Roots of Pacha Review: A Farming Sim That Will Rock Your World

Roots of Pacha is a life simulator brought to us by Soda Den and Crytivo. The player (up to 3 friends) takes control of new members of the Stone Age, tree-worshiping Pacha tribe. They’ve migrated from their home, bringing new challenges that the player will help the tribe overcome.

Today’s title actually has something in common with the last one I covered, Afterimage. They both have a slow early game. Afterimage’s first hours were a slog that took me out of the game; Roots of Pacha’s first hours were fun and brought me further in.

Stone Age Simplicity

The game advances through new ideas and new areas; the Pacha tribe is always finding new ways to interact with their world. The game handles its progression in a way that feels organic and rewarding.

You start the game with one of your adoptive parents suggesting planting their own crops. After a few attempts, they can set up a plant nursery to provide seeds more easily. Then the animal expert has an idea for befriending the local wildlife, which also opens more paths forward. 

Roots of Pacha is a great example of an “unfolding game.” The longer you play, the more mechanics are introduced, and the more content is available. It’s a good mix of player efforts and help from the rest of the tribe. You brought the boars from the forest to live back home, but your fellow Pachans came up with the means to allow it. Most importantly, it feels earned when you get something new.

Once the player is established, the game settles into a routine of minor chores and further diving into the world. The Prophecy system encourages reaching new milestones with new accessories that grant extra bonuses. It’s also a great way to make the standard achievements a seamless part of the world. 

Roots of Pacha encourages players to support their tribe, through Prosperity and Contribution. Prosperity is the tribe’s total score for thriving in this new place. It’s needed to develop new ideas and refine current ones, like stronger tools. Contribution is the player’s own progress towards Prosperity and can be traded in for things from other tribe members, like furniture.

I went a couple of days without any Contribution, and to my surprise, the game never punished me for it. Roots of Pacha prefers the carrot over the stick in terms of motivation, and the game is better for it.

A Pleasant Place

Roots of Pacha is a great example of how simple graphics don’t need to come at the expense of good ones. The world is colorful and cheerful. You may be living in an age without internet, ice cream, or central heating, but who cares? You have your tribe, you have a land full of wonders, and every day brings new discoveries. 

The music is a big help in this, mainly by setting the stage for a more relaxed gaming experience. The worst I’ve had happen so far is passing out and starting the next day with less stamina. With many games involving “do or die” struggles, the calmer tone of Roots of Pacha is appreciated.

It helps that Roots of Pacha is built around the concept of community. Locking major mechanics behind talking to specific people would be a chore if the player’s home wasn’t right next to everyone else’s. Like in other life sims, players can befriend NPCs by talking and giving gifts, eventually getting a better look into their lives. They can even start dating them and make a family together.

The interface is well organized. Unlike some titles, including Minecraft, Roots of Pacha splits up player belongings. Tools and plant seeds get their own storage, so they’ll never be competing for the limited slots on your belt. As a result, you’ll never be unable to explore further because you left the needed equipment back home. 

The world starts out feeling enormous; you can afford to go further out as you find easier ways to move and stay energized. Combined with the generally upbeat feeling the game brings, a good part of my fun was just exploring. The Caves, in particular, pose a good challenge, testing your brain and tools. Also, you can make your cave paintings because, of course.

Stumbling Over Roots

Roots of Pacha is at its best when fully immersing its players into the world it’s created. For example, I started the game focusing on fishing. After playing the minigame a dozen times, it became easier to catch the fish I’d gotten the most of. There weren’t any blinking lights or ‘level-up’ pings to take me out of the moment; I just noticed, “I’ve gotten better at this.”

There are some reasonable breaks from reality on that front. Every couple of mornings, you’ll get new “smoke signals” from tribe members that have new ideas to pursue. Players can track this and other information in a time when cave paintings are still cutting edge. I don’t mind this when it’s done to keep the gameplay smooth; the flow-breaking alerts remind me it’s just a game. 

My other issue is that the game cannot be saved at any point besides the end of day. The default day length is 15 minutes, keeping the gameplay bite-sized for players with limited free time. I had moments of “Am I up for the daily chores right now?” but improved tools helped with that.

Conclusion

Roots of Pacha is a comfy life simulator. The game’s simple start eases players into a life of increasing depth and varied pursuits. The friendly cast and peaceful setting make it a great choice for unwinding after a long day. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even as a player coming from faster-paced games with higher stakes.

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The game was reviewed on PC.