Rootown

Rootown is a traversal strategy game where you guide tree roots down through the soil. You play by planting a tree and then steering its roots to find good soil and avoid stones. The better you do the bigger the tree and the more resources you have to build your world. It stands out for the novel root-growing and balancing of flora and fauna.

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It's a simple game of planting trees, spreading roots and exploring underground. But this is cleverly put to work to develop your small town. You use the forest to improve the life of your neighbours, find hidden treasures and collect new trees and animals from around the world. Once your tree has grown you have to decide whether to cut it down for wood or wait for fruits.

As you progress you learn how best to grow strong trees and which trees are best for different aspects of your town. Some have long root systems that are great for exploring the underground, others are super at sucking up water while others are best for harvesting minerals and fossils along the way. Some even help you clean up the soil from pollutants while you're down there.

The result is a game with a delightful root-growing mechanic at its heart. Through playing the game you learn about different species of real trees. But more than this, it develops an ecosystem of roots, trees and people who must work together for the town to thrive.

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Our examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked Rootown 19 months ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 15 months ago.