Gibbon: Beyond the Trees

monke

I hate so much that I'm marking this as "not recommended" because it's such an important message and the art is beautiful. But I don't recommend it as a game because it's not--it's a PSA you can play. There's a beautifully sad storyline but you have approximately three moves and no control over direction--you keep going no matter what, which is irksome when it comes to the second half of rescuing creatures because if you pass right over them, welp, too bad. The mechanics are fine, just repetitive, and there's a ton of on-the-job learning (I died several times before I realized why--oh, that's a lake of fire, not just pieces of it, good to know). In the second half with Lavender, if you hit a book icon it will stop you *in the middle of a swing* to give you information and again, it's important information but I'm trying not to drown in a waterfall thanks. I recommend the message wholeheartedly, and I'm so glad the team behind this is trying to get it out. But I can't recommend it as a game, which is so sad. Please keep going, team!

From the videos I was expecting a platform game and/or maybe mouse-aimed swinging game. This is more like one of those "runner" games, but instead of pressing one key to jump, it's mostly holding one key to not fall and *letting go* to jump. I like platform games and mouse-aimed swinging games. I don't like single button runner games, or even, in this case, games with two buttons that don't really have much behavioral difference between them. To be fair, a bit later it also introduces a third button that also isn't interesting.

This game really takes you beyond the fun and smoothly-engineered activity of swinging in the trees. It is a visual art piece explaining the reality of what gibbons have been going through as deforestation and poaching spread throughout the world. The art is this game was fantastic, especially when paired with the music. There wasn't a single zoom-out scene I could go without taking a screenshot. The colors and the layering of the various objects really made for some great eye candy. The gameplay took a bit to get used to, even out of the tutorial, but it was well worth it for the story that followed. Most games try to make you feel something related to their fictional and fantastic worlds, but this game keeps you tied to the reality of our own world. There was one chapter where I caught myself thinking. "When is this going to end? Jumping on rooves is no fun." And I realized then that this was exactly what the developers wanted you to feel. You think gibbons have fun with their habitats taken away from them? Their children, their trees, their food? Absolutely not. This game reminds you of that through the gameplay, the art, the music, as well as through direct messages indicating how you can contribute to gibbon habitat conservation. I was also surprised at the end of the first adventure to learn that there is much more gameplay than the first gibbon you play as: Pink. I haven't yet gotten to it, and there may be even more messages that I haven't learned yet, but the first playthrough alone was enough to make me sympathize greatly with what humans are doing to these animals' habitats. I can also greatly appreciate that the developers worked with real conservationists to develop such an impactful experience :) Definitely recommend! Only took me an hour to get through the first adventure.

Beautiful, moving game with an important message. Easy controls, great for new gamers.

Such a lovely "one button" game. Colorful, easy for the mind and soul, has nice animal noises and music, it is short but meaningful. Should be played by more people, so they could be aware of it's message! These animals have feelings and they are as important as ours!

Beautiful art style and a noble cause, but as a game, I can't recommend it, sorry ☹ The gameplay loop is repetitive, and I loathe tedious achievements, especially when they depend on RNG.

Franchement, Gibbon: Beyond the Trees m’a laissé un peu entre deux sentiments. Le jeu est magnifique, bienveillant, plein de bonnes intentions, et clairement fait avec le cœur, mais derrière toute cette poésie, il y a quand même une expérience de jeu ultra légère. Développé par Broken Rules (ceux derrière Old Man’s Journey), il est sorti en 2022 avec une vraie ambition éthique : sensibiliser au sort des gibbons et à la déforestation en Asie du Sud-Est. L’équipe s’est entourée d’ONG et de chercheurs pour faire les choses bien, et ça se sent. Le message est sincère, le ton est touchant sans tomber dans le moralisme, et j’ai vraiment appris des trucs. Ça, pour moi, c’est un vrai plus. Par contre, là où je décroche un peu, c’est sur la partie "jeu". Déjà, je n’ai trouvé nulle part d’indication que les ventes contribuaient financièrement à une association ou à un programme de préservation, et à 12,99 €, j’espérais que mon achat ait aussi un petit impact concret au-delà de la sensibilisation. Parce qu’en termes de contenu, c’est court. Très court. L’histoire principale se boucle en une petite heure, et juste quand tu commences à bien maîtriser les mouvements et à apprécier la sensation de balancement, le générique arrive. Il y a bien le chapitre “Libération” qui te fait revisiter la map pour ouvrir des cages et sauver des animaux, mais disons que c’est plus une extension de gameplay qu’une vraie suite narrative. Le principe est sympa, mais comme on ne contrôle pas vraiment la direction du personnage, rater une cage peut vite devenir frustrant. Et malgré les environnements réussis, la collecte devient répétitive au bout d’un moment. Les défis journaliers sont une bonne idée sur le papier: course d’endurance, de vitesse, daily run, mais là encore, on tourne un peu en rond. C’est dommage, parce que le level design est franchement excellent : le mouvement est fluide, les décors sont cohérents et agréables à parcourir, les graphismes sont adorables (cette patte aquarelle !), et l’ambiance sonore, avec ses chants d’oiseaux et sa musique douce, t’embarque vraiment. Mais pour une heure de jeu et quelques défis redondants, difficile de justifier le prix. À 5 €, pourquoi pas. À presque 13 €, ça pique un peu, surtout quand tu ressors du jeu avec ce sentiment de "déjà fini ?". J’ai adoré le message, j’ai aimé le geste, mais j’aurais voulu un peu plus de jeu derrière cette belle intention.