Roots of Pacha: What’s Great, and Hopefully Better to Come

Roots of Pacha launched in April 2023 as a new take on the farming sim formula. After a bit of a publishing hiccup early on, it quickly became one of my personal favorites. In addition feeling fun and fresh, the developers laid out a roadmap for three major updates and are very upfront about timelines and delays.

So, what is this game?

Roots of Pacha is a farming sim in the vein of Stardew Valley and its ilk, set in a roughly Stone Age society. While explicitly ahistorical, the developers put a lot of thought into the development of humans in the time they were inspired by.

The game is described as “co-op first”, having been designed by two brothers who wanted people to have the ability to play together. It supports cross-play on all systems it is available on.

We’ll dive into each of the core facets of the game below.

Farming

Can’t have a farming sim without farming, huh? But rather than buying seeds, in Roots of Pacha you must find them. Throughout the world, there will be wild plants you can gather from. Once you find a type of plant, its seeds will be added to your Seed Pouch (a separate inventory from your other items) and can be planted in your fields. The seed pouch is shared between players, so if you pick up a potato seed in the forest, your friend can plant it back in the village!

As you grow more of a plant, you will gain knowledge about it. This helps you grow better, more nutritious versions of your crops. You will start with wild versions, then normal, good, better, and best quality domestic versions. And you can see the plants changing in your fields!

I love the visual cue of your progress with each plant. If a crop gives multiple harvests, like tomatoes, you can see it change after you harvest it. You know your next harvest will be even better!

Crops change with the seasons, but there are “bridge crops” between almost every two seasons. There is almost never a time when you have nothing in your fields.

Animal Taming

As the game progresses, you can invite various animals to live with you. Some are household pets, while others are useful livestock. Like crops, they are not simply bought. Each one must be found in the wild and befriended. I really like the little rhythm game, and each animal has a unique little tune!

Your livestock animals have 3 stats: production, base quality, and speed. Production tells you how often you can collect their product. Base quality (obviously) tells you how high quality the products will be before it raises as you befriend the animal. Speed tells you how fast the animal is, because your livestock also act as your mounts.

I really enjoy the livestock doing double duty as mounts. They still provide products normally and don’t take up an extra slot in your animal shed! As soon as you unlock mounts, summoning horns also get placed in a few key locations so you can easily call them to your side.

Fishing

Ah, the oft-dreaded fishing minigame. Full disclosure: I don’t mind them so much usually. But Roots of Pacha’s is uniquely relaxing. Rather than waiting for a bite and frantically managing a fishing bar, like in Stardew, for instance, you are presented with a placid pool. Fish will swim into the ring, and you will track them with your cursor until ready to be caught. They may swim under rocks, which halts your progress, but they will soon come out again.

Fish may spook. You will have to move off them for a time to avoid scaring them away. More difficult fish will spook more easily.

Like farming, you will gain knowledge about different fish. After reaching levels 3 and 5, they will be a little easier to catch. The quality of fish will also go up with your knowledge. Different fish will spawn in different areas at different times of the day and year, as well as with the weather, so try to do a little fishing as you explore!

Mining

In the mines, you will find materials to build and upgrade your tools, as well as hidden secrets and powers. Making your way through the map of the caves, you will encounter creatures in need of your help and pass tests of the spirits to progress.

I love the puzzles at certain points, the nonlinear progression, and the connections between caves in the different areas. You may enter in the forest and eventually discover the way to the beach! It makes the world feel just that much more cohesive. It’s hard to say too much about the mines without spoilers, but it’s really fun to explore!

Ideas

The main way you unlock new items in Roots of Pacha is when people in the Clan have Ideas. Since the game takes place in civilization’s infancy, things like wells and animal taming must be thought up. Different people in the clan will be inspired as you do things, and you can help them develop their ideas to gain new items and abilities!

This is another topic it’s hard to get too deep into without spoilers, but make sure to check in with people as you explore!

Closing Thoughts

This quickly became one of my favorite games after I got it. The characters of the Clan feel so alive with personality. And in my husband’s words when picking a romance candidate:

I love how they react and change after cutscenes, even other people’s. Illoe (my girl!) has a story about learning to relax. Other characters will comment on how glad they are that I’m helping her with that.

The festivals feel unique, and pretty much all of them have an activity. Whether it’s drawing at the Cave Painting Festival (which you can see while exploring the caves!), playing Bones with Tetih at Competition Day, or playing in a music competition on Carnival Day, you feel involved in the world.

Having children feels fun and meaningful. You need to check on them when they’re infants, and you can talk and dance with them as toddlers. You even watch them learn to walk! And people will talk about them!

The next update focuses A LOT on children. They will grow up, get personalities, and help on the farm!

Roots of Pacha is currently available on Steam, Switch, and PS4/5. The 1.2 update releases on July 31st, 2024, which will coincide with its release on Xbox. I highly recommend it if you are at all a fan of farming sims!