The art style is cute but if failed to grip me
Sights & Sounds
- The visual aesthetics are amazing. I love the hand-painted look of the environments and characters
- The music was sorta forgettable. I played this less than a week ago, and none of the music has stuck with me
Story & Vibes
- Not a ton going on narratively, either, but I did like how the game surprises you halfway through. It's not really a twist (you can tell that a turning point is coming), but it definitely takes the story in a new direction
- I'm not sure that there's many take-home messages or nuggets of wisdom to really be gleaned from this game. Without any real lore or literary depth, the game feels a little thin
- It's definitely a chill game, so there's that, at least
Playability & Replayability
- It's a puzzle platformer where you change the season to change the environment and solve puzzles. There's a ton of games like this, and Seasons After Fall doesn't really add anything new to that mix. It just looks nice
- It's not a Metrodvania, but there is a lot of backtracking through the same interconnected map. I'll be frank, if you're gonna borrow anything from that genre, backtracking is the worst choice
- I'm not sure why, but the jump felt laggy and hard to predict for the first hour of my playthrough. It took forever to get used to it. Input lag + floatiness + uneven momentum = bad jumping
- Not doing a replay; once was enough. There's nothing in the game calling me back to it
Overall Impressions & Performance
- Somehow, I managed to play Moonleap before this game and Hue right after. They're all basically the same concept with different levels of complexity. I'm just tired of the season/color/time-of-day changing mechanic. Not sure how I managed to queue up so many similar games in a row
- It ran well on the Steam Deck with no need for tweaks or fiddling
Final Verdict
- 5.5/10. The visuals really are nice and it's a relaxing enough game. I just wouldn't recommend it unless you're craving a new puzzle platformer and the price is very reduced. I liked it more than I disliked it, so that's something, at least
- The visual aesthetics are amazing. I love the hand-painted look of the environments and characters
- The music was sorta forgettable. I played this less than a week ago, and none of the music has stuck with me
Story & Vibes
- Not a ton going on narratively, either, but I did like how the game surprises you halfway through. It's not really a twist (you can tell that a turning point is coming), but it definitely takes the story in a new direction
- I'm not sure that there's many take-home messages or nuggets of wisdom to really be gleaned from this game. Without any real lore or literary depth, the game feels a little thin
- It's definitely a chill game, so there's that, at least
Playability & Replayability
- It's a puzzle platformer where you change the season to change the environment and solve puzzles. There's a ton of games like this, and Seasons After Fall doesn't really add anything new to that mix. It just looks nice
- It's not a Metrodvania, but there is a lot of backtracking through the same interconnected map. I'll be frank, if you're gonna borrow anything from that genre, backtracking is the worst choice
- I'm not sure why, but the jump felt laggy and hard to predict for the first hour of my playthrough. It took forever to get used to it. Input lag + floatiness + uneven momentum = bad jumping
- Not doing a replay; once was enough. There's nothing in the game calling me back to it
Overall Impressions & Performance
- Somehow, I managed to play Moonleap before this game and Hue right after. They're all basically the same concept with different levels of complexity. I'm just tired of the season/color/time-of-day changing mechanic. Not sure how I managed to queue up so many similar games in a row
- It ran well on the Steam Deck with no need for tweaks or fiddling
Final Verdict
- 5.5/10. The visuals really are nice and it's a relaxing enough game. I just wouldn't recommend it unless you're craving a new puzzle platformer and the price is very reduced. I liked it more than I disliked it, so that's something, at least
Un jeu chill quoi.
It's very easy for forest-fantasy themes to be corny and kitschy, so this game has to be welcomed with open arms as it manages to anchor the theme at the gameplay. It's just so fun and creative, endless combinations that result in mini-puzzles, and it's all so mesmerizingly well done that it's pure joy with which you're exploring the forest. This is what The First Tree wishes it could be. It's a playable fable, and what a pretty one.
The art style and animation are so cute
unashamed to say that i would never have finished this if it weren't for the existence of walkthroughs
It was just a relaxing, chill time. A few areas that were a little frustrating, but it was still enjoyable, and the music was very well done.