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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Piyapon\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/2703448c22604d6ce7ca2d845fcaa00cbbc05ff6.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t![\"This](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/shared/images/userreviews/icon_review_counted.png\")
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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/shared/images/userreviews/icon_thumbsUp_v6.png\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https://community.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/images/apphubs/bigpicture/thumbs_upselected.png\")
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t25.6 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 18\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tMakes you feel like a master of deduction. If you ever enjoyed going deep into an Internet rabbit hole I have a surprise for you. This game will give you that feeling and satisfaction of finding out more and more info from a tiny clue. The main game is insane and they somehow did an expansion with similar results. I feel the expansion, Roottreemania, kinda gave some obscure hints for you to follow and definitely needed to use the ducky a few times. But both pieces of content gave that incredible satisfaction and now I feel exhausted because you do have to do a lot of reading and figuring out.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/shared/images//award_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
Award\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t11 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Comrade](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/5dd3c44ce0b9570c3818ce6603dbea5d3d04d4a9.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t14.3 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 29\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tThe detective experience here is immaculate. Each discovery made me feel like I am actually smart, when in reality I would consider it debatable. Each time my deductions were confirmed I felt successful. Each time I got stuck I felt like there was a way out. The game feels really balanced meaning that it always keeps you wondering and doesn't get boring, maaaaaybe until the very end. I felt like there is a bit of a drop at the end of the Roottreemania, and not the main game itself.
The premise here is extremely simple. You are someone who is good at finding out familial relations through historical documents. The game opens up with a fantastic intro and a beautiful title drop. You are hired after a family perished in a plane crash. You are tasked with figuring out their family tree.
The moment the moment gameplay of Roottrees are Dead is rather simple. Find names, go online, find related names of people and companies and events, make deductions and the loop continues on. But it is so satisfying to find a connection that gives a lot of information, or unlocking a new magazine in the periodicals. Once your hunch is confirmed and a new lead opens up, time to do the loop again. A minor suggestion: avoid the hints as they can really hinder the experience. The first few hints when you are stuck somewhere can be okay but the rest just gives you the answer.
The art style and the music are a joy to look at and listen to. They really bumped up the atmosphere, the computer was fun to use. I'm really glad they got the aesthetics but didn't keep the slow internet speeds. The clues, photos looked fabulous. The colors are really well done and the drawings look great. The constant background music kept me in the mystery with the old timey detective feeling.
If you are into deduction games, and want to challenge yourself a bit; go for it. I think this might be a perfect continuation of a genre that Obra Dinn repopularized.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tThe premise here is extremely simple. You are someone who is good at finding out familial relations through historical documents. The game opens up with a fantastic intro and a beautiful title drop. You are hired after a family perished in a plane crash. You are tasked with figuring out their family tree.
The moment the moment gameplay of Roottrees are Dead is rather simple. Find names, go online, find related names of people and companies and events, make deductions and the loop continues on. But it is so satisfying to find a connection that gives a lot of information, or unlocking a new magazine in the periodicals. Once your hunch is confirmed and a new lead opens up, time to do the loop again. A minor suggestion: avoid the hints as they can really hinder the experience. The first few hints when you are stuck somewhere can be okay but the rest just gives you the answer.
The art style and the music are a joy to look at and listen to. They really bumped up the atmosphere, the computer was fun to use. I'm really glad they got the aesthetics but didn't keep the slow internet speeds. The clues, photos looked fabulous. The colors are really well done and the drawings look great. The constant background music kept me in the mystery with the old timey detective feeling.
If you are into deduction games, and want to challenge yourself a bit; go for it. I think this might be a perfect continuation of a genre that Obra Dinn repopularized.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t6 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"loreleimarie35\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/fef49e7fa7e1997310d705b2a6158ff8dc1cdfeb.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/shared/images/userreviews/icon_thumbsDown_v6.png\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https://community.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/images/apphubs/bigpicture/thumbs_down_selected.png\")
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tNot Recommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t4.6 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 30\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tA bit of a slog. It started out compelling but it really does get repetitive and after having done several of the family members, I just didn't want to spend ten minutes figuring out the exact right words to search for, or which periodical to try a possibly incorrect phrase in anymore. Well done hint system though.
