This review was published when the game was in v2.067. The updates have slowed down, but things will likely change.
Theme: Life. Phase 1 is basic chemistry; Phase 2 is more advanced chemistry, organisms, and biological things; Phase 3 is humanity. Each layer is decently covered, as while the upgrade names are generic (but consistent), buyable names reference the layers well.
Gameplay and core mechanics: The early layers have dwindling resources, with you losing a percentage each second. One of the core mechanics is the tokens, where you can assign tokens on different buyables for boosts to resources and respec them if needed, with two higher token tiers unlocked later. Otherwise, things go linearly and each layer is like a slightly different idler, often relying on a set of buyables.
Balancing and difficulty: Adjustable, but modestly paced and decently challenging overall. Normally the game is balanced around 60 to 250 second waits, and there are many points where you'll be required to equip the best setup to progress. You can mix and match easy, hard, and extreme modes. Easy makes gains better and I recommend it if you don't have much time or find the game too slow. Hard makes gains weaker and I recommend it if you find the game too fast or unrewarding. Extreme mode reduces gains tremendously, but it provides a new layer and other tweaks to make up for it, choose it after beating the game for a new, shorter experience (extreme+easy if you prefer easy, extreme+hard if you want to suffer). A layer in the middle of Phase 2 will require a ton of clicking for making its buyables have a specific level for important achievements, so be prepared for a slog plus trial and error. The first layer of Phase 3 was infamous for how slow it was, but an added feature made it decently faster.
Content on offer: Very long, should take one to two weeks of play time (subject to change depending on modes). There are over 25 fleshed-out layers and 1000 achievements. Playing extreme mode after finishing the main game should add a few days.
Polish and miscellaneous additions: Mostly great. The game comes with a save bank in case you lose your progress or decide to skip a part. A lot of layers have an Info tab that helps you understand their gain formula, what they reset, what they unlock, etc. Old layers are removed once they are practically useless to reduce lag. You may find a typo or a bug, but the developer should fix it once you report it on Discord as it's still actively developed.
The game's content and ambition is very impressive, but its reliance on buyables can make things feel repetitive or not very interesting and a few bits can be a pain. Nevertheless, I consider the journey satisfying enough to follow it every time there's a patch.
The Tree of a Lifetime (maybe?) (v2.067)
This review was published when the game was in v2.067. The updates have slowed down, but things will likely change.
The game's content and ambition is very impressive, but its reliance on buyables can make things feel repetitive or not very interesting and a few bits can be a pain. Nevertheless, I consider the journey satisfying enough to follow it every time there's a patch.
Overall rank: B (Good)