Roots of Pacha
A Stone Age farm life sim inspired by Stardew Valley.
Roots of Pacha is a 2023 farm life sim indie video game set in the Stone Age, developed and published by Soda Den. It was funded through a Kickstarter campaign and allows up to four players to play online together. The game was inspired by the Stardew Valley and Story of Seasons series and heavily influenced by the book *The Clan of the Cave Bear* by Jean M. Auel.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Roots of Pacha
- Developer
- Soda Den
- Platforms
- Linux · macOS · Windows · Nintendo Switch · PlayStation 4 · PlayStation 5 · Xbox One · Xbox Series X/S
- Released
- April 25, 2023
- Genre
- Farm life sim, role-playing
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Roots of Pacha is set in the Stone Age, where the player character and their clan migrate following the spiritual guidance of the Clan's mother-goddess, Pacha. The player creates and customizes their character and meets Vuak, the clan shaman, who guides the clan in its quest for a new home. Upon finding the revered Pacha Tree, the clan settles near it, and the player develops ideas alongside the clan, creating technological innovations and laying the foundations of civilization. Gameplay revolves around making discoveries and generating ideas; players donate goods such as fish, meat, harvested crops, and ores to earn contribution points, which function as currency and contribute to the clan's technological advancement by causing new ideas to be generated. The village offers activities including fishing, farming, wild animal domestication, cave exploration, and romantic relationships.
Reader's Guide
Roots of Pacha received generally favorable reviews from critics. PC Gamer's Lauren Morton called it 'my favorite Stardew Valley–like game,' while Andrea Shearon wrote that it 'brilliantly iterates on a genre famous for finding joy in the monotonous and mundane.' Sam Loveridge of GamesRadar+ praised the game's originality, stating it 'manages to feel unique and refreshing, mostly because of its setting and its approach to progression.' The game was developed by Soda Den, a small studio of two brothers, Timo (Creb) and Joni (Berkza). It was funded through Kickstarter, with Crytivo stepping in as a publisher in 2021. Shortly after its initial release, the game was delisted from Steam due to a dispute between Soda Den and Crytivo over the rights to the game. Soda Den stated that Crytivo had authorized Valve to remove it without their consent, while Crytivo responded that the developers had contacted them about canceling their contract two days after publication. Both parties announced efforts to restore the game, and on May 26, 2023, they issued a joint statement confirming Roots of Pacha would return to Steam with Soda Den taking over publishing rights.
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