Root

93%
Game Brain Score Based on 2,112 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • music
Root Game Cover
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Root is a turn-based strategy game based on the popular tabletop board game, where 2-4 players engage in a war for woodland control as different factions with unique abilities. The Marquise de Cat, the Alliance, the Vagabonds, and the Eyrie all have their own goals and methods, making for a replayable and complex gaming experience. While the game boasts exceptional gameplay, a spectacular graphics, and an awesome soundtrack, it may have bugs that could affect the enjoyment of the game.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

93%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,112 reviews
gameplay69 positive mentions
stability29 negative mentions
  • Great adaptation of the board game with charming graphics and animations.
  • The tutorials are well-designed, making it easier to learn the rules and mechanics of each faction.
  • Offers a fun and engaging multiplayer experience, especially with friends.
  • The AI can be quite poor, often making illogical decisions and failing to recognize threats.
  • There are occasional bugs and connectivity issues in online play, leading to frustrating experiences.
  • The battle animations are lengthy and cannot be skipped, which can slow down gameplay.
  • gameplay186 mentions

    The gameplay of Root is widely praised for its depth, strategic complexity, and engaging asymmetrical mechanics, allowing each faction to offer a unique playstyle and experience. While the digital adaptation captures the essence of the board game with smooth animations and helpful tutorials, some players note challenges in balancing and learning the intricate mechanics, particularly for newcomers. Overall, it is recommended for those who enjoy strategic board games, especially when played with a dedicated group.

    • “The gameplay is very smooth and the animations are cute, with just the right level of vicious.”
    • “Great gameplay from all factions, each of them feel unique and the game is just the right amount of complex for high-level plays without feeling like learning the game is impossible.”
    • “The gameplay is incredibly good, with a lot of replayability.”
    • “It is generally difficult to achieve, and in such asymmetric gameplay, it is a nightmare.”
    • “Overall, my review is skeptical mainly because Root requires your party to invest many hours together into the game and analyze your gameplay meticulously, which is pivotal in making the game challenging and dependent on your personal actions.”
    • “If you enjoy being able to jump right into a game and play it fully, this is probably not the game for you; successful gameplay by four people requires that all players have a firm grasp on game mechanics.”
  • graphics175 mentions

    The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their charming and cute art style, which effectively translates the original board game's aesthetic into a vibrant 3D environment. Many reviewers highlighted the attention to detail in the animations and interface, noting that the visuals enhance the overall gameplay experience while remaining faithful to the source material. Overall, the graphics are considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal and accessibility.

    • “Kyle Ferrin's art does a lot for this game, and Dire Wolf did a great job translating his art style into the three-dimensional space.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful enough and the style is faithful to the base game.”
    • “The animations and artwork are superb.”
    • “While the 3D models look fine and have character, some of them look kind of meh and downright dopey. If the devs could have figured out a way to use Kyle Ferrin's original 2D artwork on the playing space and animate it in a way like, say, Darkest Dungeon, then it would have been absolutely perfect.”
    • “The audio and BGM are enjoyable but repetitive, the visuals are cute but lengthy (there is no way to skip combat animations if your units/buildings are involved), and the interface lacks keybinds and other common settings.”
    • “I'm a big board game fan and I have seen the game in one or the other online shop, but because of the art style, it never really appealed to me.”
  • music97 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its charm and thematic fit, enhancing the overall experience with catchy and delightful tracks. However, some players note that the soundtrack can become repetitive over time, suggesting a desire for more variety. Overall, the combination of engaging music and appealing visuals contributes significantly to the game's immersive atmosphere.

    • “The soundtrack is great.”
    • “The music is awesome too!”
    • “The charming visuals and delightful soundtrack help ease you into the otherwise cutthroat gameplay that is Root.”
    • “My only complaint is the music could use a couple more tracks.”
    • “However, I am disappointed in the new update soundtrack only.”
    • “The music gets a bit repetitive after a while, but that's the case with almost every game for me.”
  • stability30 mentions

    The game's stability has been widely criticized, with many users reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes, particularly in multiplayer modes. While some players find the gameplay enjoyable and the adaptation charming, the overall experience is marred by technical issues that can disrupt play and require restarts. As it is still in early access, users express hope for improvements through future patches, but current frustrations with stability remain a significant concern.

    • “The game runs great without any crashes or glitches.”
    • “I've experienced smooth gameplay with no stability issues.”
    • “The performance is solid, making for a reliable gaming experience.”
    • “The only real gripe I have is that it's quite buggy, with multiple issues with some textures, text boxes, and audio.”
    • “Basically, it's really, really buggy, and every patch I've seen so far does not make it less buggy.”
    • “It is very buggy, and breaks often.”
  • replayability28 mentions

    The game boasts exceptional replayability, largely due to its diverse factions, asymmetric gameplay, and ongoing expansions that introduce new content. Players appreciate the strategic depth and variety each faction brings, ensuring that no two games feel the same. Overall, it is highly regarded as a fun and engaging experience that encourages repeated play.

    • “It has personality, and that each faction you can pick is so different from one another makes it incredibly fun and engaging, and adds a huge replayability to it.”
    • “The gameplay is incredibly good, with a lot of replayability.”
    • “Every faction has its own different way of playing which gives a lot of replayability, strategy, and depth to the game.”
    • “The replayability between a few friends that know what they are doing is endless.”
    • “Have played over 11 hours on the AI alone; the variety between the current four factions keeps the game fresh, and the challenges make this game have a ton of replay value, even when playing alone.”
    • “The reward: nearly endless replayability, dynamic scenarios to sink your strategy teeth into, unstable alliances, howling upsets, and some of the most adorable art you can imagine.”
  • story15 mentions

    The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and narrative engagement, with players expressing a desire for more character development and backstory in quests. While some players enjoy the strategic gameplay and unique interactions between factions, they feel that the absence of a cohesive campaign or rich storytelling limits the overall experience. Overall, the game offers interesting mechanics but falls short in delivering a compelling narrative.

