While browsing aimlessly on Steam the other day, I stumbled upon a survival game called Rooted. Although there are few available details at the time of this writing, it looks like it could be a promising entry in the PC post-apocalyptic survival genre.
Considering I had not heard of this title before this point (I do have a pretty good nose when it comes to sniffing this stuff out), I was surprised by how polished it currently looks. The basic character walking animation looks fluid, and the post-apocalyptic open-world setting looks pretty fleshed out. This is a world ostensibly reclaimed by nature after a bacteriological war seemingly toppled civilization.
There isn’t a ton to go off, aside from a short concept video and some screenshots. On the Rooted Steam page, the only news post from the Headlight Studio development team leaves a bit to be desired in the English translation department, which makes acquiring more details a bit of a crapshoot.
In the promotional material, the word evolve (or evolving) is mentioned a number of times with no clear context. This could just be a way to describe how the player can interact with the world and maybe level up their skills. It could also suggest there is some sort of an evolution aspect to Rooted that is perhaps the result of being exposed to the bacterial compound that brought about the end of the world. I’m thinking maybe something akin to the (admittedly underwhelming) mutations we saw in BioMutant. But there is still too little information to draw any real conclusions.
I’m not sure whether or not there will be combat in Rooted, and if there is, it’s hard to guess what form that will take. The Steam page does mention a bestiary, which suggests interaction with animals. Will those be run-of-the-mill wildlife or mutated monstrosities? That is still up in the air. But since the Steam page claims that the player can “Take advantage of all the elements to equip yourself, feed yourself and customize your crafts,” it isn’t unreasonable to assume that you won’t just be passively interacting with the world around you.
It’s also worth noting that the Steam page already states there will be full controller support, which is good news for me and my fellow stick jockeys. There is no release date as of yet, and it sounds like Rooted is still very early in development, so I don’t imagine we’ll be getting our hand on it any time soon. That being said, you can currently add it to your Steam wishlist to show the development team some support.
I’m a sucker for this sort of game — the nature-reclaimed fallout of a crumbled society à la The Last of Us (which the development team cites as an obvious influence) — so I’m already all in. But if the developer can manage to deliver more beyond just a gorgeous open-world design aesthetic, Rooted could be more than just a game that reminds me of other games.
From what I’ve seen so far, Rooted definitely looks like a game to watch, and considering if offers both cooperative and solo play, it should speak to a wide audience of players. I will definitely keep an eye on Rooted as its development progresses. Hopefully more information starts to roll out soon.
Rooted is currently slated for PC-only release, but the developers aren’t ruling out a possible console port some time in the distant future.
