Rusty Lake:
Roots

Rusty Lake: Roots (2016) is an unusual point-and-click puzzle-horror game that has you piecing together your family tree. With a wide range unusual puzzles and game mechanics, like growing a literal family tree, it tells a story of a broken family and dark secrets and creates a sense of empathy and understanding for the characters within.

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You play James Vanderboom, who returns to the Rusty Lake area as the sole heir of his family, inheriting the ancient family house. You piece together your long and complex family tree from the 1860s to the 1930s, uncovering hidden secrets and long-lost ancestors as you piece together the dark and uneasy story of your past.

You progress through the game by expanding your family tree, a literal tree you water and nurture to help it grow. This unlocks new levels, corresponding to different family members, reaching backwards through time.

Gameplay is similar to other Rusty Lake games; you collect items and use them to complete puzzles and unlock hints. For example, you can find a code on a letter, which you can use to unlock a case containing useful items, or giving people in a photo specific hats to unlock a secret. While the puzzles are very difficult, they are always doable given your current information (or access to it), making it a challenge with great reward.

It's a unique game and entry into the Rusty lake franchise, with a unique setting and story to tell, that offers unique puzzles, progression systems, and a chance to muse deeply on the game's complex story and many mysteries.

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Our examiner, Ben Kendall, first checked Rusty Lake: Roots 24 months ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 23 months ago.