The Roottrees are Dead
The year is 1998. A private jet belonging to the Roottree Corporation has crashed. On it were The Roottree Sisters and their parents. Combined, they were worth over a billion dollars.
Now, due to the eccentricities of their great, great grandfather, Elias their money must be redistributed to the rest of the family. But who's actually a BLOOD RELATIVE? That's where you come in.
Armed only with the power of your mighty dial-up modem, you'll scour for photos, books, articles, and other evidence. Then, you'll make connections and deductions based on the family relationships you uncover. With every spot on the tree you fill in correctly the names and photos left in your possession will have fewer and fewer places to go, but the evidence will also be harder and more obscure to find.
Can you find the final pieces of the puzzle?
This is the original version of The Roottrees are Dead, initially conceived for the Global Game Jam 2023. It was released for free on itch.io due to its reliance on AI art. The remake on Steam includes illustrations and voice acting, improved puzzles, an expanded story with dozens more characters, important bug fixes, as well as countless interface and quality of life improvements.
While we intend to preserve the itch.io release forever, I highly recommend you play the superior version here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2754380/The_Roottrees_are_Dead/
Development log
- The Roottrees are Dead (But For Real This Time).Mar 01, 2024
- Some small fixes...Jan 11, 2024
- Save Issues, Bug Fixes, and Small ChangesNov 22, 2023
- The Roottrees are (finally) Dead!Nov 08, 2023
Comments
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i clicked 'save and quit' in the settings icon, and got the message 'it's now safe to turn off the rooftrees are dead', but coming back to it im forced to restart the game. am i missing a resume button somewhere or have i just lost hours of work on this game? :(((
You likely lost work, usually when this happens its related to a cookies issue caused by the browser or software preventing cookies. The only thing I recommend would be to switch browsers if you can, but the safest option is to use the link for discord in the game and ask for the downloadable version. That one will save locally instead of in your temporary internet files
Absolute blast but i got stuck alot. I do not understand how the intuitive points work and only made me more confused 🥲
but it was still fun!
The intuition tells you when there's still more relevant information or evidence connected to something. It usually only changes when you find evidence or when someone is locked in as being correct.
how would i replay this?
From the main menu (on the newspaper) open the settings button. In the upper right should be a reset progress option. When clicking, you need to hover over it a few seconds because I didn't want people to accidentally delete their progress.
thank youuuuuuu
i go to find rhose but nothing comes up is this a bug? i even looked at a walkthrough and they didn't have to search anything up to unlock it
This is not a bug. The walkthrough you are watching was likely from an early build of the game. When you search for Rhose, it should give you a hint as to do a bit more necessary research before you can place her on the family tree.
Okay thanks
I'm almost certain I got it right, but Zacariah Morden is not validating for me.
I don't really have any way to verify if it's a bug here. Part of the game is revisiting the information you have and being absolutely sure about everything. For example, you might have all of his information right but not have him in the correct spot on the tree. Sometimes people have similar names, etc.
If you'd like a hint for as to why it is incorrect, we can help in the discord without spoiling anything. There's a link on the settings menu,
I am quite sure it was a bug, since when I reset my save and restarted I was able to validate him.
No big deal tbh, and probably hard to reproduce
I don't fully understand when exactly you become sure if you got the information correct or not? Because I filled out 8 people (other than the first 4) and I have no idea if it's correct or not
There must be something incorrect on some of them. It automatically progresses when you have three right. There is a tiny chance (I'd say about 0.01%, it's seriously very rare) that the game is bugged and not progressing due to some combination of cookies or adblocker, but in most cases it's because there's a mistake in some of the people you've filled in. If you're certain things are correct, I'd recommend coming to the discord and people can manually double check,
Thanks, I'll double check if I got something wrong which is very likely
Ah nevermind, the problem was that I found all non-blood related relatives and only 2 blood related
What an absolutely amazing game! Took me almost 5hrs to complete (incl. the optionals), but I thoroughly enjoyed every minute. And I FOUND THE THING! :).
