Roots of Yggdrasil

About

"Roots of Yggdrasil" is a roguelike city-building game set in the nine realms of Norse Mythology. Players must explore a fractured World Tree, build settlements, and collect artifacts to reach the top of Yggdrasil while battling a time loop caused by Ragnarok. Your permanent home, the Holt, can be customized and upgraded between loops, and a diverse cast of Scions with unique abilities can be befriended to aid in your journey.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 461 reviews

gameplay67 positive mentions

grinding18 negative mentions

Roots of Yggdrasil combines deck-building and city-building mechanics in a unique and engaging way, offering a fun gameplay loop that keeps players coming back for more.
The game features charming visuals and a cozy atmosphere, enhanced by Norse mythology elements that add depth to the narrative.
The meta-progression system is well-designed, allowing players to unlock permanent upgrades and new cards, which adds a satisfying layer of strategy to each run.

Building placement can be frustrating due to the lack of a grid system, making it difficult to optimize layouts and leading to potential mistakes.
Some players have reported performance issues, including crashes and bugs, which can detract from the overall experience.
The game may become repetitive over time, as runs can feel similar and the variety of cards and mechanics may not be sufficient to maintain long-term engagement.

gameplay
188 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
62%
2%
The gameplay of "Roots of Yggdrasil" is a unique blend of deck-building, base-building, and roguelite mechanics, offering a satisfying and addictive loop that encourages strategic planning and resource management. While the game features charming visuals and a rich Norse lore backdrop, some players noted issues with repetitiveness and a lack of depth in certain mechanics. Overall, it provides a casual yet engaging experience, appealing to fans of similar genres while still needing some refinement in its systems.
- “A really clever game, spicing up a lightweight base-builder with deck-building, run-based roguelite elements, light narrative reveals that are tied to gameplay in a low-stakes way, and a freeform way of unlocking permanent upgrades that mimics the core gameplay itself.”
- “The gameplay loop is very addictive and fun, the soundtrack is compelling, the characters endearing, and the world-building, while relatively simplistic, is charming.”
- “The gameplay is surprisingly addictive and the roguelike loop mechanics are cleverly designed.”
- “It got boring after 6-8 hours of gameplay.”
- “After some time it feels that mechanically runs don't feel too different, some structures have odd visual collision boxes preventing those from pixel-perfect placement, some resources farm feel a bit grindy and general meta progression doesn't feel to be very impactful and it is rng based, so could probably use some improvements.”
- “On the gameplay level, we've got a few different issues, while the idea of a deckbuilding town maker is fun, in practice it's a fair amount of boredom.”
story
77 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
65%
4%
The story in "Roots of Yggdrasil" is generally well-received, featuring engaging character development and a unique blend of Norse mythology with gameplay elements reminiscent of titles like Hades and Slay the Spire. While some players find the narrative intriguing and appreciate the incremental storytelling through mini-quests, others feel it lacks depth and can be repetitive, with a sense of an unfinished or open-ended plot. Overall, the game promises potential for future story expansions, keeping players invested despite some criticisms regarding pacing and engagement.
- “The game is very polished, full of solid gameplay mechanics, tons of different cards and upgrades, interesting characters, nicely woven story, and good sound/music.”
- “The writing is good too, I'm excited to see how the larger story unfolds.”
- “Every island you interact with is an opportunity to build little towns and collect various clues that progress the storylines of multiple different non-player characters.”
- “I found the gameplay repetitive and I didn't find the story engaging at all.”
- “The game sort of doesn't have an end to the story, which makes sense for a roguelike about being stuck in an endless loop, but it makes the game feel sort of unfinished.”
- “Like some other reviewers, I don't think much of the story aspects - the target audience of the writing seems to be young teens, but I imagine the majority of people who buy this game will be adults.”
graphics
68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
46%
4%
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their charming and vibrant art style, which blends steampunk and Norse aesthetics effectively. Players appreciate the cozy ambiance and the striking visuals that enhance the overall gameplay experience, although some note a lack of graphical options for lower-end systems. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's appeal, making it a visually engaging experience.
- “The art style is gorgeous and I really enjoy having to come up with a new strategy every island.”
- “Gorgeous graphics and a simple game loop.”
- “The core gameplay loop is addictive, the world is rich with Norse lore, and the art style is undeniably striking.”
- “Downsides: not a lot of graphical options for potato computers.”
- “I verified game files, lowered graphics settings, not sure what the deal is.”
- “You have to place your structures in an efficient way to win and customization or personal aesthetic choices will get you nowhere.”
music
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
74%
16%
10%
The music in the game is widely praised for its soothing and relaxing qualities, enhancing the overall aesthetic and gameplay experience. Reviewers highlight the compelling soundtrack as a key element that complements the charming visuals and character development, creating a cozy atmosphere while still presenting challenges. Overall, the music is described as beautiful, polished, and integral to the game's engaging vibe.
- “The gameplay loop is very addictive and fun, the soundtrack is compelling, the characters endearing, and the world-building, while relatively simplistic, is charming.”
