What parents need to know
Roots of Yggdrasil is a roguelike narrative game combining strategy and village construction/management, set in a post-apocalyptic context imbued with Norse mythology. The game requires decision-making (which building to build, which task to prioritize) that affects the success of expeditions and requires strategy. Ragnarök, the end of the world, leaves Midgard in ruins. However, a group of survivors remains, isolated on a fragment of Yggdrasil, the World Tree. The player plays Sunna, a brave and dedicated Viking from the Scion clan who leads her community on expeditions to build new villages, explore what’s left of Midgard, and accumulate resources to bring Yggdrasil back to life. The construction of the villages leaves a lot of freedom, since there is no construction grid, and the encounters, environments and expeditions are created procedurally. No two adventures are the same!
In their quest, the player will have to act quickly and efficiently to outwit Ginnungagap, the evil entity expanding its grip on the world. They will also have to face many creatures and deities from Norse mythology. The goal is to restore balance and reunite the kingdom again by reaching the top of Yggdrasil. Between each expedition, the crew gathers on the Holt, a central hub that serves as the starting point for each adventure. The player can then hone their crew, choose which modifiers they will use for the next adventure, develop new skills, and build their village with the resources accumulated during time loop excursions. The village allows you to unlock permanent upgrades that the player can use during expeditions. Each encounter you make and each island explored in the time loops accumulates cards in the player’s pile, and the player is dealt a different hand each turn, like in a board game. Each game must be won within a set number of turns in order to prevent the crew from being swallowed up by Ginnungagap.
The visual style of Roots of Yggdrasil is vaguely reminiscent of comic books, with its deliberate strokes and bright, attractive flat colours (a technique known as cel shading or toon shading). While the game is visually suitable for all audiences (there is no violence), the game requires a certain maturity in order to fully appreciate the game’s strategic aspect and enjoy the experience. The game allows you to play short games of 15 to 30 minutes and doesn’t require you to get invested in a long game session each time.
Details
Level of experience required
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No violence. There may be mention of alcohol (construction of buildings such as taverns, for example), but we don’t see any characters consuming it. Slight stress in the race against the clock when reaching the more difficult levels.
The instructions are clear, but require a good understanding on the reading side. There’s a lot of information about the screen to consider at the same time.
The characters have morally positive values and want to ensure the survival of their clan and Yggdrasil, the World Tree.
The game offers a well-marked progression and prepares the player well. The probability of failing a level is present, but failing has no effect on progress (no lives lost, etc. the player is simply brought back to the beginning and must restart the level). You have to use the mouse to rotate the camera around the game board like you would survey the map in a board game. The player can take his time and does not have to react quickly. Each round ends manually with the press of a button. The game is complex and requires a certain maturity in order to appreciate the strategic side.
Local game modes
The game offers only one mode: the story mode, playable solo.
Online Game Modes
None.
Expansions/Add-ons (DLC)
None.
Our opinion
Roots of Yggdrasil is a wonderful game Made in Quebec. Its vibrant style, impressive soundtrack, and interesting gameplay mechanics make it a fun little discovery. Fans of solo games and board games will undoubtedly appreciate the nods to game boards, from the movements of the 3D camera to the hexagonal tiles making up the environments. It’s a bit like playing CATAN, a board game in which players accumulate resources and perform actions using cards in order to acquire territory. The theme of Norse mythology, although widely exploited in recent video games, is not boring here and is well-used in the characters, in-game events and animations. Even if it has no bearing on the story or the narration, the main character is a female heroine, which is still quite rare and refreshing. Generally, unless the femininity of the character is a narrative tool, the default is still to use male characters. Sunna is a good leader, and a warrior, at that. We love it!
The first levels offer an interesting progression in terms of difficulty and allow you to learn the mechanics of the game and to prepare adequately for the more difficult levels.
The game is very nice and poses a medium challenge, which allows you to have fun quietly without too much frustration.
In other words, it’s a great indie success story and a fun game at an affordable price.
However, if you prefer action-packed games and complex storytelling , or if you’re hoping to find nuggets of information about Norse mythology, you may be disappointed.
The mythology theme is mostly a context and not a tool to create an in-depth story and, although the levels are all different, the mechanics remain repetitive.
In short, it’s a game that will appeal to a specific selection of experienced players, but also a good introduction to this type of game for beginners.
This game was provided to us for free for review purposes, but that doesn’t influence our opinion.
Featured image: ManaVoid Entertainment All screenshots by Myriam Baulne (Steam ID: ComeToMomma).
