Root

Root is the digital adaptation of the asymmetric board game by Leder Games. In an area inhabited by cats, birds and other woodland animals, different factions compete for control. Dire Wolf turns the rules into a turn-based strategy game with an animated game board, single-player matches and cross-platform duels.

Root was released for PC, iOS and Android on September 24, 2020. Before that, Early Access began on Steam on August 20, 2020. The Nintendo Switch version followed on November 16, 2021. Since then, expansions have added more factions, cards and game variants.

Root is available for PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android. The PC version supports Windows and macOS. A Dire Wolf account lets you play cross-platform multiplayer matches. According to the developer, expansions are unlocked across multiple devices through the account when the base game is present there.

Each match spreads actions across different factions. Players move pieces between clearings, control paths, gather resources, build structures and start battles. Cards allow additional actions and items. The central challenge is not only mastering your own faction, but also recognizing the completely different plans of your opponents in time.

The Riverfolk expansion adds a trading company and the Lizard Cult. Clockwork expands Root with automated woodland factions and cooperative rules. Exiles & Partisans & Vagabonds adds an alternative card set and three Vagabonds. Underworld adds the Underground Duchy, the Crow Conspiracy and two cards. Marauder expands the forest with the Lords of the Hundreds and the Iron Wardens. Further content such as Mercenaries and landmark locations changes the possible combinations.

For Windows, the PC version requires at least an Intel Pentium D or AMD Athlon 64 X2, 2 GB RAM, a DirectX 11 or OpenGL 3.x graphics card and 1 GB of free storage. At least 4 GB RAM is recommended. The current Steam client requires Windows 10 or newer, even though older game requirements list earlier Windows versions.

The Marquise de Cat builds production buildings and controls large parts of the forest. The Eyrie Dynasties must follow the orders of their leader. The Woodland Alliance spreads sympathy and starts uprisings. The Vagabond moves alone, completes tasks, trades and decides situationally on allies and enemies. Each side requires a different strategy.

Unlike many classic strategy games, not all factions reach victory the same way. Building, controlling clearings, successful revolts and the actions of the Vagabond create different ways to score victory points. This means other factions' abilities stay important even when they have few units on the board.

Root supports single player, local multiplayer matches and online PvP with crossplay. Asynchronous matches let you play your turns at different times. The digital tutorials explain the asymmetric basic rules and help you get started with new factions. With the Clockwork expansion, automated opponents and cooperative matches are added too.

The original forest map connects clearings through a network of paths. The Underworld expansion adds a mountain map with blockable routes and a lake map with a ferry. These boards change the meaning of individual connections instead of just swapping the scenery.

In the base game, opponents can be controlled by the computer. The separately available Clockwork expansion introduces four special automated factions: Mechanical Marquise 2.0, Electric Eyrie, Automated Alliance and Vagabot. Several people can team up against these opponents.

The digital version explains movement, combat and faction actions in interactive lessons. Additional challenges set fixed tasks with special game situations. Expansions such as Marauder have their own guides and extra tasks at different difficulty levels.

German on-screen text is supported on Steam. The English version also offers voice-over and subtitles. Other interface languages are French, Italian, Spanish, simplified Chinese, Czech, Japanese, Polish and Russian. On PC, controller support is partial.

A Dire Wolf account links the digital versions. According to Dire Wolf, purchased expansions are unlocked on the supported platforms once the base game is installed on the respective devices and the account is linked. The base game itself is sold separately for each platform.