We Love It's Guide to…
In 1998, investigate a candy dynasty’s inheritance by searching the early web and rebuilding its sprawling family tree.
Released 15 Jan 2025
Search 1998 Archives
Rebuild a Family Tree
Match Names and Photos
A genealogical mystery straight out of 1998. Scour the early Internet for clues, uncover hidden connections, and piece together the family tree behind the secretive Roottree Corporation.
Developed by Evil Trout Inc. · Published by Evil Trout Inc.
Set in 1998, the game casts you as a genealogist hired to determine who counts as a blood relative of the wealthy Roottree family after a plane crash raises questions about its inheritance.
Investigate through a simulated early internet, searching websites and databases alongside books, periodicals, photos, and other records. Read across sources, follow names and clues, and use what you uncover to identify family members and their connections.
Fill in the family tree with names, photographs, and occupations. Correct entries are confirmed in batches as the investigation progresses, opening paths through a growing web of evidence. After the main case, Roottreemania offers a further family mystery to solve.
Players who enjoy close reading and deduction often praise the pleasure of following a small clue across documents until a family connection clicks, and of seeing correct entries confirmed. Reviews also repeatedly appreciate the retro-computer atmosphere and gradual hint system. Some players find the large volume of names and reading demanding, and opinions are more mixed on the harder Roottreemania investigation, the interface, and the story’s dramatic payoff.
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, Re-imagined 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:
Hand-drawn illustrations from acclaimed board game artist Henning Ludvigsen.
A 3D living-room perspective that ties together all the unique puzzle systems
An enhanced user interface with many quality of life improvements to make your mystery solving easier to use and more intuitive
Remastered music and sound effects, with fully voiced cinematics.
A handful of Easter eggs and little touches for those who can't get enough of the late ‘90s charm
Includes "Roottreemania", a brand new mystery
Find out what happens to the Roottree family following the events of the base game.
A whole new family tree to complete!
Discover the scandals, lies, and infidelities that took place behind the scenes of America's largest maple candy empire.
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux |
|---|---|
| Achievements | 22 |
| Age ratings |
|
| Controller required | No |
| DLC / extras | 1 listed on Steam |
| Metacritic | 86/100 View on Metacritic |
| Website | Official website |
