Why a tree
Trees are patient in a way that is difficult to fake. They do not flinch when you touch them, cannot explain what they need, and do not offer a dialogue wheel. Everything you learn about them comes from evidence: the color of a leaf, the lean of a trunk, the feel of the soil.
That makes a tree an unusually honest companion for a game about consequence. You can make a decision and see it in the world weeks later. You can also make no decision at all, and watch that leave a mark too. The absence of a clear reaction is not the absence of an effect.
The meadow around the tree matters just as much. A tree alone is a specimen. A tree in tall grass, with birds, saplings, and a path worn by feet, is a place. The game treats the place as part of the tree’s health, not as decoration.
How it is made
The site is built with Next.js and exported as a static site. The 3D meadow uses Three.js and is loaded only when you press play, not on the written pages. There are no accounts, no database, and no analytics scripts. Progress lives in your browser’s local storage.
A browser game can be small and still feel like somewhere. The scene uses low-poly geometry, soft light, fog, and a handful of particles instead of large textures or a heavy engine. Most phones from the last several years should be able to run it. If WebGL is not available, a drawn fallback appears and the story remains fully playable.
The written pages — including the field notes — are part of the project too. They are not a marketing layer around the game. They are where I think in public about the choices that shaped it.
Design principles
Attention over urgency. There are no daily streaks, countdowns, or notifications. The story has a limit of four moments per day because attention is the subject, not because the game wants to sell you more of it.
No punishment, only consequence. The game will not scold you. It will also not pretend that every choice is equally gentle. A cut branch stays cut. A meadow mown to the ground loses what lived in it.
Weather is a character. The forecast is visible, the wind is animated, and the sky has opinions. A heat wave is not a boss fight. It is a week of heat that asks something different of you.
Small, legible, finishable. The story can be completed in one evening. Free Growth can be visited for two minutes. Neither mode asks for your email address, a subscription, or a daily ritual.
A few honest notes
This is an independent project, not a studio production with a large art team. The tree is stylized rather than photographically real. Some interactions are more expressive than accurately botanical. The goal is a believable relationship to a place, not a forestry simulation.
The game does contain the option to harm the tree, including with an axe. Nothing is shown graphically, but the narrative takes the choice seriously. It is written with older children and adults in mind.
The written pages may carry a limited number of clearly labelled ads. The game itself never displays ads, and advertising cookies are optional. That choice is explained in the privacy note.
Contact
Questions, bugs, a note about the tree you grew: all are welcome. Write to gui.svro.dev@gmail.com or visit the contact page. Because this is a one-person project, replies may take a few days.