Rebuild after Ragnarok in roguelike city-builder Roots of Yggdrasil
Mind the Ginnungagap.
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Traditionally, if someone asks whether you can survive “the end of the world”—meaning the metaphysical destruction of all things and a return to some kind of void-state—the answer is a resounding “no.”
ManaVoid Entertainment, however, is releasing Roots of Yggdrasil, a roguelike city-builder about the Vikings that survive Ragnarok, the end of the world, and just… keep on keeping on. They try to find their scattered clans and rebuild the world.
“Ragnarok left a broken and unbalanced world in its wake. Now caught in an endless loop of destruction, you must nurture the World Tree Yggdrasil back to life to break the cycle and restore the Nine Realms to their former glory,” says the official description.
Most interesting here is that each attempt at city-building is hounded by the encroachment of Ginnungagap, the primal void from which the world sprang and to which it was fated to return. Your settlements are forced to embrace a nomadic lifestyle, as each new island you explore to inevitably collapses.
It looks to have a blend of gameplay inspired by placement-driven city builders likeIslanders, but at the same time taking inspiration from the excellent gameplay ofAgainst the Storm, which is very good indeed.
Meanwhile, expeditions return to The Holt, a permanent settlement protected by the magic of the world tree that houses your clan and lets you trade, store, and stockpile upgrades for future expeditions. It’s also where you’ll interact with the scions, heroes, gods, and monsters from Norse myth that can lend their powers to your settlements.
You can findRoots of Yggdrasil on Steam.
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Jon Bolding is a games writer and critic with an extensive background in strategy games. When he’s not on his PC, he can be found playing every tabletop game under the sun.
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