baby tree

Baby Tree comes off as an amateur attempt at avant-garde work. It's short, simple, and obvious, but its minimalistic, childish prose manages to be somewhat effective. It's hard to call Baby Tree a true horror game; any evocation of horror achieved in the piece probably comes from the choice and handling of the unsettling subtext. Despite its flaws, I can't hate it. It manages to tell its story quickly and clearly enough to avoid being completely banal.

This game could have been a good beginning to a very scary story. I felt bad for the protagonist and for the dog, too. They were very basic characters, which I liked, and I could definitely feel for their situation. Without more exposition, the climax of the story was empty, but it could have been truly horrific if it had been explained what the person went through to get to this sad state. I like the different prose style (poetic style?). It was a creative, good idea that served this story well, and I just wish there had been more there in terms of background and setting to explain the sad logic of this person. I give it three stars for its unique style, its simplicity, and because I'm glad I read it.

The text is consistently sparse, which creates an arid environment in which every word has fuller resonance. The game layers its unpleasantness, so that when the eponymous baby tree arrives it has a much creepier effect. Unfortunately, the ending in its comparative wordiness(Spoiler - click to show) and the less-than-compelling 'you die' message, somewhat undermines the effect of the rest of the short piece by pushing it beyond the narrow boundary between the unsettling and the ridiculous.