“Roots of Pacha: The Prehistoric Farm Simulator that Outshines Stardew Valley”

I have a huge weakness for farm simulators like this Harvest Moona, Story of Seasons Whether Stardew Valley. This third title is basically the last really successful attempt by this genre to steal my free time. I spent over 200 hours with this production and I didn’t think anything could match it. And I tested all the news that appeared after Stardew Valley. Therefore, I am pleased to announce that I have finally come across a worthy alternative in the form of Roots of Pacha.

Stardew Valley, only prehistoric?

Roots of Pacha it’s prehistoric in short Stardew Valley. If you love the latter title, you will definitely like the first one. This time, however, you will not inherit the farm from your grandfather and you will not have to help the town. Instead, you will go back to the Stone Age and try to survive in the wild together with your tribe.

Embedding a farm game in such unusual realities is a bull’s-eye for me. I’ve had enough of classic tomatoes, I’m fed up with chickens and cows. Instead, I welcomed strange tubers, goats, and mammoths. And the money? It hasn’t been invented yet, so long live barter with tribesmen, where the currency is… contribution to the development of the village!

This is the leitmotif Roots of Pachaor FAMILY COOPERATION! At every step, the role of the entire tribe is emphasized, in which each member contributes to the well-being of the community. And in fact, everyone has their tasks to do, and at the end of the day there is a summary of the development of the settlement. This, in turn, translates into access to new technologies and tools!

Really good Pacha

Swapping the city with random NPCs for tribesmen is a phenomenal idea, thanks to which Roots of Pacha exceeds not only Stardew Valleybut also other farm games. Developers used prehistoric atmospheres to tell an interesting, yet simple story. This is also an element that I miss in this type of productions, i.e. a non-intrusive plot with meaning. In this case, our capabilities depend on the progress made in it, so not everyone will like it – there is no such freedom from day one as in other titles.

On the other hand, thanks to this, we actually get to know other inhabitants of the village. They take an active part in the development of the tribe, and also help us by suggesting new ideas to make life easier, the so-called. ideas. In this way, we gain new technologies while maintaining immersion! A simple concept that made the gameplay so much more fun.

The patent for rearranging the standard equipment also deserves applause. W Roots of Pacha tools are in one menu, seeds in another, and we keep everything else in a pouch. Items are much easier to manage this way, although it takes a while to get used to the controls. I definitely recommend playing with a pad, but a mouse with a keyboard also works.

How to learn from the best

Roots of Pacha is full of small improvements, which can be seen in the comparison with Stardew Valley – the developers clearly played this title and drew conclusions. For example, the map shows where exactly the tribesmen are located, and during crafting we get information on how long it will take, for example, to bake a fish. There is also a place to catch them, which is a very nice mini-game. In fact, there are much more of the latter here!

There are no animal traders on the prehistoric farm, so you have to tame them, which is associated with an easy rhythm game. In the mine, in turn, there are simple puzzles that introduce you to shamanic aspects Roots of Pacha. There are also mounts to move around the map faster, but there is no combat, which was a relief. While it would fit the climate of the game, I did not like it in it Stardew Valley and here I do not feel disappointed because of its absence. Mainly because Roots of Pacha in terms of the pace of the game, it is much calmer and relaxing.

I also got the impression that when it comes to events, the fun seems much more lively. Every now and then something happens, and the holidays are interactive – there are no scenes to tap and forget. In addition, there is a simple system of developing our character through bonuses, the mechanics of objectives with prizes to achieve, completely free building, as well as more options related to crops or animal husbandry. It’s just more and better!

There is no Early Access, but there is multiplayer!

At the end, I left the two most important advantages, i.e. the lack of Early Access and the presence of multiplayer. Roots of Pacha was released in full version, which is unusual for an indie game and which I really appreciate. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of playing defective productions and waiting another year for them to be finished. Unfortunately, most titles in this genre suffer from this affliction, with Coral Island at the forefront (which, by the way, I’m waiting for!). Here, in turn, we have something ready, so this project deserves applause for that.

I was also surprised by the really well-executed multiplayer. It seems Roots of Pacha was created with co-op gameplay in mind and works quite well in this field. With friends you can actually create a real tribe! In all of this, I can only fault the game’s price – Roots of Pacha it is too expensive in my opinion. Over PLN 100 for an indie farming sim title is really a lot, especially when it’s like this Stardew Valley it’s almost half the price.

In addition, I feel in my bones that due to prehistoric climates, the game will not arouse much interest and will not gain adequate media publicity. Maybe it will even go unnoticed, which would be a pity, because it’s a real gem with which I plan to spend long hours. So I guess the creators Roots of Pacha they will update their work all the time, even with paid add-ons. Why? Only a few hours behind me and I already want more of this fossil! So let me now jump on the ostrich and stomp back to gaming.