This is brilliant! This game's difficulty is just perfect: it's not too easy to be unrewarding and boring, and it also not too difficult to make you lose interest.
I`m so happy i got the right answer at the end that i dont even feel sad that this game is over now, even though Roottrees are like family to me now.
Thank you so much for this game!
You're very welcome!
I really like this game, but I keep losing my progress after about 11 relative
But, from what I have played, I love the game. I spend so much time, and it's been really interesting.
If you go to the game's discord (from the link in the game) we can get you a downloadable version of the game that will not have this problem since it saves locally instead of to your browser's cookies.
thank you! I do really enjoy this game and what I have played so far, I’ve gotten really invested and I love the mechanics.
bro you can't just hit me with the no-mention studio right after the page for the musical, it's too meta i love this 😭😭
GODDAMNIT I REALISED THE NAME OF NOVEMBER'S MOTHER RIGHT AFTER I FINISHED THE GAME AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH
Hey there, I'd appreciate it if you do your best to hide the searchable name in this post. If you could edit it to say "the musical" that would be great. Thanks for playing!
I wish I could have turned the music completely off at some point, instead of just not hearing it; it's still switching tracks, meaning it's eating whatever is required to keep the music going. It's not a bad selection, but at some point I want to hear my own thinking music.
Thank you so much for this amazing game !! I was looking for games similar to The return of the obra dinn and your game perfectly scratched the itch ! It's fun, challenging but not too hard, the mechanics of three different ways to search and spiderweb-like reasoning was so exciting ! Also quite long and complete for a free game. I'm looking forward to the remake!!
I cant tell if this is laggy or if its the actual game
Is it just me or is there no Rhose Roottree anymore in the list? When i play im stuck at the beginning because her name isint there.
It's not just you... If you search for her on the internet you should be able to find more info about why her name isn't in the list.
I figured it out :) i was watching a earlier beta walkthrough and this must have been added afterwards. ty, loving the game so far
Finished the game yesterday, it's great! One thing I did not understand is how to get more details about November. Ended up brute-forcing her profession.
I don't want to give it away since I don't have an easy way to mark spoilers here, but there is a direct hint along the same path you used to find a newspaper advertisement of a local business that featured a picture of one of the Roottrees. At some point you come across a list of different businesses/organizations, and she's related to one of them.
If you'd like more details the discord can fill you in, but hopefully that's enough to go on.
Thanks! I'll look into it :)
I'm like, kinda stupid but all the sisters are models right? I've found names and stuff but I cant figure why I can't get to the next part please help. nvm, I had the middle and oldest round the wrong way
Yes, you have their jobs correct. Are you sure you have everything else right? Their photos and names are all trickier than their jobs.
Uses AI art. That's why the characters look indistinguishable.
Good news! We're working on a remake that doesn't use AI art. This version is expected to remain on itchio, but the new version will be entirely original, and entirely illustrated.
I would be happy to play it. Good to hear.
thank you! added to wishlist! <3
Im stuck at Gwynn Roottree, cant find her husbands real name
You won't find it on the internet, you'll need to use a different kind of resource. Keep an eye out for anything that can help.
Additionally, you do not need to find spouse names for the Blood Relative to lock in.
If you have any more questions or would like hints, we can help on the discord! (It's accessible from in-game)
Just finished this today after starting yesterday (hooray save feature!).
Really incredible stuff. I went on a Chants of Sennaar, Obra Dinn, and Curse of the Golden Idol binge recently and just happened to discover this game. Previously I have also played Her Story (great), Telling Lies (ok), and IMMORTALITY (fantastic). This is an excellent execution of blending Her Story with the likes of Obra Dinn.
Really looking forward to the "remaster" on Steam.
I've had this game sitting in my bookmarks for months but I finally checked it out today* and I'm so glad I did. It scratched a deeply satisfying puzzle itch that I've had since playing Her Story, but with significant QOL upgrades like the ability to take notes in-game. And I see in comments here that more are coming in the announced Steam release--fantastic!
