The First Tree similar games & best alternatives

The First Tree

Mac, PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), Linux, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Android, iOS • 2017

Should you play it?

A beautiful, 3rd-person exploration game centered around two parallel stories: a fox trying to find her missing family, and a son reconnecting with his estranged father in Alaska. Uncover artifacts from the son's life as he becomes intertwined in the fox’s journey towards The First Tree.

What works
  • Touching and emotional story
  • Beautiful art style and visuals
  • Amazing and fitting soundtrack
  • Relaxing and contemplative atmosphere
  • Unique narrative structure and player message feature
Things to keep in mind
  • Simple and clunky gameplay mechanics
  • Some tedious and repetitive exploration
  • Short playtime
  • Lack of save points and chapter select
  • Minor bugs and graphical pop-in issues

What to play next

Similar games, hidden gems, and fresh directions from this game.

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • Spirit of the North

  • Lost Words: Beyond the Page

  • RiME

  • Wanderstop

  • What Remains of Edith Finch

  • Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery

  • SEASON: A letter to the future

  • Farewell North

  • Asphyxia
Hidden Gems

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • Lost Words: Beyond the Page

  • Farewell North

  • Asphyxia
If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

  • Escapism

    A Short Hike
  • Story

    Katawa Shoujo
  • Creativity

    Season of 12 Colors

Similarity map

Explore nearby similar games and see why they’re close.

How to use the graph
Similarity map

Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Why this game works” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

  • Purple star: this page’s game — everything on the map is relative to it.
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot for a screenshot preview, score, and top score gaps; click to compare in the panel on the right.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers (hidden on purpose).

The First Tree: Less representative of its motivational profile, with noticeable differences. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Survival, Violence, Competition, Thrill. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Intimacy. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Strategy, Competence.

Why this game works

A motivational profile of the game, with the closest similar game for each player motivation.

  • Autonomy

    Game with the same Autonomy vibe

    3

    "Players have control over exploration, item collection, and hiding strategies in procedurally generated levels, allowing personal decision-making."

    Capsule for Boris and the Dark Survival Boris and the Dark Survival

    "Players control the fox freely exploring large semi-open levels with some light platforming and item collection, allowing personal pacing and decision on exploration."

  • Competence

    Game with the same Competence vibe

    -2

    "Gameplay is simple with limited skill challenges, mostly quick-time events and basic interactions."

    Capsule for 1979 Revolution: Black Friday 1979 Revolution: Black Friday

    "Gameplay is simple and straightforward with minimal challenge; controls and jumping mechanics are basic and sometimes clunky, requiring little skill."

  • Competition

    Game with the same Competition vibe

    -5

    "No competitive elements or comparison to others; focus is on personal experience and narrative."

    Capsule for Home is Where One Starts... Home is Where One Starts...

    "No competitive elements or comparison to others; focus is on personal experience and narrative."

  • Continuation

    Game with the same Continuation vibe

    1

    "Short playtime and limited replayability, but story and atmosphere motivate completion in one or few sessions."

    Capsule for Moons of Madness Moons of Madness

    "Short playtime and some tedious sections may limit long sessions, but emotional impact and atmosphere encourage replay for story and achievements."

  • Cooperation

    Game with the same Cooperation vibe

    -5

    "Entirely single-player experience with no cooperative or multiplayer elements."

    Capsule for Gunman Clive Gunman Clive

    "Entirely single-player experience with no cooperative or multiplayer elements."

  • Creativity

    Game with the same Creativity vibe

    4

    "Creative narrative structure with multiple time lines and perspectives; unique art style and storytelling."

    Capsule for Season of 12 Colors Season of 12 Colors

    "Unique narrative structure combining two parallel stories and player-created messages; artistic visual style and atmospheric design."

  • Domination

    Game with the same Domination vibe

    -5

    "No elements of dominance or control over others; interactions are solitary and respectful."

    Capsule for Aurora Hills: Chapter 1 Aurora Hills: Chapter 1

    "No elements of dominance or superiority; interactions are solitary and respectful."

  • Escapism

    Game with the same Escapism vibe

    5

    "Strongly emphasized as a relaxing, stress-relieving experience that helps players escape real-life worries."

    Capsule for A Short Hike A Short Hike

    "Strongly designed to provide emotional escape and reflection, helping players cope with real-life issues and stress."

  • Expectation

    Game with the same Expectation vibe

    -4

    "Players engage voluntarily for intrinsic interest in story and atmosphere, not out of obligation."

    Capsule for Cloudpunk Cloudpunk

    "Players engage voluntarily for intrinsic interest in story and atmosphere, not out of obligation."

  • Experimenting

    Game with the same Experimenting vibe

    1

    "Some exploration and discovery of story elements and environment, but gameplay is mostly consistent and simple."

    Capsule for Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery

    "Some exploration and discovery of hidden items and story elements, but gameplay mechanics are simple and repetitive."

