A little backstory
The game has been in development for a while, originally starting as a school side project – a vibey retro bonsai simulator called Bonsai '98. It's been a journey. We started a studio, joined an incubator, moved to another city, expanded the team, and now we have Tiny Tree Talk 🥳
Why Tiny Tree Talk?
We love chill, vibey, and atmospheric games. Life nowadays tends to make us feel stressed, anxious, and disconnected. We wanted to make a comforting experience, something that draws you in, winds you down, lets you play on your own terms, and a place where you can feel appreciated and connected. This is basically what the game is – like a warm retro hug for the heart and brain <3
We also felt like a lot of diorama builders struggled with engagement. Pure sandboxes can induce blank canvas paralysis and it's easy to run out of inspiration quickly. That's the basis for Tiny Tree Talk's forum / quest mode.
So what is this playtest?
This is our first open playtest ever. It lasts from March 6th to Sunday 15th. We're mainly testing the sandbox mode and core tools, since that's the heart of how you build and decorate your scenes.
You can leave feedback through forms directly in the game and we are mainly focusing on two areas:
Bug reports, frustrations, and UI/UX issues
Feedback and requests about the content in the game
We're still a small team so we can't catch all the issues and bugs ourselves, but the second point is really important as well. The game is centered around your creations, so a core pillar for the game is to enable player creativity, to make it easy for people to make cool and hype stuff. We want to develop the game along with the players and we want to hear what you're excited about.
Also, if you make something you're happy with, come share it on Discord! 🥰
Why the name change?
For the OGs that have been with us from the beginning, you might miss the old name. Don't worry, we'll have a viking pyre in its honor. The reason for changing the name is not because the game has changed but because we felt like it caused misconceptions, e.g. a simulator game where you nurture bonsai trees. It also didn't vibe that well with the cozy and wholesome audience. Originally we also emulated more of a '98 look for the UI, but now we have transitioned to a more romanticized retro artstyle and the setting is more early 2000s vibes.
Thanks for being here! 💚
Love,
Noodleloop