Roots of Pacha is a 2023 farm life simulation game set in the Stone Age. It was created and released by Soda Den, a company that raised money for the game through a Kickstarter campaign. The game allows up to four players to play together online.
Players can engage in activities like fishing, farming, taming wild animals, exploring caves, and forming romantic relationships. The game was inspired by the Stardew Valley and Story of Seasons series. It was also influenced by the book The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel. The game was released for PC, Mac, and Linux on April 25, 2023. It became available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 on November 28, 2023. Finally, it was released for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on July 31, 2024.
Plot
The player character and their clan move according to the spiritual guidance of the Clan's spiritual mother-goddess, Pacha. The player creates and customizes their character and meets Vuak, the clan shaman, who helps guide the clan during its journey to find a new home. After discovering the special Pacha Tree, the clan chooses to settle near it. Later, the player works with the rest of the clan to develop ideas, invent new technologies, and build the beginning of a civilization.
Gameplay
In the game Roots of Pacha, which is set in the Stone Age, players are mostly focused on making discoveries and developing new ideas. When players give items they have gathered or made, such as fish, meat, crops, and ores, they receive contribution points. These points work like money and also help the clan make progress in technology by creating new ideas.
Development
Roots of Pacha was created by Soda Den, a small game studio run by two brothers named Timo (Creb) and Joni (Berkza). The game was supported by a Kickstarter campaign, and Crytivo became the publisher in 2021.
Roots of Pacha was released for Windows and macOS through Steam on April 25, 2023. During development, the team planned to release the game on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch consoles.
The game was later removed from Steam. On May 13, Soda Den shared on Twitter that they were having a disagreement with Crytivo about the game’s rights. Crytivo said they had permission from Valve (Steam’s parent company) to remove the game without Soda Den’s approval. However, Crytivo later stated that Soda Den had contacted them two days after the game’s release to cancel their contract, which would end the money-sharing agreement between the two groups. Both Soda Den and Crytivo said they were working to fix the problem and bring the game back. According to Steam’s rules, games involved in team conflicts are taken down until the issue is resolved.
On May 26, Soda Den and Crytivo released a joint statement saying Roots of Pacha would return to Steam, and Soda Den would now handle the publishing rights.
Reception
According to Metacritic, a website that collects reviews, Roots of Pacha received "generally favorable" feedback. Lauren Morton of PC Gamer called the game "my favorite Stardew Valley –like game." Andrea Shearon, also writing for PC Gamer, noted that Roots of Pacha "builds on a type of game that finds happiness in everyday tasks." Sam Loveridge of GamesRadar+ highlighted the game's originality, stating that it "feels fresh and different, mainly because of its setting and how it handles progress."