Story was okay, but a little moralizing/goofy.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tStory was okay, but a little moralizing/goofy.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t3 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"jamify\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/e01d7e465fd6594723c9e5f401ab366aab8888a6.jpg\")
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t14 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(5.5 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 21\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tIf you like digging around in random lore documents and figuring things out, this is literally that! Good game!\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t4 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"manolotusk\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/c02719f6be7d963e3157065cbe07df774fd315c4.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t42.8 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 30\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tA puzzle/investigation game without a single thing where your reaction is "that's bogus; how was I supposed to read the devs' minds". Worth it at full price.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t4 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Llamacomando\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/a26a1563a9cdd73a8f3d6acaed4d0228919f2770.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t27.4 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 27\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tSuper fun puzzle game that can be as difficult as easy as you make it, with hints and accessibility options as needed. Once you finish the initial story, there's a follow-up which is also a lot of fun. I played it with my wife and we both had a great time.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"venuslord_uk\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/7a4ce04106de1efb129a1c4b575b826e785ecd59.jpg\")
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t29.4 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: October 14\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tI was really impressed with this game, which I've been largely wary of due to how heavily it's been promoted on my Steam front page.
The first thing to note is that while this appears on first glance to be a murder mystery, it's actually a genealogy puzzle. The primary goal is to fill in five generations of the expansive family tree of a prominent Candy Company mogul from the early 1900's, determining their birth name, last known occupation, and attaching an image of them. You find this information by typing inputs into three main resources. The internet is your main resource, in which you just drop names and phrases into the search engine and see what pops back. This usually comes in the form of a couple of sentences to a wall of paragraphs, and leads to either more names to search or physical evidence (the primary source of the images) that the game auto-prints and allows you to reflect on in a separate folder. The second resource is a periodical database, which is a more focused internet search that requires you to first learn the name of the magazine/newspaper you want to explore. Lastly there's the good old fashioned library, in which you need the title of the book and the pen name it was published under in order to access the information within. Needless to say, there's a lot of reading involved, and successful search hits can return anywhere from a couple of lines of text to multiple paragraphs filled with new potential search options, so if you're somebody looking for a more interactive investigate the scene mystery, this may not be for you.
The puzzling is very cerebral and largely focuses around determining names to search for and trying to place identities to the faces you find -- finding a picture of three sisters on a magazine cover doesn't tell you which is which, to use the primary image of the game as an example. You have an extensive list of the names of everybody in the family, but the name somebody is born with isn't necessarily the name they go by, an example being my own Grandad, whose birthname was John, but everybody knew him as Jack. There's also the issue of maiden names, where females born into the family are prone to change their surname (or do they?) and females marrying into the family may have had half a like under a different surname beforehand. Beyond that, there are some more lateral thinking puzzles, an example being if you discover something is the third, logically that means there is a one and two out there, and while one and two might not be mentioned in the articles you read, you have the power to search for them yourself, and you might just be surprised at the leads you might bring up. These also some visual puzzling, whereby a sign in the background of a picture might bring up a new search option, or things the people are wearing provide clues to determine who they are or what they do.
While most of the search options are subtly highlighted with capital letters and air quotes in the texts, if you do get stuck, the game includes an intuitive hint system that caters to both those who just want the story and those who want to solve everything themselves but may need a nudge in the right direction from time to time. A checkbox in the settings can label how many missing clues are attached to each piece of evidence for if you want to know what to aim for, and a hint option has four escalating levels to direct you further, beginning by advising you what area you should look into, to flat out giving you the answer come the end, so you have complete control over how much you want the game to help you. One quirk about the hint system is that it clearly operates on an internal list of search results you've not uncovered, and the couple of times I did break and use it near the end, I ended up locating 2-3 clues relating to earlier family members I'd already sussed out before I got to the one for where I was stuck. But that's one of the positives of the game; you don't need to find all the information to determine who people are, and the game only requires you to input the correct information in the boxes. The only thing locking you out from just copy pasting info off a cheat sheet is the need to find the picture evidence.
