- Developed by Henry Driver, a sixth-generation farmer and digital artist
- Planting Real Trees with Game Sales Revenue… Goal: 10,000 Trees
Indie game developer Henry Driver and publisher Future Friends Games have officially released the peaceful forest interactive toy box game ‘Treeplanter’ on Steam.
This game is garnering attention for its unique social message: for every sale, developer Henry personally plants trees on farms and at schools. The launch price is £3.99 / $3.99 / €3.99 with a 20% launch discount, and it was released as part of the Steam Earth Appreciation Festival.
A forest where the seasons change, an ecosystem created by my own hands
Triple Lantern is a game where players directly place tree clusters, allowing animals, plants, and birds to naturally gather and form an ecosystem. When you plant a tree, you can see roots sprouting from the ground, and the forest scenery changes with the seasons.
The game focuses on leisurely appreciating the process of the forest slowly coming to life through the seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, without the goal of having to ‘complete’ anything. The developers explained, “It was designed to allow players to immerse themselves in nature during short breaks or leisurely evenings.”
A forest built up like Lego… Charming visuals and relaxing sound
Triple Lantern’s visuals adopt a playful, block-like design reminiscent of Lego. Forest elements such as trees, rocks, and plants are depicted in colorful and friendly forms, giving the impression of assembling a miniature set based on nature. Even amidst the restrained color palette, the changing atmosphere of light with each season delicately conveys visual variations.
The game’s sound is also faithful to the emotional atmosphere. Natural sounds such as birdsong, wind, and the rustling of leaves flow throughout the game, completing a calm sense of immersion without excessive stimulation. Players who enjoy mild games like ‘SUMMERHOUSE’ or ‘Tiny Glade’ will find the atmosphere familiar and welcome.
A sixth-generation farmer and digital artist… The footsteps of Henry Driver
Henry Driver, the developer of Triple Lantern, is not just a simple indie developer. Coming from a family that has been farming in Suffolk, England for six generations, he has taken a unique path connecting the environment and technology by developing games using solar energy.
The previous work, ‘Secrets of Soil,’ is a unique soil-themed simulation game and an award-winning title that was praised by the media outlet Vice as a “spectacular underground world.”
His games have been exhibited at leading art institutions such as Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool, Sainsbury Centre, and Barbican, and he has also received commissions from institutions such as BBC Arts, Science Gallery, ARM, and Red Bull.
The game becomes a real-life tree… A real ‘tree planting’ campaign
The most notable feature of Triple Lantern is that game sales revenue leads to real-world nature conservation and environmental activities. During development, Henry personally planted 1,000 trees at farms and schools in the Suffolk area.
We aim to plant 10,000 trees through game sales, and if this goal is achieved, we plan to plant millions of additional wildflowers. The tree-planting activities will be carried out in cooperation with schools, farms, local communities, and forestry organizations.
Youth Participatory Production and Disability Community Feedback
Triple Lantern also garnered attention for creating a prototype with rural youths aged 18 to 20. With the support of the Eastern Education Group, the youths, who received stipends and mentoring, personally implemented the game’s key art, visual effects, and mushroom and root growth systems. Rianna Suen served as the lead code, and Halime Karaca as the lead art.
The game was playtested at LEVEL, a special education and disability support organization, in an immersive space surrounded by four 4K projectors, and feedback was collected from participants of various ages ranging from 5 to 85. There are plans to distribute TripleLanter to schools and libraries in the future through educational licenses.
Triple Lantern (Treeplanter) ‘ Related Information
| item | detail |
|---|---|
| Developer | Henry Driver |
| Publisher | Future Friends Games |
| Genre | Cozy Interactive / Nature Simulation |
| Release platform | PC (Steam) |
| Launch price | £3.99 / $3.99 / €3.99 (20% launch discount applied) |
| Launch Event | Steam Earth Appreciation Festival |
| Tree planting goals | 10,000 trees (1,000 trees already planted during development) |
| Major Bundle | Terra Nil, Little Corners, SUMMERHOUSE |
| Steam Page | Shortcut |