Some of the gameplay was a little aggravating, I don't like using brute force to solve a puzzle but I ended up resorting to it a little bit towards the end. It felt like busywork to clean up the last few photos and professions for minor family members before I could advance to the final step. But overall it was a fantastic experience; the story was interesting and there were several self-contained sub-plots in different parts of the family tree.
Music and UI are smooth, giving it a pleasant ambiance. (I wish that the modem didn't screech at me every time I switch on the computer though.) The AI artwork is mildly offputting but that's being addressed in the Steam version too.
All in all it's a fantastic game, 10/10.
(*Actually make that "yesterday" because I stayed up until 4am to finish it.)
Amazing logic/ puzzle game! I was so addicted to playing it, and it was so rewarding finishing the game without using any help. I would love to play more games like this by the same creator.
What a brilliant game. Wow. It is very rare I get to say something like this. I love puzzles, and having done a few too many pedigrees for my liking for classes, still enjoyed this so much. The world was so deeply immersive and incredibly well-explored and developed. Very thought out, and I understood the logic even when it was tricky. No weird gaps to me-- which really, really impressed me. I spent hours playing around on the computer, trying to get all the lore. I finished in 20 hours, and obtained every single piece of evidence except for one. Would have gladly paid good money for this, and I'm so excited for the Steam release. If you are reading this wondering if you should try it, just be warned that you might not be able to stop.
<details>
<summary>SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU ARE OKAY SPOILING EVERYTHING </summary>
The only piece of evidence I did not obtain was the candy book volume 1. I thought I typed it into the library search bar, after the volume 2, but looks like I didn't get it? The bit at the end with the photo.... brilliant. My jaw literally dropped. I FOUND THE THING!!! I think my favorite clue had to have been the chorus of Cherry Tree, with the rhyming pattern for Joan Monroe.</details> END SPOILERS
i really enjoyed putting the clues together, and it felt super satisfying when you finally figure it out after struggling. my only complaint is the ai images, please get an artist next time! im sure there are many artists out there who would love to work on a project like this.
Good news...
https://jjohnstongames.itch.io/the-roottrees-are-dead/devlog/690887/the-roottree...
this is the game that got me back into gaming and got me to give indie games a try! I love your work, and am desperately in need of another game in a similar style.
i love this!! would love to try out more game from this genre
I need another game like this!
You might like Her Story, Telling Lies, Immortality, Return of the Obra Dinn, or Curse of the Golden Idol.
Thanks! :D
Echo Beach has similar investigating, though there's a lot of music listening there (it's really fun!)
I'm always looking for puzzle games to play at work and this puzzle game made me want to actually come to work just so I could play it. The feeling of completing it was so electrifying from how well-made it is. I wish I could find more games and/or puzzles set up like this. The computer with the click sounds, the music in the background. And it wasn't like a short measly puzzle either, I could take my time with it and it only took about three and a half business days. I loved it! I miss all the characters already.
maybe i did something wrong but (i've looked at walkthroughs and stuff because i feel like its something i did) i CANNOT find rhose's name on the name thingie i need help i've searched up everything
When you search for Rhose on the computer, the page that comes up details that it might be harder to find some people. You could have to do a deeper dive into the things associated with them, such as brands. Looking into those will show you what you're missing.
SOOOO good I love it so far. Love games like this, we need more Obra Dinn and Painscreek Killings in this world
its finally done, I haven't slept in ages 10/10
PLEASE SOMEONE MAKE A WALKTHROUGH I'm so stuck
The discord that you can find on the main menu and in the settings menu is a good resource for hints. There are a lot of people who can help.
There are also some playthroughs on youtube, though some of them are from older versions of the game so I don't know which ones will be the easiest to help you.
This is the kind of game I absolutely LOVE! I love the feeling of being an actual detective/investigator. I was stuck at the final four, then something just clicked by looking at the two names and I was like, ohhh there's a pattern. It's a great feeling when the information isn't spelled out but the player can still able to get it.
