Game: Roots of Pacha
Genre: Simulation, RPG
System: Steam (Windows & macOS)
Developers | Publishers: Soda Den | Crytivo
Controller Support: Full
Price: US $23.00 | UK £22.49 | EU € 23,00
Release Date: April 25th, 2023
Review code used, with many thanks to Crytivo.
Initially, Roots of Pacha, a simulation RPG game, was a Kickstarter campaign started by Soda Den, a small game studio run by two brothers. After the game’s development was successfully funded in 2021, Crytivo came on board as the publisher.
Developers Soda Den are looking to evolve the genre that has become popular over the last few years, and that’s evident in the gameplay of Roots of Pacha. Let’s see what it is all about.
Stone Age
Roots of Pacha has all the elements that we usually see in simulation games, such as farming, crafting and fishing. However, Roots of Pacha has a unique twist; the game is set in the Stone Age.
The game begins with the usual customisation of your character. For example, you can choose a hairstyle, colour, skin type, and even what tattoos you would like your character to have. My character didn’t have tattoos as I don’t like them, but it’s great that the option is there for those that want it.
The story goes that the clan is returning from the mountains to their home, and it will soon be your Rites of Passage ceremony. Of course, there is more to the storyline than that; however, I don’t want to go into too much detail about it, as it should be something you experience yourself. I will say that I enjoyed it, and it carries the gameplay along well.
Help the Clan
The unique timeframe that Roots of Pacha is set in isn’t only a cosmetic look. The Stone Age theme is ingrained throughout the gameplay. Furthermore, the game tasks you with building up a clan of villagers at the outset of human innovation and discovery.
Ideas
In the Stone Age, tools were rudimentary; you are right back to a time when very few tools existed. So from the Stone Age starting point, you will inspire your village with “Ideas” that will change the clan’s way of life by cultivating crops, interacting with animals, exploring the land, and discovering new materials.
The Idea’s system works well in the game. Anyone in the clan can have an Idea that will help your clan develop and shape humanity through multiple eras of history, all the way through to the Iron Age. It gives the game a lovely feeling of community spirit as the youngest to the oldest members all chip in with ideas.
Invent Tools and Equipment
In addition, while farming is undoubtedly a significant part of the game, you have to invent various pieces of equipment to make that happen. So, for example, to begin with, you use a stone to till the earth, but as time passes and Ideas come to tuition, tools are invented.
As you keep planting the seeds, you gain knowledge that changes the plant’s appearance. The knowledge will reveal a plant’s growth cycle and increase its yield value. You can also propagate seeds when you discover the Idea of a plant nursery.
Befriend Animals
Throughout the world and the changing seasons, you’ll encounter families of animals. At first, they appear to ignore you. But by slowly approaching and enticing them, you’ll befriend them and even invite them to live with you. The game also includes developing your clan’s culture, arts, and even religion as part of a growing society.
Fishing in the game is handled the same way; you start small in the shallow waters and wait for the fish to come near you for the right moment to catch them. Then, as the clan and you evolve, you’ll invent new tools and techniques for fishing to reach deeper waters with larger fish.
Invite New Clan Members
You’ll also explore the surrounding areas on the map and the mysteries of the caves and grow your village by inviting people from other clans to live with you.
In addition to adding new members to your clan, you can also romance some of the NPCs. For example, you can date eleven characters after seeing their six flowers cutscene. Furthermore, you can even date all the romanceable characters simultaneously, although you can only form a Union with one NPC and then have children.
Like other simulation games, Roots of Pacha has events you can take part in and a calendar to keep you on track with when the events happen.
Visuals and Controls
Visually the game looks great. The pixel-art visuals are bright and colourful; I like how it is presented to the player. It sure gets the point that it’s set in the Stone Age. There are changing seasons to adapt to, and the music to accompany your gaming time is lovely.
You can control the game using the keyboard and mouse or a controller. I tried both options, which worked equally well; I felt more comfortable using the controller, so I stuck to that.
The game mainly performed well on my laptop. I didn’t notice any frame rate issues. However, it did crash twice while I was playing it. But I’m sure an update to the game will fix that.
Roots of Pacha has co-op play, but unfortunately, I didn’t get to try that out. So, I can only imagine playing the game would be great fun with a friend.
Conclusion
There is so much to Roots of Pacha, all packed into a gameplay time of around 40 hours. You can see the love the developers have put into the game as you play, and, amazingly, it was all developed by such a small team. If simulation, farming, crafting, and so much more are what you enjoy in a game, then Roots of Pacha is worth checking out.
Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot 