Review based on v1.5.2 (possibly the final update, but v1.5.0 seemed that way initially so maybe not).
Theme: Multiple existing trees running at once. The theme is explored well, with features and faithfulness to the original trees while adding tweaks of its own.
Gameplay and core mechanics: Initially, you only have one tree that's based on the classic Prestige Tree, where you can reset for prestige points, then boosters and generators, then reach other layers. However, to unlock the other layers and upgrades, you have to upgrade the tree's level/version in the Tree Manager sidelayer. Once you have enough points, you can upgrade The Modding Tree for a point boost and a new tree becoming available. Those other trees come with their own layers and resources, with you quickly getting an upgrade that boosts overall point gain based on their primary resource. This makes the game involve quite a bit of micromanagement as you need to manage multiple trees and check what upgrade you can comfortably get, what buyables you must buy, what new stuff showed up with versions and other upgrades, and you even need to return to Tree 2 and 3 by the endgame to claim their last resource every once in a while.
Balancing and difficulty: Average speed and difficulty, though faster than the originals. Early on, you usually need to make as much progress as possible with the existing features to unlock the next ones, but the game later gives you a decent amount of freedom to manage other trees (if you can't progress, either you have to wait or are missing something). Several trees also require strategy to get the most effective upgrades or other boosts. After making some progress in Tree 6, the gains inflate quite a lot, letting you buy a bunch of upgrades in a short amount of time, but things go back to normal quickly enough. Since the amount of offline progress you can accumulate is generous, leaving the game off and then returning may help you burn through wait times (I turned it off for this review and had no problems, but still worth noting).
Content on offer: Seven trees to play through, each with a different length. Beating the game should take some time between half a day to a day. Also, upgrades are never reset unless you do so manually because they need to be assigned differently, making things far faster.
Polish and miscellaneous additions: Some upgrades in Tree 6 have distinct descriptions (like the game it's based on), which is certainly nice. Some upgrades in Tree 5 Layer 1 didn't show up as purchasable even when they were. Also, since the game uses a fairly old version of The Modding Tree, you can't hold a buyable to buy it repeatedly.
The unique and well-thought-out gameplay style, as well as several trees that felt unsatisfying becoming much more fulfilling, made playing through this a blast. While there are small issues here and there, none of them brought the overall experience down for me.
VideoGame Multiple trees and many treats (v1.5.2)
Review based on v1.5.2 (possibly the final update, but v1.5.0 seemed that way initially so maybe not).
The unique and well-thought-out gameplay style, as well as several trees that felt unsatisfying becoming much more fulfilling, made playing through this a blast. While there are small issues here and there, none of them brought the overall experience down for me.
Overall rank: A (Awesome)