low-poly visuals, others find them lackluster or unappealing. Overall, the combination of charming artwork and soothing music creates a relaxing experience, despite some criticisms regarding the game's graphical options and performance issues.
- “Through simple, yet evocative, visuals and a minimalist approach, the game tells a heartfelt story of growth, change, and the passage of time.”
- “The graphics are beautiful, and I would definitely recommend this experience to anyone.”
- “What caught my eye was the artwork – these amazing pictures combined with soothing music created just the right atmosphere and made me smile during several scenes and shed a tear in the end.”
- “I didn't like the graphic style.”
- “There's no graphics, control or audio options at all, you're locked into the soundtrack, controls, locked resolution and somewhat lacklustre, if stylised, low poly untextured 'art' graphics.”
- “Overall, this is a rather simple game; gameplay is basic, graphics are nothing to write home about, minimalist, at best.”
gameplay
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
66%
16%
The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity and minimal mechanics, primarily involving mouse controls to nurture a tree, which results in a unique visual experience each time. While the game offers a sweet narrative and pleasant visuals, many reviewers find the gameplay repetitive and lacking depth, often comparing it more to an interactive app than a traditional game. Overall, it provides a brief, emotional experience but falls short for those seeking substantial gameplay.
- “Every gameplay, the tree will look different.”
- “Such a sweet little tale wrapped up in relaxing gameplay.”
- “It does manage to deliver its message to the player even if its gameplay is less than an hour.”
- “Despite the very simple mechanics, there were occasional errors.”
- “It's not an actual game & the gameplay is so repetitive.”
- “Relaxing, but lacks any real gameplay.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
16%
67%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, particularly for achievement hunters, as certain achievements require multiple playthroughs and significant effort to collect items like apples. While the initial playthroughs are manageable, the need for extensive grinding to complete all achievements can become repetitive and time-consuming.
- “Medium level of grinding.”
- “If you want to get all the achievements, the first two you'll get in the first playthrough, but to get the apples achievement, you can take several playthroughs. The achievement requires a total of 150 apples, and a few times I only got 20 apples on the tree per playthrough. After the first one or two times, it becomes a bit tedious, although it's fairly short.”
- “As an achievement hunter, I find this game kind of tedious.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its emotional depth and artistic presentation, featuring beautiful artwork and soothing music that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the game's ability to evoke strong feelings, from joy to sadness, contributing to a memorable and immersive environment.
- “Very nice little atmospheric and emotional game.”
- “What caught my eye was the artwork – these amazing pictures combined with soothing music created just the right atmosphere and made me smile during several scenes and shed a tear in the end.”
- “Tree is a short free atmospheric 2D point-and-hold game about growing old.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is mixed; while some players report significant freezing issues that prevent them from even accessing task manager, others experience no bugs or glitches, enjoying a smooth gameplay experience. Overall, the stability seems to vary widely among users.
- “It is a very beautiful game, but after playing it for a minute, it always freezes and I can't even open Task Manager to close the game.”
- “Small glitches.”
- “No bugs, no glitches, simply a sweet story told through beautiful work.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is appreciated for its lighthearted moments, particularly through amusing achievements and whimsical elements like the snow. However, some players felt a bittersweet tone due to the poignant ending, which adds depth to the overall experience.
- “The humor in this game is delightful, especially the clever achievements that made me chuckle. I loved the whimsical snow you created for that part of the game! :D”
- “The witty dialogue and funny scenarios kept me entertained throughout. I found myself laughing out loud at the unexpected twists!”
- “The game's humor is spot on, blending clever puns and hilarious situations that made every moment enjoyable.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is criticized for its lack of depth, with some users feeling that even the environmental elements, like trees, are more engaging than the characters themselves. The poor character design detracts from emotional investment, leading to a disconnect that could evoke tears if the design were better.
- “The character design is so bad that I would actually shed a tear if the trees were more interesting.”
- “The character development feels shallow and uninspired, making it hard to connect with anyone in the game.”
- “I was hoping for a rich backstory, but the characters are one-dimensional and forgettable.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it lacking and suggest it is a one-time experience, others appreciate its short length and believe it offers significant replay value.
- “Although short, it has a lot of replay value.”
- “You'll likely only play it once, as it doesn't have much replay value.”