The Trees Hate You arcade machine high score leaderboard is topped by fictional tree competitors named Pine, Spruce, and Aspen, who hold joke scores maxed out at 999 or 99,999. Located near the end of the forest trail in developer Tykenn's comedy rage demo, the cabinet lets you insert collectible tree coins to play a retro survival minigame where your sole goal is dodging aggressive saplings for as long as possible.
While beating the machine's predetermined top scores is virtually impossible without external cheats, players can compete against their own personal bests. Most standard runs end between 6 and 22 points before the swarm of hostile vegetation closes in.
Arcade Machine Location and Coin Requirements
To play the arcade cabinet, you must find and carry at least one tree coin through the forest hazards. Coins appear in out-of-the-way corners, including elevated ledges near the opening checkpoints and side paths branching off from rolling boulder traps.
| Feature | In-Game Detail |
|---|---|
| Cabinet Name | Trees Hate You |
| Cost per Play | 1 Tree Coin |
| Checkpoint Proximity | Placed directly next to a red checkpoint flag |
| Surrounding Hazards | Apple grenade trees, rolling wooden balls, root traps |
| Default High Scorers | Pine, Spruce, Aspen |
| Target Scores on Display | 999 to 99,999 |
Interacting with the cabinet prompts the prompt: "Insert coin. Yes, you insert the coin." If you die inside the arcade minigame, you can feed additional collected coins into the slot to retry immediately without resetting the outer forest checkpoint.
How the Arcade Minigame Works
Once your coin enters the machine, the game shifts to a 2D top-down perspective mimicking classic arcade survival titles.
- Spawn Phase: Your character appears in an open arena. Small hostile trees spawn and immediately lock onto your coordinates.
- Score Accumulation: Your score ticks upward by remaining alive. Each point represents surviving dodging cycles against the converging flora.
- Tracking Aggression: Enemy trees match your movement. They gradually cluster and accelerate, shrinking the safe perimeter around your character.
- Collision and Game Over: Touching any enemy hitbox—even the tip of an incoming branch—instantly ends the round, displaying your final score before returning to the coin prompt.
Player tests show that reaching double digits requires tight movement. Scores between 10 and 22 represent high-level demo survival runs, as the screen rapidly fills with enemies that offer no gaps to squeeze through.
Tips to Maximize Your Arcade Score
Because the minigame offers no weapons or jump abilities, improving your survival time comes down to herd management and perimeter movement.
Herd the Trees into a Central Pack
Avoid running in erratic zig-zags. Moving in wide, deliberate circular loops along the outer perimeter draws the pursuing trees into a single, cohesive cluster behind you. As long as the pack stays grouped together, they cannot cut off your escape route.
Never Hug the Screen Corners
The cabinet's playfield has tight boundaries. Making sharp turns into sharp corners gives converging trees an angle to pin you against the barrier. Always curve your path inward before reaching the corners of the play area.
Keep Moving Constantly
The enemy trees have continuous tracking. Stopping or hesitating for even a fraction of a second results in instant contact. Maintain smooth, unbroken directional input from the moment the coin is accepted.
Secure the Checkpoint Before Playing
Directly adjacent to the cabinet sits a red checkpoint flag. Always tag this flag before initiating a run. Leaving the cabinet returns you to the active forest, where nearby tree enemies or trip roots can attack you the moment you step away from the machine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you legitimately beat the arcade high scores of Pine, Spruce, and Aspen?
No legitimate player has beaten the 999 or 99,999 scores shown on the arcade machine. The leaderboard entries for Pine, Spruce, and Aspen are built-in developer gags designed to humiliate the player, matching the game's broader theme of unfair forest bullying.
What do you unlock by getting a high score on the arcade machine?
The demo does not award achievements, items, or secret pathways for scoring high on the cabinet. It functions purely as an optional minigame within the forest hike.
Do you lose collected coins when you die in the forest?
Coins collected during a run remain in your inventory across deaths unless your progress is rolled back to a checkpoint prior to picking them up. Spending a coin at the machine consumes it for that attempt.