I thought it would be difficult to identify the character portraits at first, but I actually found that there were enough distinctions and clues that I could deduce who is whom.
I think this is potentially spoiler zone so don't read it if you haven't finished the game!!!
I don't know did I just missed it the entire time or what. I didn't even see the small background character for the photo until at the end. I knew who that person should be, but I couldn't find their photo until I looked closely at that photo again. It was a really cool feeling when I found the character!
I also feel for our client. And her son and fathers!
I also love detective games, but games about genealogy always pique my interest.
I agree! The information wasn't spelled out but finding pieces sooner or later was so fun! Especially getting that sense of realization.
I don't usually play games, but this was awesome. Im kinda sad that it's over since ive finished it and want to find other games similar but I feel like a detective now. Truly recommend!
Make sure the daughters are in birth order, oldest on the left, youngest on the right. If all the details are correct then the gamewill tell you, but if anything is incorrect nothing will happen.
I'm reposting my review here just because:
I know this is obvious but: if the world needed a true obra-dinn-like game to kickstart the development of a genre, this is the game. A superb work of fiction and gameplay mudded just a little bit with the use of AI images (something the dev aknowledge and changed for the upcoming steam release).
As we say in Argentina: juegazo.
I've never played anything like this before. I have no words to truly describe how cool this game is. Like, I cannot stress this enough: this game is a masterpiece, and the soundtrack is crazy catchy too. You should all consider supporting jjohnstongames and all the wonderful people and artists who got together to make such a beautiful game.
I played and finished the game months ago and i enjoyed it very much. the story is riveting and the ending was a huge surprise the first time around. I played a few more times and got super into the individual stories of each family member that i honestly wish there was more information that i could read about them. The Roottree lore is so rich and complex. I want more of it and I want to read it all like a book.
jjohnstongames did an amazing job with this one, there's so much detail and thought that went into each character (and there are so many of them so making a storyline as complex as this one is incredible and must have been no mean feat). They were also kind enough to walk me through installing the desktop version from the official discord so thank you!
Sidenote: I played this game quite a lot through the holidays and it got me through the tough parts of the season and through my college finals. It became a comfort game for me, I would actually have this on a second monitor while I studied and wrote essays and would reward myself with an hour of gameplay to take a break from doing school.
I'm glad that it was so useful for you! Thank you so much for playing, I really appreciate it. I hope your finals went well!
hate the AI images
glockenstein
but is the gameplay cool?
I accidentally pulled an all-nighter playing this game because it was just that engaging, suffered through the next day with a smile because I got to feel smart while playing a game about googling people's names. However, I managed to push my sleep schedule back about four hours (10pm-7am, versus the old 2am-11am) because I was just so tired after playing this game all night.
TLDR; This game fixed my sleep schedule by giving me insomnia, 10/10
me when this are so shit they come full circle
After allowing my thoughts time to settle, I honestly believe this game is excellent and I will be sharing the Steam page with friends, encouraging them to add this to their wishlists. Towards the end of the game some of my answers become lucky guesses, but I feel as though the whole thing can be done without any guesses and I'm curious to dive back in, or engage with the discord, to figure out what evidence I missed.
This is a phenomenal experience. I can't even begin to understand how one writes a story so engaging and convoluted and doesn't lose their mind lolol
And still it felt really realistic and comprehensible. You really feel like a detective in a noir film, doing your research and writing down your notes!!
Overall it's super immersive and it sucks you in immediately. A few times i got really frustrated lolol, when the info got more overwhelming. And the way i confused a bunch of faces because the AI decided to generate them to look the same ahah😭
Spend an entire day playing this in absolute awe. And the ending felt so rewarding! I managed to solve the locked names and felt i was uncovering the story myself ahah!! Loved the story entirely and loved the twist.
Wanna also mention that the sound design, the original theme and the soundtrack of Kevin MacLeod tunes where all absolutely great as well.
I'm definitely looking forward to the Steam version, especially with all the beautiful art shown in the trailer :)