The Roottrees Are Dead (2025)

The Roottrees Are Dead (2025), developed and published by Evil Trout Inc.

I would call The Roottress Are Dead something of a unique game. At least I haven't stumbled upon another like it. The heart of the game is one big puzzle: you're hired to figure out a family tree for the Roottree family. To what end isn't quite obvious at first, but piece by piece, you'll figure out the different branches of the family, and in doing so, you'll discover why you were hired.

The story kicks into motion with the death of the current president of the Roottree company. He and his family died in an accident, which sparks a mysterious individual to hire you to dig up the family history, however sordid or not it might be.

The first couple of individuals are easy to spot: the so-called famous Roottrees. Of course, there are the recently deceased Roottrees, who are blasted all over the news, but then there's also the original founder, as well as some of his children, who are better known than others.

The tools of the trade at your disposal are the documents provided to you by your employer. Then there's the mid-1990s internet, which doesn't have as much information as the modern one, but it has something. You can also access an online library as well as periodicals. All these locations will give you information; some easily, some will need more scrutiny, requiring you to follow at times fragmented clues.

I would call the system very clever. The in-game internet is not, obviously, a real net. It's basically a narrative device that ends up providing longer passages only when you type in a correct search word, such as a name. Otherwise, it gives a snippet telling you that you didn't find anything. At times,  you'll find a lot, but it might be a wild goose chase. The periodicals and the library books work more or less the same way.

The most relevant evidence you find, like photos and articles, is added to your clues. From these, you can build the family tree. Each person needs to have a name, occupation, potential spouse, and children, as well as an image. After you get three or four right, the answers are locked in, so you don't need to get all of them right in one go before the end.

There's also a notebook in which you can enter relevant information like names and whatnot. It can work as a source to add in links you find, as well as written notes you can add for extra info. If you use it wisely, it will become a valuable tool, helping you get around faster.

After figuring out all of the Roottrees, you'll get the final puzzle: the final names for the family tree and the reason you've been piecing it all together. It's all about bringing some overdue justice to some neglected people.

The fun doesn't end here, though. After the end credits, you can access a new game, Roottreemania, set after the events of the main game. It is more of the same, but this time around,  you need to find potential Roottrees born out of affairs.

 

Roottreemania works more or less the same way as the main game. You'll need to figure out the official Roottrees and their potential lovers, and then figure out the kids who might be part of the family.
The Roottrees Are Dead" is easiest to describe as a puzzle game. There's some narrative in it, but it's not really about the story; that's just an excuse for why you're doing the research on this sprawling family. The satisfaction comes from entering the information into the tree and seeing it locked in. It's a game of patience and tenacity; it's about going back and forth through the sources, spotting things you might have missed, and putting evidence together to form a larger truth.

The Roottrees Are Dead is a game I can wholeheartedly recommend for anyone who enjoys puzzles where you need to think outside the box at times and, at times, create the answers from conclusions and guesses. After showing you the ropes, you are free to tackle the family mystery in any way you want, search for whatever you want, and form the conclusions in whatever order you stumble upon the facts. 

If this sounds like something you might enjoy, The Roottrees Are Dead is sold on Steam. It's well worth the asking price.