I recently relocated to a suburban area with plenty of “wild” parkland and some untamed patches of woodland. I enjoy taking walks in the woods during the evening, especially after a day spent writing mundane listicles about Call Of Duty. Forests have always been a significant interest of mine – you should read my in-depth analysis on Alan Wake 2 – as they provide a space for solitude and contemplation, allowing me to escape the stresses of daily life and immerse myself in the beauty of nature. But there’s one thing that always lingers in the back of my mind: the roots.
Roots are omnipresent yet unseen in the forest. I can sense their presence through the different sounds of the soil beneath my feet, but I can never pinpoint their exact locations. As far as my amateur knowledge of tree physiology goes, roots absorb water and nutrients from the soil. While this may seem harmless, the act of absorption is limitless. A root that drinks water could potentially absorb other fluids as well – blood, tears, the essence of the human soul, or the remnants of nightmares.
These thoughts have been occupying my mind after reading about Roots Devour. It’s a strategic management game and card game where you control a malevolent eldritch tree striving to become the top Elder God in a forest teeming with equally sinister creatures. The goal is to achieve this within 30 in-game days by expanding your roots and “organs” (do trees have organs?), collecting the blood of other organisms, and confronting unspecified threats. Additionally, you can gain the loyalty of wild human tribes or manipulate their destinies from the shadows.
The game is depicted as laying out cards on a tabletop, sparking my imagination to view other card games as hidden forests, hopefully not ones that consume their players. For more information and to view a trailer, you can visit Steam – there’s likely a full English version in the works. If you’re interested in a real-time concept of being an ever-expanding mass of tendrils, consider playing Carrion.