    • “The vagabond is a solo adventurer, collecting items and doing quests and aiding or attacking the various factions.”
    • “Here's just one story: playing as the tinkerer, I managed to get a third hammer and, just as the warring factions seeking to rule the woods all began to make their final moves towards victory, I crafted 'favor of the foxes' and 'favor of the mice', two cards that wipe every single opposing piece from the matching clearings, on my final two turns, massively setting back everyone else and netting me over 10 points from all of the buildings and tokens that were burnt for the win.”
    • “There is no story or campaign, and while the devs have done a very good job porting the game mechanics, the motivation to do the constructed challenges stays limited.”
    • “I wish you could create your own custom character and that there was more story with NPCs to interact with.”
    • “I wish the quests had more backstory instead of just an extra gaming challenge.”
  • humor10 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised, with players highlighting the hilariously ineffective bot that replaces dropped players, amusing tutorial dialogues, and the funny animations of forest creatures and animal characters. The game's mechanics foster comedic interactions, such as forming alliances and rivalries, while the energetic soundtrack and cute sound effects enhance the overall lighthearted experience. Overall, the game successfully combines humor with engaging gameplay, making it enjoyable to share with friends, even remotely.

    • “There is no penalty for leaving the game early, and the bot that replaces players who leave is hilariously bad.”
    • “I admire the unique and interesting mechanics of different factions, the soundtrack, the art style, and the attention to detail, such as the hilarious tutorial dialogues.”
    • “Creating allies and enemies during the game is hilarious.”
  • optimization10 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while many players report smooth performance, especially in online multiplayer and with lower graphics settings, some users experience issues on older hardware, particularly integrated GPUs. The game is still in early access, and there are indications that further improvements are expected as development continues.

    • “The game runs smoothly, it has really easy matching mechanics, the distinctive art style, and tutorials for all factions.”
    • “While still in early access, the basic game is fully implemented and runs smoothly.”
    • “The spirit is strong here, the art design is lovely and the optimization has been significantly improved.”
    • “Overall game performance is bad. This is a digital board game, and I think it is not too much to ask for it to run smoothly. It does not run on an Intel Haswell integrated GPU on a laptop.”
    • “If you're having performance issues, set your graphics to low.”
    • “It can only get better from here with expansion factions and more performance on my old Mac.”
  • atmosphere6 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its unique art style, engaging music, and immersive character animations, which collectively enhance the overall experience. Reviewers note that the distinctiveness of each faction and the weight of player decisions contribute to a captivating environment that keeps players invested. Overall, the combination of visual and auditory elements effectively captures the essence of the game, making it a standout digital adaptation of a board game.

    • “The game itself stands out for its atmosphere and style, the uniqueness of each faction, and the fact that every decision matters - there is always more you want to get done in a turn, but you have to choose wisely.”
    • “Probably the best digital port of a board game I've ever played and every addition like the music, sound, and atmosphere really help to make this an easy to learn and addictively fun game.”
    • “Everything from the 'meeples' to the music just oozes atmosphere and captures the feel of the game.”
  • monetization3 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has drawn criticism for focusing on in-app purchases and downloadable content (DLC) that feel like cash grabs, rather than improving the overall gameplay experience or addressing existing bugs. Players feel misled by advertisements that promise an engaging experience, only to encounter repetitive gameplay and a lack of meaningful updates.

    • “The in-app purchases are reasonably priced and offer great value for enhancing the gameplay experience.”
    • “I appreciate that the game offers a fair monetization model, allowing players to enjoy it without feeling pressured to spend money.”
    • “The option to buy cosmetic items is a nice touch, as it allows players to personalize their experience without impacting gameplay balance.”
    • “I played a lot in 2021 and a bit more in 2022, and they are making no improvements to the online experience or fixing crucial bugs and just keep pumping out DLC for quick cash grabs.”
    • “The advertisement suggests it's active and full of action and happenings, but it's not; it's end your turn and watch the time-sink repetitive animations.”
    • “Still, they're a good challenge for those learning the game, and more experienced players can utilize the clockwork bots (which are an in-app purchase).”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be quite tedious, particularly regarding achievements that require significant time investment. Many express a desire for clearer options to skip lengthy animations, especially during fast-paced bot matches, as these can contribute to the overall grind.

    • “Achievements are very grindy.”
    • “I wish there was a way (or if there is, a more obvious one) to skip some of the fairly lengthy animations; they can get a bit tedious if you're playing against bots and the game moves quickly.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    Players highlight the game's potential for deep emotional engagement, noting that even a few hours in can lead to intense feelings and moral dilemmas. The experience is particularly impactful when played with strangers or well-designed AI, as it can evoke strong reactions and discussions about character choices and motivations.

    • “Even though I'm hardly touching the surface with only 8-9 hours in, I can see myself putting 100+ hours into the game.”
    • “If you have a home group not prepared for the emotional ride that this game can create, this is the perfect place to play it, with strangers (or the seemingly well-tuned AI).”
  • character development1 mentions

    The character development in the game is highlighted by appealing animations and charming designs of the little animals, contributing to an enjoyable and cozy gaming experience.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

8hMedian play time
39hAverage play time
8-100hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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