With David Wehle not really knowing how to code at the time of The First Tree's release in 2017, the game still went on to become a major sales success. Now in 2025, David Wehle is busy working on his new game, We Harvest Shadows, a first-person horror farming simulator with a heavy emphasis on narrative.
I spoke to David Wehle about his upcoming game, and got to ask him as to how he was able to make We Harvest Shadows so different from The First Tree. At the same time, I also got his opinion on the increasing level of competition in the indie gaming space, as well as what tips he would give to those who want to follow in his footsteps. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87gO3tGhZnc
Let's start from the beginning... If you were to try to pitch We Harvest Shadows to someone who has never heard of the game, as an elevator pitch, what would you say that it is?
It's an anti-cozy game... I love the idea of staying busy and trying to forget yourself in your work during the day, on a farm. But then at night, as this character tries to run away from the world, he's haunted by his inner demons, and his inner demons come to life. These figurative demons become literal demons at night time. And so that's where the gameplay loop comes fro...