ROOTS tasks you with directing how a root grows in the dirt, needing you to lead it to water and fertilizer so your tree can grow tall and strong.
Using your mouse or a finger, you’ll direct where the root grows toward. The root is always moving, so you’ll have to continually adjust where you want it to move. The root also has a blue area that indicates how much water the plant has, and once that runs out, you can’t move any more. So, your first goal is to get hydrated as you move. This is accomplished by leading the root through blue patches of water while trying to dodge around the bits of junk and poisoned deposits that get in your way, steal your nutrients, or slow you down.
It’s fairly intuitive to get the root where you want it to go with your finger and mouse, but sometimes you just wish it was a bit more maneuverable or quicker. After all, once you run out of water, that run is done and you need to start again. Thankfully, you steadily gain flower points you can use to get upgrades for your growth that make it easier to lead the plant, make its water last longer, and more. You get flower points just for growing over long distances, but you can gain more by completing tasks during your runs. If you get several water deposits or hit fertilizer, you can gain even more. These upgrades a make a pretty big difference, and thankfully the points are easy to come by as you get them for doing things you’d want to do anything. Even doing bad things like touching poison can get you a few points.
ROOTS is straightforward in how its play, yet it’s also delightfully compelling despite its simplicity. Can’t say I’ve ever enjoyed pretending to grow a tree this much in my life before now.
ROOTS is available now on itch.io and Google Play.
About The Author
