Comparison

The First Tree™ vs The Pathless

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

The First Tree™

Embark on a poignant third-person adventure as a fox searching for her lost cubs, interwoven with a son's journey to reconnect with his father in Alaska. Uncover artifacts and stories that reveal the son's life as you explore a beautiful world.

Highlights
  • Third-person exploration
  • Parallel storytelling
  • Emotional narrative
  • Orchestral soundtrack
  • Light puzzle solving
  • Platforming elements
Features
Read full description

The First Tree is a third-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. Players take control of the fox on a poignant and beautiful journey that crescendos at the source of life, and perhaps result in an understanding of death. Along the way, players can uncover artifacts and stories from the son's life as he becomes intertwined in the fox’s journey towards The First Tree. Features: • Not a "fox simulator," but an emotional, intimate story by a one-man team with an ending you won't soon forget. • Featuring a gorgeous, orchestral soundtrack by acclaimed artists like Message to Bears, Lowercase Noises, and Josh Kramer. • A short story-driven game (about 2 hours long) with some light puzzle solving, platforming, and no enemies.

About

The Pathless

Embark on a mythic adventure as an archer and eagle companion to dispel a curse. Explore a vast open world, master fluid archery while moving at high speeds, and hunt corrupted spirits in epic battles. Uncover the island's dark history through puzzles and exploration.

Highlights
  • Archery and falconry mechanics
  • Fluid movement and acrobatics
  • Open-world exploration
  • Puzzle solving in ancient ruins
  • Epic boss battles
  • Eagle companion
Features
Read full description

*ATTENTION* Works with compatible Apple devices below. From the creators of ABZÛ, The Pathless is the mythic adventure of an archer and an eagle in a vast forest. Archery and Falconry Become the Hunter, a master of archery who travels to a mystical island to dispel a curse of darkness that grips the world. Forge a connection with your eagle companion and soar through the air. Perform fluid acrobatics and execute awesome trick shots with a unique archery system that allows effortless shooting while moving at high speeds. Explore an Open World Forge your own path through a beautiful open world packed with secrets to find. Traverse misty forests, lush meadows and snowy tundras. Discover the dark history of the island as you solve puzzles in ancient ruins and bound across the treetops. Hunt Corrupted Spirits Giant corrupted spirits lurk in the woods. Use all your skill to hunt them down, but be careful not to become the hunted yourself. Engage in epic battles against the cursed beasts to restore light to the land. The bond with your eagle and the fate of the world hang in the balance. This game is compatible with the following Apple devices: iPhone - 7th generation and higher iPhone SE - 2nd generation iPad - 6th generation and higher iPad Air - 3rd generation and higher iPad mini - 5th generation and higher iPod touch - 7th generation iPad Pro - 2nd generation and higher

Screenshots

The First Tree™4 screens
The Pathless4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: The First Tree™ at $4.99 against The Pathless's $9.99. The First Tree™ also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (72% vs 64%). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

The First Tree™ costs $4.99 and The Pathless $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The First Tree™ holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 155 and 43 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of The First Tree™'s written reviews are positive against 64% of The Pathless's.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
The First Tree™ versus The Pathless: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe First Tree™The Pathless
Price$4.99 — better$9.99
Rating4.5 (155 ratings) — better4.3 (43 ratings)
Positive reviews72.2% of reviews — better64.2% of reviews
Number of ratings155 — better43
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.0 GB3.1 GB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperDavid WehleAnnapurna Games, LLC

Customer experience

The First Tree™

All ratings155 ratings
Positive86.5%
Neutral3.2%
Negative10.3%
Written reviews108 reviews
Positive72.2%
Neutral10.2%
Negative17.6%

The Pathless

All ratings43 ratings
Positive81.4%
Neutral4.7%
Negative14.0%
Written reviews53 reviews
Positive64.2%
Neutral13.2%
Negative22.6%

User reviews

The First Tree™

From 155 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Beautiful graphics and animations
  • 🎶 Captivating soundtrack
  • 🦊 Enjoyable gameplay as a mother fox
  • 🧠 Thought-provoking and emotional story
  • 🧘‍♀️ Calming and meditative experience

Room to improve

  • 🤔 Unclear objectives and lack of direction
  • 🐛 Occasional glitches and crashes
  • 🕰️ Short length of the game
  • 💬 Divisive opinions on the narration and commentary

The Pathless

From 43 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Beautiful world and visuals
  • 📜 Engaging storyline
  • 🎮 Great gameplay mechanics
  • 🕊️ Relaxing and immersive experience
  • 🦅 Companion eagle is perfect

Room to improve

  • 💥 Frequent crashes on launch
  • 📉 Performance issues on older devices
  • 🌡️ Devices getting very hot
  • 🔊 Poor audio quality on iOS
  • 🖱️ Lack of control over graphics/FPS

Bugs and requests

The First Tree™

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Game crashing at a specific point in the story
  • Inconsistent controls and camera movement

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add more save points throughout the levels
  • Provide an option to turn off the narration
  • Expand the game with additional chapters or content

The Pathless

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Game crashes on launch
  • Game crashes after loading screen
  • Game crashes randomly
  • Stuck in a glitch underwater
  • Sound disappears in the game
Show 2 more
  • Micro-freezes and low FPS before crashing
  • Third boss impossible to defeat

Requested features

10 requests
  • Add option to disable autorun
  • Port Ico and Shadow of the Colossus
  • Sequel or another game from the studio
  • Option to select 60 fps
  • Add rumble support on iPads with controllers
Show 5 more
  • Add TV and Mac support
  • Add active adjustment of picture effect
  • Allow reinstallation on Apple TV like Apple Arcade
  • More optimization for devices
  • Adjustable graphics and sound settings based on device performance

In-app purchases

None

The First Tree™

No in-app purchases

None

The Pathless

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The First Tree™ free?
The First Tree™ costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Pathless free?
The Pathless costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The First Tree™ or The Pathless?
The First Tree™ is rated higher. The First Tree™ averages 4.5 out of 5 from 155 ratings, while The Pathless averages 4.3 from 43 ratings.
Do The First Tree™ or The Pathless have ads?
Neither The First Tree™ nor The Pathless shows ads.

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