Roots Of The Woods

The first episode of this Russian Brothers Grimm fairy-tale leaves much to be desired. It features two main characters - Trisha and Harland - as they navigate a strange anomalous post-apocalyptic world where the forest has become a dangerous place. However intriguing that plot may sound, [u] Roots of the Woods[/u] lacks the atmosphere, characterization, and psychological ambition which grounds fear in a purpose in a point-and-click purpose. The pervading tone or mood of the game is ominous. Harland is introduced as a thief who stumbles upon the pretense of a serious moral dilemma. Despite his bad English voice acting and translation, Harland has to choose whether to abandon a young child to a dead mother’s drug-infused crawlspace or take the child with her. The relationship that ensues between Harland and Trisha leaves no room for empathy for the characters during their dangerous odyssey through the forest. Psychologist Mark Davis suggests that there are two main types of empathy. The first is [i]perspective taking[/i]. This is putting yourself in another's shoes. Difficult when Harland is a jerk to a feral child raised on pure instinct and leftover alcohol from her dead mother’…

At this point “Roots of the Woods” is more of a promise of a game that can be potentially good than a wholesome experience. At 1-hour playtime it is terribly short even for an episode, but with working on certain things and expanding on game’s attractive dark aesthetic this can ultimately be turned into an enjoyable horror adventure. This is a point and click with muted, almost monochrome picture that is pleasing and works well for the overall story. Some visual emphasis when it comes to monsters would have made them stand out a bit more, but this muted simplicity does the job. It might just be the game’s best current asset. You play as Harland, a burglar with a sense of honor (or is it something more sinister that motivates him?) who is now stuck in a sort of rescue mission. Classic p’n’c interface comes with inventory and basic look at/pick up actions. The puzzles are, for the most part, easy but may turn head-scratching at times. Harland’s singular “I don’t need this” for every item you wrongfully attempt to pick up gets grating really fast, but overall he’s an easy-going guy who even gets to make some trivial (for now) choices that apparently can lead to changing the world of…

I really like the atmosphere of the game. Ominous and gloomy spirit of the forest and urban desolation. I heard that the dev team has expanded. New screenshots look very promising. Can't wait for the next episodes!