All told, the investigation side of this is very clever and goes into way more detail than I was expecting. At any given time you can be following 3-4 leads across various sides of the family, with enough information for you to get a good picture for how these people lived, and there are plenty of red herrings to get lost in along the way (though all of these make clear to you that they're dead ends when you get to them). There are plenty of swerves in here too, where a new source of information can completely change your understanding of the relationships and personalities of various family members. And there's a lot of family members. The first generation is five children, and many of them had two+ kids of their own. The game also does an excellent job of subtly showing how culture shifted over the 20th century, not only through the writing, but also the images, the black and white pictures from the early 1900's moving into the sepia of the 50's/60's and into the the crisp and occasionally neon colours of the 80's/90's. I often found myself sitting back to stare over the tree and admire just how well the artists captured the various family members. Even the subtlety similarities in appearance between children and parents is expertly done.
The main tree took me about 10 hours to solve. Once that's done, the game opens up into a second investigation to determine more family members potentially born from affairs. This is a little more complicated, a good step up in difficulty, and took me another 15-20 hours. All told, that's way more playtime than I was expecting from a mystery game and the journey was riveting throughout. Everything made sense once I understood it, there was enough information to logically determine the things you needed, and there was a nice noir musical ambience in the background to give you a real sense of sitting in your office hashing this thing out. The only thing that confused me -- beyond some of the achievements being complete gaff -- was the need to have a basic understanding of the US education system, primarily the difference between K12 and College, though a quick search on the real internet filled that gap for me. Otherwise, even the things I used the hint system on I could only blame on myself for missing something in an earlier article.
TLDR: Well worth the price tag and a must play for people who hold any interest in family trees, historical drama, or just enjoy trawling through a wealth of information to piece together the facts. I'm not one to replay games once I've done them, but this is a rare occasion where I could see myself going back to it a few years from now. It really is that engaging.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tThe first thing to note is that while this appears on first glance to be a murder mystery, it's actually a genealogy puzzle. The primary goal is to fill in five generations of the expansive family tree of a prominent Candy Company mogul from the early 1900's, determining their birth name, last known occupation, and attaching an image of them. You find this information by typing inputs into three main resources. The internet is your main resource, in which you just drop names and phrases into the search engine and see what pops back. This usually comes in the form of a couple of sentences to a wall of paragraphs, and leads to either more names to search or physical evidence (the primary source of the images) that the game auto-prints and allows you to reflect on in a separate folder. The second resource is a periodical database, which is a more focused internet search that requires you to first learn the name of the magazine/newspaper you want to explore. Lastly there's the good old fashioned library, in which you need the title of the book and the pen name it was published under in order to access the information within. Needless to say, there's a lot of reading involved, and successful search hits can return anywhere from a couple of lines of text to multiple paragraphs filled with new potential search options, so if you're somebody looking for a more interactive investigate the scene mystery, this may not be for you.
The puzzling is very cerebral and largely focuses around determining names to search for and trying to place identities to the faces you find -- finding a picture of three sisters on a magazine cover doesn't tell you which is which, to use the primary image of the game as an example. You have an extensive list of the names of everybody in the family, but the name somebody is born with isn't necessarily the name they go by, an example being my own Grandad, whose birthname was John, but everybody knew him as Jack. There's also the issue of maiden names, where females born into the family are prone to change their surname (or do they?) and females marrying into the family may have had half a like under a different surname beforehand. Beyond that, there are some more lateral thinking puzzles, an example being if you discover something is the third, logically that means there is a one and two out there, and while one and two might not be mentioned in the articles you read, you have the power to search for them yourself, and you might just be surprised at the leads you might bring up. These also some visual puzzling, whereby a sign in the background of a picture might bring up a new search option, or things the people are wearing provide clues to determine who they are or what they do.
