The Promise Tree of Alden

It is that same familiar Bodur production - going through the woods to make the amends with oneself and find acceptance and relief for the grief. Okay, I don't say that there is something fishy in that, but when it seems that it is fairly frequent subject in game franchise I feel a little bit bloaded. I am more into the games which take more surreal approach and I totally loved Drizzlepath: Picturae, which sound desing was btw marvelous and moreover especially Lucid Cycle which kept surprising their players throughout the game. Tree of Alden however feels warm, but flat experience with straightfort gameplay without any new tricks in sleeve, except few good visuals that may offer some inspiration for the players who love to take screenshots. All in all nice, but not so unforgettable tale.

This probably hit closer to home than most people who have played this game. I live in rural Maine on a private mile long (1.6km) dead end dirt road that is surrounded by miles of trees. I don't own all the surrounding land and over time since I have been here loggers have come in and taken many of those trees. My peaceful walks in the woods have been replaced at times with large swaths of barren land, ugly and unfriendly. Wildlife habitat has been destroyed and many majestic trees have been hauled off to the lumber mill in the name of progress. Fortunately it's too remote to have developers come and build.....for now. The forest will regenerate over time as it always does but I'm at the age that I'll not see the full extent of the growth. So the next time I'm out in the clearings I'll keep an eye out for small hovering orbs. Yes, I liked the game but realize it's not for everyone.

we need more a this game

[h1] The Promise Tree of Alden [/h1] [h3] Positives: [/h3] + Gorgeous graphics + Fantastic sounds + Beautiful music + The awesome atmosphere (expect goosebumps) + Very relaxing and healing + Good voiceover + Very beautiful landscapes and scenery + The sculptures, buildings, bridges and wildlife + The black/white filter combined with some coloring (I loved the red flowers!) + Very nice artistic look + Small puzzle in the end (more of that please!) + Achievements + FOV adjuster + No footstep sounds + Chapter selection [h3] Negatives: [/h3] - A lot of invisible walls (Why? I want to explore more of the beautiful scenery) - The game sometimes try to decide the speed you walk (I can handle that myself) - The "search for orbs in the air" parts are not my favourite (with a loud annoying sound and very small steps forward) - The fog is too heavy (making it hard to see all the beautiful scenery clearly) - Quite unnatural endings to chapters, where you midwalk just fade into black and start a new chapter - Extremely taxing on the computer - Its very short (all over in about an hour) [h3] Conclusion: [/h3] This is what I want to see from TB; gorgeous atmospheric walking simulators. And you…

This game seemed like a promising (pun somewhat intended) and quick walking sim. Yes, it was quick. Promising? Not so much. The plot was easy to understand, but I feel like it was oversimplified and it leaves anything that could have been impactful about the statement just... in the wind. There are a few more things I could touch on mechanic wise, but to keep this short and sweet, maybe just choose another game from this developer to start with.

a masterpiece!!!