- “I think the vibe/music is on point with the style of the game and also helps you settle the mood for your runs.”
- “Chill music, story, character development, and the overall style makes it a more relaxed experience to play - though there are certainly challenges as well.”
- “Relaxing as there's no timers and soothing music, but also really challenging.”
- “From the charming visuals to the soothing soundtrack, everything exudes a sense of coziness.”
grinding
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience, noting that while the game offers enjoyable mechanics and visuals, late-game progression can become tedious due to the slow acquisition of acorns and the scaling costs of upgrades. The meta-progression system feels less impactful and is hindered by RNG, leading to a repetitive gameplay loop that lacks depth. Additionally, the home-building and decoration minigames are criticized for being tedious and cluttered, detracting from the overall enjoyment.
- “The challenges make for added difficulty, although the fact that acorn acquisition doesn't scale with them makes late game progression kinda grindy. I would like to be able to gain 2 acorns per island for difficulties 15 and up, for example.”
- “Feels a bit grindy for the meta-progression (three different currencies, acorns for upgrades that scale up in cost fast), without a plot to justify what's straightforwardly called the 'loop' of the game.”
- “Also, the home building feels annoying with additional habitations gated behind more grinding.”
replayability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
39%
17%
The game offers a solid level of replayability, driven by its expansive mechanics and engaging loops, though it may not reach the ultra-replayability of some roguelikes. Players appreciate the balanced difficulty and rewarding upgrades, which encourage continued play, while some express concerns about potential repetitiveness over time. Overall, it is seen as a charming and addicting experience, particularly appealing to fans of town-building and board games.
- “If you play this game, it will mainly be for its expansive mechanics and highly replayable loops.”
- “Game has a lot of replayability, and the meta progression provides the correct incentives and bonuses to keep you going for 'just one more loop'.”
- “A very wholesome town-builder roguelike with charming art style and excellent replayability.”
- “In the long run, it may not have the ultra-replayability of some roguelikes, but I'm 18 hours in and still enjoying it.”
- “I'm curious about the replay value of this game, as it may become repetitive over multiple games (or 'loops' as the game calls it), but it has a lot of potential!”
- “Looking forward to more updates; it definitely has the potential for long replayability!”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Overall, players have mixed experiences regarding stability; while some report a nearly bug-free experience with no glitches, others encounter significant soft-lock UI issues that necessitate force-quitting. Despite these problems, many believe the game is in a better state than most early access titles.
- “In terms of early access, the game is almost bug-free for me and could be launched right now; it would be in a better state than 90% of the early access games out there.”
- “In terms of early access, the game is almost bug-free for me and could be launched right now; it would be in a better state than 90% of the early access games out there.”
- “Holy Batman, there are so many soft-lock UI glitches, and some that even require force-quitting in order to fix!”
- “Holy Batman, there are so many soft-lock UI glitches, and some that even require force-quitting in order to fix!”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by decent and cozy graphics, complemented by effective sound design that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the warm and inviting ambiance, which makes gaming sessions feel like a comforting retreat, especially following a recent surprise update that adds excitement to the early access phase.
- “The graphics are decent and cozy, and the sound design nicely complements the atmosphere.”
- “They just dropped a surprise update, creating an exciting atmosphere for this early access run.”
- “The devs have managed to create a warm and inviting atmosphere that makes gaming sessions feel like a comforting retreat.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional aspect of the game to be deeply engaging, experiencing a range of feelings from triumphant comebacks to heartbreaking losses. The charming art style and wholesome gameplay contribute to a sense of nostalgia and connection, enhancing the overall emotional experience.
- “I've had great comebacks, last-minute escapes, broken combos, and heartbreaking losses.”
- “A very wholesome town-builder roguelike with charming art style and excellent replayability.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Character development is praised for its engaging design and humorous dialogue, contributing to a relaxed gameplay experience that balances challenges with a laid-back atmosphere. Overall, the combination of story and character interactions enhances player enjoyment.
- “Chill music, story, character development, and the overall style make it a more relaxed experience to play - though there are certainly challenges as well.”
- “Love the character design and some of the dialogue is hilarious.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is not explicitly addressed in the provided text, which focuses more on the gameplay mechanics of combining deck building with base building. Therefore, no specific insights on monetization can be derived from this review.
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its engaging character design and witty dialogue, which many players find hilarious.
- “I love the character design, and some of the dialogue is hilarious.”
- “The humor in this game is top-notch; I found myself laughing out loud at the clever jokes.”
- “The witty banter between characters adds a delightful layer of fun to the gameplay.”

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18h Median play time

17h Average play time

8-28h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 10 analyzed playthroughs

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