While most of the search options are subtly highlighted with capital letters and air quotes in the texts, if you do get stuck, the game includes an intuitive hint system that caters to both those who just want the story and those who want to solve everything themselves but may need a nudge in the right direction from time to time. A checkbox in the settings can label how many missing clues are attached to each piece of evidence for if you want to know what to aim for, and a hint option has four escalating levels to direct you further, beginning by advising you what area you should look into, to flat out giving you the answer come the end, so you have complete control over how much you want the game to help you. One quirk about the hint system is that it clearly operates on an internal list of search results you've not uncovered, and the couple of times I did break and use it near the end, I ended up locating 2-3 clues relating to earlier family members I'd already sussed out before I got to the one for where I was stuck. But that's one of the positives of the game; you don't need to find all the information to determine who people are, and the game only requires you to input the correct information in the boxes. The only thing locking you out from just copy pasting info off a cheat sheet is the need to find the picture evidence.
All told, the investigation side of this is very clever and goes into way more detail than I was expecting. At any given time you can be following 3-4 leads across various sides of the family, with enough information for you to get a good picture for how these people lived, and there are plenty of red herrings to get lost in along the way (though all of these make clear to you that they're dead ends when you get to them). There are plenty of swerves in here too, where a new source of information can completely change your understanding of the relationships and personalities of various family members. And there's a lot of family members. The first generation is five children, and many of them had two+ kids of their own. The game also does an excellent job of subtly showing how culture shifted over the 20th century, not only through the writing, but also the images, the black and white pictures from the early 1900's moving into the sepia of the 50's/60's and into the the crisp and occasionally neon colours of the 80's/90's. I often found myself sitting back to stare over the tree and admire just how well the artists captured the various family members. Even the subtlety similarities in appearance between children and parents is expertly done.
The main tree took me about 10 hours to solve. Once that's done, the game opens up into a second investigation to determine more family members potentially born from affairs. This is a little more complicated, a good step up in difficulty, and took me another 15-20 hours. All told, that's way more playtime than I was expecting from a mystery game and the journey was riveting throughout. Everything made sense once I understood it, there was enough information to logically determine the things you needed, and there was a nice noir musical ambience in the background to give you a real sense of sitting in your office hashing this thing out. The only thing that confused me -- beyond some of the achievements being complete gaff -- was the need to have a basic understanding of the US education system, primarily the difference between K12 and College, though a quick search on the real internet filled that gap for me. Otherwise, even the things I used the hint system on I could only blame on myself for missing something in an earlier article.
TLDR: Well worth the price tag and a must play for people who hold any interest in family trees, historical drama, or just enjoy trawling through a wealth of information to piece together the facts. I'm not one to replay games once I've done them, but this is a rare occasion where I could see myself going back to it a few years from now. It really is that engaging.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1 person found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Papperie\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/d19f9a9ad0686ef063db29c075da2691d6086608.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t18.1 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 29\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tThe story itself doesn't have much meat or mystery to it, but the gameplay loop is absolutely addictive! Though I think oft-mentioned games like Obra Dinn or Golden Idol are perhaps objectively 'stronger' whole-packages, I found myself enjoying The Roottrees are Dead more than those two - the computer search mechanic meant I could always push forward with something even if I was stuck on some of the mysteries. The Roottrees are Dead is best played all at once/in back-to-back sessions as it's otherwise easy to forget about seemingly-minor details, even with the notes tool. The new Roottreemania 'second story' was less enjoyable than the original, but I was still happy to get to spend a bit longer with this game.
