Thinky Games

The Roottrees are Dead

Scour the early internet to reconstruct the Roottree's family tree and identify the heirs to their fortune.

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Game trailer

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Here's an excerpt from The Roottrees are Dead's Steam description:

The year is 1998. A private jet belonging to the Roottree Corporation has crashed. On it were the Roottree Sisters and their parents. Combined, they were worth over a billion dollars.

Now, due to the eccentricities of their great-great-grandfather Elias, their money must be redistributed to the rest of the family. But who's actually a BLOOD RELATIVE? That's where you come in.

Armed only with the power of your mighty dial-up modem, you'll scour for photos, books, articles and other evidence. Then, you'll make connections and deductions based on the family relationships you uncover. With every spot on the tree you fill in correctly, the names and photos left in your possession will have fewer and fewer places to go — but the evidence will also be harder and more obscure to find.

Can you put together the final pieces of the puzzle?

The Acclaimed Armchair Detective Game, Reimagined on Steam

The Roottrees are Dead was originally created for the Global Game Jam 2023 and released as a free browser game. It was beloved by many for its clever puzzles, retro computing interface and novel world-building. The Steam version is the same great game, but enhanced in many ways:

  • Pure puzzler

  • Has narrative

  • No timing or dexterity

  • No randomness during problem solving

  • Not grid-based

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    Game trailer

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    DevelopersJeremy Johnston and Robin Ward
    PublisherEvil Trout
    Release date15 January 2025
    GenresPuzzle, Detective
    VibesDark, Mysterious

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