Root

About Root

Root is a single player shooter game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Skunkape Interactive and was released on November 16, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

ROOT is a cyber espionage themed stealth FPS that lets you play it how you want: whether creeping along corridors undetected or bursting into rooms to blow away all adversaries. Cyber terrorism is a dangerous profession, and risks have real consequences.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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12 is Better Than 6

Reviews

74%Audience ScoreBased on 128 reviews

gameplay15 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

Unique, striking neon cyberpunk art style with transparent objects that blend functionality with aesthetics.
Challenging and engaging gameplay that combines stealth and FPS elements, requiring strategic planning and rewarding skillful play.
Excellent music and sound design that complements the game's futuristic atmosphere and pacing.

Stealth mechanics feel clunky and rudimentary, with problematic enemy detection that can be frustrating and inconsistent.
Limited weapon variety and sluggish combat controls, including long reload times and underpowered firearms.
Repetitive level design with poor color differentiation making navigation confusing; lack of meaningful environmental interaction.

gameplay
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29% positive mentions, 61% neutral mentions, 10% negative mentions
The gameplay offers a mix of stealth and FPS elements, with some appreciating its unique blend and solid core mechanics, while others find the stealth simplistic, slow, and frustrating due to unpredictable enemy detection and weak combat. Though the game features tight controls and an interesting design, many critiques highlight repetitive, underpowered combat, lack of depth in progression, and occasional gameplay pacing issues. Overall, the experience is divisive but can be enjoyable if expectations are adjusted for its minimalistic and somewhat niche approach.
- “The gameplay is fun and unique, the art style is great and I enjoyed the progression and boss fights.”
- “The gameplay is very solid and the controls are tight.”
- “This cyberpunk FPS offers redeeming qualities such as innovative gameplay with its mixture of stealth and shooting, and some funny dialogue.”
- “Additionally, any and all enemies you don't kill will often unerringly come find you if you're noticed, and the mechanics for being noticed on any difficulty over easy are insane.”
- “Unfortunately, it's the atrocious gameplay that almost fails to deliver, since the shooting is simply, well, pretty bad (movement, aiming and generally the whole setting is coded in a terrible way), and the stealth mechanics are rudimentary at best. Plus, why give a dash option if you can't truly dodge bullets (they will always find you)? The whole gameplay expects you to think of a more 'stealthy' solution, since it's impossible to win against more than two enemies.”
- “The gameplay is also too slow for that, weapons feel very underpowered and the enemies always hit you when they shoot, even when 1 mile away.”
graphics
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46% positive mentions, 47% neutral mentions, 7% negative mentions
The graphics are characterized by a unique, glowing neon art style that many find stylish and fitting for the game's sci-fi stealth theme, though some note they can feel repetitive or overly abstract. While visuals are praised for creativity and functionality—such as transparent objects aiding gameplay—they are not considered groundbreaking and occasionally clash with other design elements. Performance issues arise on lower-end hardware, but overall, the graphics complement the gameplay and contribute positively to the game's immersive atmosphere.
- “Visuals are not that original and in fact reminiscent of Frozen Synapse duology, but the sheer glow of it all makes the game even prettier due to proper use of Unity's shader system.”
- “I also really love that some of the objects like office cubicles are transparent, allowing you to spot enemies – the graphics can be both functional and stylish.”
- “The graphics are actually pretty damn awesome, in my opinion.”
- “The initial good impressions don't last long: after the first minute, the neon visuals become rather sparse and redundant.”
- “Seems interesting but running at 10-5 (and below) fps on a GTX 750 Ti with 8 GB of RAM and running windowed at 1600x900 is unacceptable for a game of visuals of this kind.”
- “The graphics feel a bit odd as the neon does not glow.”
music
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59% positive mentions, 31% neutral mentions, 10% negative mentions