  • Exploration

    Game with the same Exploration vibe

    4

    "Large map with secrets, ruins, and new biomes encourages discovery and curiosity-driven activities."

    Capsule for Wildmender Wildmender

    "Encourages discovering new areas, secrets, and collectibles across varied biomes and dreamlike landscapes."

  • Expression

    Game with the same Expression vibe

    3

    "Players express themselves through their answers and receive personalized feedback, allowing for self-expression."

    Capsule for The Test: Hypothesis Rising The Test: Hypothesis Rising

    "Players can compose a personal message at the end, which is shared with others, allowing self-expression within the narrative."

  • Fantasy

    Game with the same Fantasy vibe

    3

    "Game features symbolic, metaphorical, and fantasy elements blended with emotional storytelling."

    Capsule for INMOST INMOST

    "The game blends realistic emotional themes with a dreamlike, surreal narrative featuring a fox and symbolic storytelling."

  • Fellowship

    Game with the same Fellowship vibe

    -5

    "No social or community features; experience is solitary and introspective."

    Capsule for RiME RiME

    "No social or community features; experience is solitary and introspective."

  • Growth

    Game with the same Growth vibe

    2

    "Players gain insight and personal reflection from the story, indicating some learning and emotional growth."

    Capsule for Once in Yaissor Once in Yaissor

    "Players gain insight into the story and characters, with some personal reflection and emotional growth encouraged."

  • Health

    Game with the same Health vibe

    -5

    "Sedentary gameplay without physical activity or health-related mechanics."

    Capsule for Ori and the Blind Forest Ori and the Blind Forest

    "Sedentary gameplay without physical activity or health-related mechanics."

  • Idle

    Game with the same Idle vibe

    -3

    "Requires focused attention on exploration and story; slow pacing but not designed for background or casual play."

    Capsule for CINERIS SOMNIA CINERIS SOMNIA

    "Requires focused attention to explore and follow story; some players find pacing slow but not background or casual play."

  • Intimacy

    Game with the same Intimacy vibe

    4

    "Emotional connections with characters and narrative foster deep feelings and empathy."

    Capsule for The Walking Dead: The Final Season The Walking Dead: The Final Season

    "Emotional narrative and voice acting foster close connection to characters and themes of family and loss."

  • Leadership

    Game with the same Leadership vibe

    -5

    "No leadership or group management elements; purely single-player experience."

    Capsule for Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

    "No leadership or group management elements; purely single-player experience."

  • Progression

    Game with the same Progression vibe

    1

    "Some progression through story and collectibles, but no power or item accumulation."

    Capsule for Caligo Caligo

    "Progression through story and collectibles, but no complex item upgrades or power accumulation."

  • Relaxation

    Game with the same Relaxation vibe

    4

    "Calm, cozy atmosphere with relaxing music and gentle pacing promotes relaxation and flow."

    Capsule for Fayburrow Fayburrow

    "Calm, soothing atmosphere with gentle music and slow pacing promotes relaxation and emotional flow."

  • Sensation

    Game with the same Sensation vibe

    3

    "Visually pleasing art style and evocative soundtrack provide sensory enjoyment."

    Capsule for Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons

    "Visually pleasing art style and evocative soundtrack provide sensory enjoyment and emotional stimulation."

  • Status

    Game with the same Status vibe

    -5

    "No social recognition or status systems; focus is on personal experience."

    Capsule for Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments

    "No social recognition or status systems; focus is on personal experience."

  • Story

    Game with the same Story vibe

    5

    "Central to the experience; rich narrative immersion with complex characters and emotional depth."

    Capsule for Katawa Shoujo Katawa Shoujo

    "Central to the game; deeply emotional, well-narrated story with strong narrative immersion."

  • Strategy

    Game with the same Strategy vibe

    -4

    "Minimal strategic or problem-solving elements; gameplay is straightforward and linear."

    Capsule for Little Misfortune Little Misfortune

    "Minimal strategic or problem-solving elements; gameplay is straightforward and linear."

  • Thrill

    Game with the same Thrill vibe

    -4

    "Low suspense or risk; experience is calm and contemplative rather than thrilling."

    Capsule for Sisyphus Reborn Sisyphus Reborn

    "Low risk and suspense; experience is controlled and contemplative rather than thrilling."

  • Value

    Game with the same Value vibe

    2

    "Generally considered good value especially on sale; some feel price is high for short length."

    Capsule for Typoman Typoman

    "Generally considered good value for a short, emotional experience, especially on sale; some feel full price is high for length."

  • Violence

    Game with the same Violence vibe

    -5

    "No violent or destructive gameplay; focus on exploration and narrative."

    Capsule for Don't Disturb Don't Disturb

    "No violent or destructive gameplay; focus on exploration and narrative."

  • Survival

    Game with the same Survival vibe

    -5

    "No survival or threat mechanics; stable and safe environment."

    Capsule for The Witness The Witness

    "No survival or threat mechanics; stable and safe environment."

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Last update: 01/06/2026