The Roottrees are Dead

A genealogical mystery straight out of 1998. Scour the early Internet for clues, uncover hidden connections, and piece together the family tree behind the secretive Roottree Corporation.

The Roottrees are Dead is a puzzle, mystery and detective game developed by Robin Ward and published by Evil Trout.
Released on January 15th 2025 is available in English on Windows, MacOS and Linux.

It has received 375 reviews of which 369 were positive and 6 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.0 out of 10. 😍

The game is currently priced at 17.55€ on Steam and has a 10% discount.

The Steam community has classified The Roottrees are Dead into these genres:

Puzzle Mystery Detective Atmospheric Story Rich Point & Click 1990's Singleplayer Adventure Investigation Logic Interactive Fiction Retro Indie Stylized 2D Casual Noir Alternate History Immersive

Media & Screenshots

Get an in-depth look at The Roottrees are Dead through various videos and screenshots.

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Requirements

These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.

Windows

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 10 64-Bit
Processor: 2.0Ghz Dual Core
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 510
Storage: 1 GB available space
Additional Notes: Your graphics card needs at least 2GB of VRAM

MacOS

OS: macOS High Sierra
Processor: Apple M1
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Storage: 1 GB available space

Linux

OS: Linux 64-Bit
Processor: 2.0Ghz Dual Core
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 510
Storage: 1 GB available space
Additional Notes: Your graphics card needs at least 2GB of VRAM

Reviews

Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.

Jan. 2025

I can't remember a time where a game scratched an itch like this. At first I was a little underwhelmed. I thought... so I'm not really solving a mystery? I'm just sorting out this family tree? And then... you're absolutely hooked. You're completely invested in the main plot, every side story, every artifact draws you deeper in. And if that's not good enough, this is essentially two games in one. I loved this game and was sad when it was over.

Jan. 2025

A lot of people are comparing this game to Obra Dinn, and that is by some extent a true statement. Your goal is to identify people on a list - and that's kind of where the similarities end. Roottrees is not physically searching for clues and context. It is 95% reading and 5% tearing your hair out. It is the curated Wikipedia deep dive of your dreams. It is the information hunt for a dissertation you will never write. It is following threads of articles for an hour to find out someone's maiden name. It is developing personal beef with the name Elias. And it is audibly cheering when you finally figure out the birth order of too many siblings. Roottrees will scratch that particular itch for these particular people. And once you're all done - there's an even harder familiy tree to sort out. An absolute treat that I still haven't fully cracked. Occupation: Baby.

Jan. 2025

Fantastic game. If you liked Return of the Obra Dinn or The Case/The Rise of the Golden Idol games, you're in for a real treat. Loved the sleuthery on this.

Jan. 2025

This game isn't just a remake of an Obra Dinn-like game from itch.io. Adding a layer of Her Story-like web searching allows this game to have more complicated exploration and text-based deduction than Obra Dinn or Golden Idol, and in my opinion makes the Obra Dinn formula feel more complete. Furthermore, as if the original game wasn't already a work of art, this Steam release adds additional content that almost feels like a full sequel. The extended story had me on the edge of my seat, and the exploration and puzzles are somehow even better than the original. Mystery fans should not miss out on this game.

Jan. 2025

The sense of joy every time 3 family members lock in is unmatched. This 100% scratches the Obra Dinn itch. I wish more games were like this.

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