The music is widely praised for its ambient, electronic, and breakcore influences, effectively complementing the game's cyberpunk atmosphere. Many reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, with catchy, immersive tracks that enhance the overall experience despite some repetitive gameplay. Overall, the music is considered fitting, engaging, and a strong asset to the game.
- “The soundtrack turned out to be good too; it makes up for the 95's hackers vibe with its choice of solid breakcore tunes coupled with deeply enveloping sci-fi acapellas on top of usual synthy ambient.”
- “Killer sounds especially if you're an electronic music junkie like me, cool cyberpunk look, and the combination of stealth and run'n'gun FPS action works really well.”
- “Root is a great indie FPS game with amazing soundtrack and atmosphere.”
- “With the literally lame dodge mechanic, it feels like a crappy version of Shadow Warrior 2013, or a stealth-oriented knockoff of Desync (cyberpunk action shooter without any stealth mechanics or terrible soundtrack).”
- “I think there are several music tracks, but they only play rarely.”
- “There's no 'they're on to you!' music like in many other games, and I wouldn't call that a mistake.”
story
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17% positive mentions, 70% neutral mentions, 13% negative mentions
The story is generally seen as creative and humorous, with witty banter and an interesting sci-fi premise, though some players find it vague, underdeveloped, or disconnected from gameplay. While the narrative includes intriguing elements like a hacker versus sysop conflict, it lacks a tangible antagonist and a satisfying conclusion, leaving some feeling unengaged or confused. Overall, it offers a unique atmosphere but may not fully satisfy those seeking a strong, cohesive plot.
- “For what it's worth, the whole main quest is chock full of witty banter with your system assistant.”
- “Very creative story, and lots of humor and wit.”
- “The story is told through inter-level text-boxes, where the player is a "hacker" that works with the "root shell" of a mainframe, to defeat the "sysop" (who the shell doesn't like).”
- “The story is some overwrought BS mostly dropped on you before you've even started playing.”
- “I was confused when the story did not really go to anything... there were just some meaningless things, some cutscenes that did not lead to anything or nothing related to them happened later.”
- “One thing I do not like in this vague blueprint of a plot is the total absence of the antagonist in the flesh, because it's pretty much implied that you cross swords with him.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game is praised for its creative story and witty humor, featuring funny dialogue and amusing moments like chaotic enemy animations. Its humor adds an enjoyable and stylish layer to the overall challenging gameplay experience.
- “Very creative story, and lots of humor and wit.”
- “This cyberpunk FPS offers redeeming qualities such as innovative gameplay with its mixture of stealth and shooting, and some funny dialogue.”
- “The Stanley Parable office ending was hilarious, especially when encountering the two doors in the large empty room.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33% positive mentions, 17% neutral mentions, 50% negative mentions
The game’s optimization receives mixed feedback, with some users experiencing poor performance and occasional frame rate drops, particularly in parts of the game, while others find it mostly smooth but believe the engine or maps could be better optimized. Controls and sluggish combat also contribute to a perception of subpar performance in certain cases.
- “The performance is perfect and the different enemies, guns, and levels getting bigger are a plus too.”
- “I cannot recommend this until I'm certain it is optimized.”
- “This game embodies everything I hate about taking a risk with indie games: poor game performance (Unity engine specifically, gave me poor framerates in some parts) and terrible controls.”
- “Everything is clunky and subpar, from controls to performance.”
- “The engine or the maps could be optimized a bit better: it's all smooth most of the time, but I did notice some lower FPS dips sometimes.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its engaging and immersive qualities, complemented by an excellent soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- “Root is a great indie FPS game with amazing soundtrack and atmosphere.”
- “The gameplay is fine, the atmosphere and story are interesting, and I didn't mind the difficulty.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 100% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game requires a second life or extra effort to effectively engage in grinding, suggesting that the process may be somewhat challenging or time-consuming.
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
The game demonstrates strong stability with no annoying or game-breaking glitches reported, ensuring a smooth and reliable gameplay experience.