Indie developer / sixth-generation farmer Henry Driver and publisher Future Friends Games (Summerhouse, Tiny Aquarium, and Gourdlets) have launched the interactive woodland toybox game Treeplanter on Steam today, where for every copy sold, Henry will personally plant a tree on farms and schools.

The game has launched as part of the Earth Appreciation Festival on Steam for £3.99 / $3.99 / €3,99 with a 20% launch discount, and is available in bundles with both Terra Nil (Free Lives/Devolver), Little Corners (Weekend Games), and Summerhouse (Friedemann/Future Friends Games).

About the Game:

Welcome to Treeplanter, an interactive woodland that changes with the seasons. Piece together a small grove of trees. Watch as their roots blossom under the soil. Based on what you place and build, an ecosystem of animals, plants, and birds will move in, turning your creation into their home.

Treeplanter is created by digital artist Henry Driver, previously known for Secrets of the Soil. Each copy of the game sold helps Henry plant trees, wildflowers, meadows, and community orchards through partnerships with schools, farms, communities, and woodland charities. This means you’ll help restore real-life nature, too! During development, Henry planted 1000 trees on farms and schools in Suffolk. Their first goal is to plant 10,000 trees, and they hope you can help them get there. If they get there, they will be planting millions of wildflowers to celebrate and then move on to planning their next planting goal.

Combining meditation and education, Treeplanter aims to teach players about the interconnected wonders of the natural world, above and below ground.

Key Features:

• A soothing interactive toybox for fans of games like Summerhouse and Tiny Glade!
• Piece together woodland with a playful LEGO-like design!
• Procedural creatures turn your grove into a living landscape!
• Watch the woodland change throughout the different seasons!
• Learn about the natural world above and below!

Background

The Treeplanter prototype was co-created with a small team of rural young people, aged 18-20. They created the majority of the art, visual effects, and also did cool things like the fungi and root growing systems. They were paid and mentored thanks to funding from the Eastern Education Group, and were directed by Henry Driver. Then they finished Treeplanter off with help from talented friends, including Rianna Suen (lead code) and Halime Karaca (lead art). 

The game has been playtested at a special educational needs and disabilities charity LEVEL, where it was presented in an immersive four 4K projector wraparound space. Audiences aged from 5 to 85 were invited to play and give feedback. There are plans underway to take Treeplanter to schools and libraries through an educational licence scheme.

Check out the trailer and then tell us what you think. Will you pick up Treeplanter and help them plant trees in the real world?