A talk beneath the tree

I really enjoyed A Talk Beneath the Tree. The conversations are interesting and the different choices made me want to keep playing to see what would happen next. Even after finishing it, I wanted to go back and try other paths. The story is engaging and the art style gives the game its own personality. It feels different from most games I play. One thing I especially liked is that it feels like a game made with care. Nowadays, when so much content is created with AI or follows the same formulas, it’s refreshing to see something that feels personal. You can tell a lot of time and effort went into the writing, the art, the music and the overall experience.

I've been through a lot lately, and this game's conversations hit me in a way that felt very powerful. The dialogue feels true to the characters, especially as you come to understand them through different choices, routes, and endings. Seeing how they react to your decisions—or the decisions you make while playing as them—gives every path a distinct emotional weight, even when you know "that's not the worst-case scenario." Each ending leaves a different impression, from subtle variations to radically different outcomes. While the worldbuilding feels a little underdeveloped in some areas, it also leaves you wanting more. In many ways, it reminded me of how mages are portrayed in the Dragon Age universe. Some of these stories feel like they could fit naturally within that setting. My biggest criticism is the art style. I understand that its uniqueness is part of the appeal, and I can appreciate that, but I never felt like I had a clear image of the characters or locations. The story relies heavily on text, which works for the kind of narrative it's trying to tell, but I still feel it would benefit from a stronger visual presentation, even as a visual novel. The narration is very good. For my first playthrough, I clicked through each line manually so I could make sense of it, reflect on it, and let it sink in. I strongly recommend saving autoplay for later runs rather than your first one; many dialogues need time to hit you the way they're meant to. I'm really looking forward to anything else they publish in the future, and I'm not even done with this game yet. Thank you for your work!

I really enjoyed this story. The characters are well written; I relate to their struggles deeply. The art style is unique, the music fits well, the voice over is a welcome treat, and the set and setting paint a picture of a world I want to explore further.

Visual style is strong, but rough around the edges -- it's obviously an artistic statement, but YMMV The epilogues really are the star of the show here. Much more ambitous narratively and visually than the body of the game, they give a fair amount of depth and breadth to the world and characters for such a short game. 27 endings is a hell of a lot, but it's honestly not too overwhelming. The convo isn't fully branching, so after like, two playthroughs you won't be missing too much if you skip through it. It's worth it to take your time to savour the endings, though. The back button is a really good sanity preserver, it's pretty easy to accidently get an ending you've already got, but when that happens you can just back up to the last dialogue option and pick somehting else.

Warning, this game will make you feel; and some of it will be... uncomfortable. I didn't expect to be seen like this in a VN. I have been going through a lot in the last year in a half, largely medical problems. I've experienced an overwhelming feeling of being trapped in my own body. The characters in this game struck a chord like no other - what they felt, I felt. It really helped explore what I was feeling and to not feel so alone in it. On a lighter note, the game's artstyle is refreshing and feels incredibly hand crafted ( I'm pretty sure it is hand drawn! ). As for the story, I love a world with good boon and banes. Magic here is truly a blessing and a curse. Lastly, It is also just the right length for a playthrough; take it in chunks, let the chapters breathe and stick with you. I LOVE video games as a storytelling medium, and "A talk beneath the tree" offers an amazing world to experience. I'm looking forward to future RALWORKS Production!