Overall, this is a good puzzle game that is...thinky, but not TOO thinky? It's nice when you want something that's lighter without it just being too easy.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tOverall, this is a good puzzle game that is...thinky, but not TOO thinky? It's nice when you want something that's lighter without it just being too easy.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1 person found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Laipis\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/b6c32f99d34d57d7994a79970f407df389447286.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t31.1 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(29.7 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: October 2\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tThe game is great and interesting, but you can easily get lost in all the info if you don't take notes. The second part of the game felt much harder than the first.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2 people found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Phoebe](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/990204cf6bf13b23ece80167d347c591a3d4321b.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t15 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: September 30\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tIf you like using your brain, are proud of your IQ, and enjoy mental challenges, this game couldn't be more perfect for you. It's a very rare type of game, with a relaxing pace and well-designed puzzles. Get a pot of hot coffee ready and enjoy it for a whole day or even pull an all-nighter, haha. If you consider yourself a text-processing expert, this game will definitely give your brain a powerful workout.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1 person found this review helpful\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"timotree\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/8488658b37e5ab727c4dfc1d2040e7d4a5eee876.jpg\")
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t9.5 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(7.3 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: October 15\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tReally fun deduction/investigation game. It feels like I'm actually a private investigator. The note-taking UI is really nice to use as well. I wish there were 10 more of this game out there.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tReviewer's PC Specs:
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPop!_OS 24.04 LTS
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-1340P - RAM: 15 GB
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tIntel Mesa Intel(R) Graphics (RPL-P) - VRAM: 0 B
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"sucralose\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/0876e365d732d349c7c358d908f37d1b49818f3b.jpg\")
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t10.4 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: October 15\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tamazing game! this game is so different from anything ive ever played and im glad i played this one. I am actually from Butler so it was endearing to have a game based in my hometown :) if youre into research, family drama, scandals, fraud, and anything else of the sort, this game is definitely one i recommend!\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"adela\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/79739084afdde6ba9076563f9401ac11a6a53c14.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t2.5 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(2.5 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: October 15\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tGood somewhat challenging murder mystery/puzzle game. If you get stuck, it's easy to get hints!\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"dinalae\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/be56ec1f89a85010da2f116a620589b50f59bb0e.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t15.9 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: October 13\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tI absolutely inhaled this game and the DLC over the course of a weekend (really over the course a day and no sleep night). Addictive, interesting search mechanism with fun visual board and supplementary materials. Solutions that logically follow but some that especially don't hold your hand. Very very fun and engaging.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"CertifiedIdiot\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/2bdcc9b151f6963bae22da8dfe024f3ac10eb689.jpg\")
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t10.8 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: October 12\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tA fun game that for sure scratches a similar itch to Return of the Obra Dinn (and the references are cute and appreciated). It's not as good imo but definitely worth the time. Very funny, some cool and compelling puzzles, but by the end I found myself less interested. Revealing the mystery showed it not as sprawling as Obra Dinn's which sorta removed some of the power.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Avguardian\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/7ae537b6b7b7b09e68f52e76cdb8f0727f5cb270.jpg\")
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t8.6 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: October 12\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tI did enjoy this game very much, it's a nice mystery puzzle that can occupy you for a weekend. The gameplay is simple enough, mostly doing internet searches to figure out who is in the Roottree family tree. It does suffer a bit from adventure game syndrome - if you think like the developer you can figure it out, but the answers aren't immediately obvious without the hint system. I also think limiting the notebook to 20 pages is a mistake, but at least you get a different notebook for each part of the game. I do think the story is well written, and it's a pleasure to learn a new fact and apply it to the tree. I'm definitely interested in them as a studio now, and I'll keep my eyes peeled for others!\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t6.8 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: October 11\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tReally nice (and pleasantly short) mystery. In the budding information game genre, this one feels closest to Obra Dinn in that it's got more structure to it than something like Type Help, and much of the game is about filling in names. It's very fun and distinctive, and though it gets a little tedious at times, it has a well done ending and builds its mystery up well.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"betsy.brandt\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/8d5101f6162b57e5dc87ea72e73b12f1f16622f2.jpg\")
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t21.6 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(7.2 hrs at review time)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: October 11\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tSeveral hours into the game. i’m having a blast, totally recommend! really fun detective gameplay, someone’s review said it made them feel smart and i totally get that lol!
