Roots of Yggdrasil Review | PC

There is no greater tragedy than the twilight of the gods, Ragnarok. It is the cumulative finale after a long line of seemingly innocent accidents. It is a tale that shows that even the greatest of beings will eventually die, and all things must come to an end. Ragnarok is also a tale of hope, for death is a cycle, and for whatever was once there, something else will take its place. Roots of Yggdrasil tells the story of the last few surviving humans that try to make a new life after the end of days… And it is gorgeous.

 

ManaVoid Entertainment has made quite an impressive name for itself. The small studio based in Montreal, Canada, was first formed in 2014. The studio released their first title, Epic Manager, which takes two very different genres, those being a Sports Management game with an RPG and somehow makes a fun little party management title that is just fun to play. Due to it being their first title, Epic Manager does have a few flaws, but that's to be expected. Their second game, Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan, seems to show that the studio has learned quite a bit from their first game. This time around, ManaVoid fused a creature catcher with a 2.5D Puzzle Platformer, and it is just absolutely delightful.

However, the true combination of their work comes in the form of Roots of Yggdrasil. A game that doesn't just fuse two video game genres but instead fuses three together, and the result is a game that is a seamless fusion of all three that just meld incredibly well. The genres in question are roguelike, city-builder, and deck builder. That's right: ManaVoid took three of the most oversaturated indie game genres and made a game that not only stands on its own but also outshines the rest. 

In Roots of Yggdrasil, we play as Sunna, a Viking airship captain who is sailing across the fragments of the world, which has been shattered after the events of Ragnarok. Aboard your airship is the sassy botanist, Lif, and the cocky builder, Thrasir. Yes, their names are a reference to the first man and woman to survive the events of Ragnarok, and coincidentally, they are technically the first man and woman you meet. Your ship is filled with the last remains of humanity who are seeking to find a way to rebuild, but alas, your fuel is running low, and your ship doesn't exactly run on thoughts and prayers. Your ship is unique and instead runs on Eitr, a rare yet powerful energy that can only be found in Yggdrasil Saplings. These saplings also just so happen to be incredibly rare.

 

Eitr is an incredible power source that not only powers your ship but also your settlements. As mentioned before, humanity has become scattered after the events of Ragnarok, and whenever you get a chance, Sunna and the rest of the people need to settle down while they search for Saplings and Eitr. When you initially start Roots of Yggdrasil, you will have access to only a few buildings, these being Sturdy Housing and Barracks. These buildings are also tied to the various resources you have at your disposal - Population, Might and Supplies. The game is a pretty standard city builder but without the need to generate money. Instead, all the elements of the game work into each other. Supplies fuel your Population, Population fuels Might, and Might allow you to explore the broken floating islands and discover more. As you progress through the game, you will unlock more and more resources to manage, such as materials and Eitr, but your main focus will always be Population, Might, and Supplies.

Not having to worry about money isn't the only thing that sets Roots of Yggdrasil apart from other city builders, and that's because the game is also a deck builder. Unlike other typical city builders where you can place down whatever you want, in Roots of Yggdrasil, you are limited by what cards you have in your hand and deck. Each turn, you will have a limited amount of cards that you will need to play in order to expand your civilization. Each card costs a certain amount of Supplies to use, but depending on what they are, they can also add on and replenish what was lost. However, in order to get new cards, you will need to end your Turn. At the end of your turn, depending on what you put down, you will gain either more Might, Supplies or Population. It cannot be overstated how carefully you need to play your cards, as a poorly planned out hand can leave you greatly lacking in one of your primary resources.

As for how you get new cards, you can come across various Loops on the map. Loops are called that because they take a certain number of turns to complete. Loops can be a double-edged sword as while they can give you bonuses, boosts in resources, new cards, and items, they do take time and can also cost you resources. However, Loops aren't the only way to earn cards; you can also earn cards by reaching a Population goal. A population goal is when you put down a certain amount of houses on a map. This also means the higher the population, the more supplies they need, which in turn means, the less you have to play new cards.

