The Roottrees are Dead Review – Googling into the night

I wouldn’t call myself an expert sleuth, nor do I claim to be a master of deduction. That said, I do find mysteries to be immensely compelling, and the idea of combing through vast amounts of information to slowly but surely piece together the truth is, in itself, fascinating to me. I had a very positive experience with games like Scene Investigators, and Crime Scene Cleaner, despite being more of a cleaning game than an investigative title, ended up being my favorite indie project of last year. So naturally, when I approached the sleuthing adventure game The Roottrees Are Dead, I approached it with curiosity, intrigued by the idea that I could play a game that builds upon our deeply human need to dive into dozens of obscure Wikipedia pages about unsolved mysteries at 3 in the morning. Yup, it’s that kind of game.

The Roottress are very much deceased

The setup is fairly simple: members of a prominent fictional family – the Roottrees – perish in a plane crash, and now you’re tasked with piecing together the entire family tree in order to uncover whatever skeletons may be hiding in their collective closet. The project also puts a lovably 90s spin on things: taking place in 1998 and 1999, the game has you look things up on a crummy old PC with dial-up internet as you collect data on people, books, periodicals and everything in-between to try and piece together the Roottree family’s intricate web of relationships. You don’t actually go anywhere, mind you – the player stays in a single, cozy room for the entire duration of the story, digging deeper and deeper into the family mystery while listening to the low hum of a late 90s PC and the smooth jazz playing on the radio. It’s the kind of game that’s best played late at night with a cup of coffee at your side. You know, for full immersion.

So how does it all work? Well, you have a board full of Roottree family members, and not only do you need to figure out how they’re connected (in terms of who the oldest/youngest is), you’re also required to fill out their full names and occupations, along with their photos. Naturally, you need birth names and the last occupation available, so expect to be perpetually confused by constant surname changes, divorces, multiple marriages and so on. It’s a lot to uncover, and you’re often just following tiny bread crumbs, like an offhand comment in a diary or a useful half-sentence in an old magazine, but that’s what makes the hunt so exciting. Aside from simple Google searches, referred to as SpiderSearch in the Roottree universe, you can also look into a database of periodicals and published books, alongside numerous photos and other pieces of evidence you may print from the net. The writing also does a good job of keeping the player engaged, so don’t worry – this isn’t a game where you just read a series of dry encyclopedia entries and weather reports. It’s got personality and heart.

Man’s best friend – the rubber duck

Needless to say, the answers you seek often don’t come easy, and unless you specifically ask for them, the game gives you no hints whatsoever. Thankfully, there’s a fairly helpful in-game notepad which lets you organize important information, and honestly – you kind of have to. There’s no way you’ll be able to remember all the important bits from the wealth of information the game throws at you, so it helps to jot down and organize everything that might seem useful. And since I brought it up earlier, it’s worth noting that the game does have a built-in hint system in the form of a talking rubber duck (yes, really) that gradually drip-feeds information to you, but only if you ask for it. You don’t necessarily have to outright ask the game to play itself for you: the first couple of hints just give you nudges in the right direction. “Remember that person you read about here? Try looking into them some more.” Stuff like that. It works for the purposes of re-orienting yourself if you’re not sure which direction to continue in, but if you do genuinely get stuck, you can also request the full solution to be handed to you. The Roottree family mystery may be complex and confusing at times, but the game is extremely accessible due to this aforementioned hint system, meaning that regardless of how good of a detective you are, you can absolutely see the story to its conclusion. Of course, making connections on your own is always more satisfying, but still, the option to get a helpful nudge is always there, and it’s done in a way that doesn’t outright ruin the whole experience.

Everyone’s a Roottree at heart

After beating the base storyline, a follow-up campaign unlocks: “Roottreemania” is set several months after your initial investigation, and delves into the various affairs and infidelities of the Roottree family... all the while upping the difficulty, too. The hint system is still a lifesaver here, but be prepared to have your detective instincts seriously tested if you wish to solve this mystery on your own. I know I couldn’t have done it without the rubber duck, but maybe that’s just me. Narratively, the game does offer a few twists (some more predictable than others), but personally, I found the journey to be more enjoyable than the destination. I didn’t find the storyline to be particularly mind-blowing, but I did tremendously enjoy the process of getting to the end – of being given a glimpse into the colorful and sometimes sleazy lives of these people. And frankly, I’m going to miss it. I’m going to miss making a cup of coffee, turning on my imaginary 90s radio and spending several hours just chilling in front of an imaginary CRT monitor, reading up on various fictional scandals and life stories. It’s been a ride.

So, to conclude: it may not be a game for everyone, and your mileage may vary on the story’s subject matter (a wealthy family’s troubles with inheritance and infidelities), but if you find a unique kind of enjoyment in combing through Wikipedia entries about the lives of other people while slowly assembling a massive familial puzzle, The Roottrees are Dead is sure to be a delightful experience.