if you’ve ever enjoyed going through a rabbit hole on wikipedia or deeply stalking someone’s instagram, this is the game for you…\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tif you’ve ever enjoyed going through a rabbit hole on wikipedia or deeply stalking someone’s instagram, this is the game for you…\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\tWas this review helpful?\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"geraq\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/82b08a81875cf1bc333a0a0da8b85685dfeb9e6b.jpg\")
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t27.4 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: October 10\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tFantastic deduction game in which you have to reconstruct a fairly big family tree by surfing in a 90s-style search engine and looking through books, papers, magazines and old photos. You'll have to determine the name, portrait and profession of over fifty characters while you uncover the family complete history. This requires reading carefully looking for clues, taking notes in your in-game notebook, and sometimes guess through a process of elimination.
The devs cite Obra Dinn and Her Story as their main inspirations and it shows in the way the answers lock in after a certain number of correct guesses are made. The steam version is a remake of the itch.io original, which is quite impressive, made by a single person using placeholder art. This version has new artwork, a better UI, more characters, more stories, and an improved underlining system for taking clues in which you can go back and forth between the selected text in your notes and the source it was taken from. The game also has an excellent hint system you can use when you're stuck, it gives you a hint ambiguous enough to nudge you in the right direction without giving the answer away. The game opens up gradually so it's never overwhelming, and there is always one or two more clues to look into at any given time if a trail seems cold.
The atmosphere is very well done, the soundtrack is great, comprising both of original music and license-free music. All tracks have that jazzy noir detective vibe that complements the game really well. Artwork and graphics are serviceable, they do the job very well considering the small dev team.
The story is engaging and finding more clues is always exciting. As with most detective games replay value is low as the story is the same in each playthrough, but considering how many characters there are, how many parallel stories take place, and how long is the time span covered there is certainly some value in revisiting it. The game also contains an expansion called Roottreemania once the main story is completed with more cases to complete, I don't think it's as good as the main game but it's a nice addition nevertheless. There is also a hidden minigame to be found which is quite fun.
Overall The Roottrees Are Dead is a very fun and engaging game for anyone wanting to play detective for a while.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\tThe devs cite Obra Dinn and Her Story as their main inspirations and it shows in the way the answers lock in after a certain number of correct guesses are made. The steam version is a remake of the itch.io original, which is quite impressive, made by a single person using placeholder art. This version has new artwork, a better UI, more characters, more stories, and an improved underlining system for taking clues in which you can go back and forth between the selected text in your notes and the source it was taken from. The game also has an excellent hint system you can use when you're stuck, it gives you a hint ambiguous enough to nudge you in the right direction without giving the answer away. The game opens up gradually so it's never overwhelming, and there is always one or two more clues to look into at any given time if a trail seems cold.
The atmosphere is very well done, the soundtrack is great, comprising both of original music and license-free music. All tracks have that jazzy noir detective vibe that complements the game really well. Artwork and graphics are serviceable, they do the job very well considering the small dev team.
The story is engaging and finding more clues is always exciting. As with most detective games replay value is low as the story is the same in each playthrough, but considering how many characters there are, how many parallel stories take place, and how long is the time span covered there is certainly some value in revisiting it. The game also contains an expansion called Roottreemania once the main story is completed with more cases to complete, I don't think it's as good as the main game but it's a nice addition nevertheless. There is also a hidden minigame to be found which is quite fun.
Overall The Roottrees Are Dead is a very fun and engaging game for anyone wanting to play detective for a while.\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Gyrotank\"](\"https://avatars.akamai.steamstatic.com/281c8e87705a2463878f45a62437d97ed3d64177.jpg\")
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\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tRecommended
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t22.4 hrs on record\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted: October 10\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirect from Steam\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tVery interesting and inventive investigation puzzle! In contrast to traditional puzzles which require you to match a pattern on a wall with buttons on a door, this one really challenges your skill of information gathering and building a chain of logic reasoning. And the gameplay is far more gripping than it sounds. If you like puzzles, you should definitely try this!\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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