 

As mentioned earlier, you have a limited number of cards in your hand, and whatever cards you don't have will be put in your Drawer pile. On the other hand, whatever cards you use will be put in your Discard pile. At the end of every Turn, your Discard pile gets added to your Draw Pile. It is advised that you try to get as many unique cards as possible, but just remember not all cards are good. Occasionally, players will run into Curse cards - these are cards that don't do anything and just fill a slot in your hand while lessening what you can do by one card. You should try to remove these cards as soon as possible during Loops that allow you to.

The main goal of Roots of Yggdrasil is to try and get to the Yggdrasil saplings as soon as possible but that won't always be easy, as you will run into Threats. Threats are overworld events that hinder your movements or resource generation. Each Threat is entirely unique, and they all come with their own requirements in order to resolve them; this could mean either needing a certain amount of Might or requiring you to build specialized buildings, such as an Observatory, to smite them. There are two main types of threats: weather and loop threats. As you can tell, loop threats are Threats that take a certain amount of Turns to defeat, while Weather threats require the Observatory to defeat. Both types of Threats tend to hinder your advancement toward the sapling and should be dealt with as soon as possible.

Saplings, much like Threats, also have certain requirements in order to harvest their Eitr. Oftentimes, these are easy to fulfill and merely require you to build the necessary type of building around their roots to help feed them Eitr. Buildings such as the Observatory can often help give you a boost with Sapling growth. Buildings like the Observatory generate Eitr, which helps the Saplings Bloom quicker, giving you more time to work with. You can link Eitr to Yggdrasil Saplings via Eitr Connectors. These don't cost anything to put down, but they have limited cards; these can carry Eitr to and from Saplings to help them, Bloom, faster, but you need to plan their placements carefully.

 

Now, you're probably curious as to why it is important that you get Yggdrasil Saplings to bloom as soon as possible, and that's because of the Dark Fog. The Dark Fog is the reason why humanity is constantly on the run; this strange entity came after Ragnarok and consumed all in its path. Whenever you need to land to harvest Eitr, it is essentially a race against time, as after a while, the Dark Fog creeps in and starts devouring all in its path. On the top of your screen, there is a bar that shows how long you have before the Dark Fog appears; you cannot waste time placing buildings how you want; you need to plan your movements carefully. If you are successful in gaining Eitr, it is recommended that you leave as soon as possible as this gives you more time to explore the overmap along with picking up more cards and resources, but remember, the Dark Fog is always following you.

In your journey across the broken shards of Midgard, you may come across other individuals who have been scattered after Ragnarok. However, these individuals may not be entirely human. In your journey, you will come across humans, Valkyries and even former gods, all of which add their unique perks and abilities to your tool kit. These abilities can come in incredibly handy in a pinch and can range from giving you more time to explore the world to allowing you to build a few buildings free of charge. You will even have a chance to upgrade these perks in Lif's Greenhouse for the small price of acorns. Acorns are found whenever you allow a Yggdrasil Sapling to bloom, and if you meet all the requirements, the value and strength of the acorn increase.

Roots of Yggdrasil is just packed full of details and not just in its gorgeous art style. The game's story is packed full of small hints and references to old Norse Mythology and other Nordic folktales. From references to Ratatoskr and Nidhoggr to small details such as Thrasir’s hammer looking like Mjollnir, the game has put in an effort to try to make a world that does its inspirations justice and presents them in a way that oozes charm and style.

 

Another highlight of the game is its gorgeous soundtrack. ManaVoid is well known for its phenomenal sound design, and Roots of Yggdrasil is no exception. The music gives the game an air of mystery as if it were in a time long past. The music features traditional Nordic instruments such as horns and Tagelharpa. It gives the whole game a sense of both fantasy and authenticity. ManaVoid will definitely need to release a soundtrack because this is some of their best work to date.

Roots of Yggdrasil is an absolute must-play and shows that ManaVoid has come a long way since Epic Manager. Their latest offering is a game that seamlessly blends game genres and gives us a game that we can easily sink hours upon hours into. The game is incredibly approachable, doesn't overwhelm the player in mechanics, and would serve as an excellent entry point into both the city management and deck-building genres. The game also features a stunning soundtrack we will likely play on a loop for the next few weeks.

Daman Shelley (@UndeadandTired)
Editor, NoobFeed