PREHISTORIC BLISS

ROOTS OF PACHA innovates in the Stone Age without reinventing the wheel

- Andrea Shearon

I 've spent decades inheriting farms in desperate need of rehabilitation. On acres of forgotten land, I methodically till, plant, and harvest until I've grown popular with the locals. My reputation as an expert farmer earns me a modest living, and I'm often up plowing before sunrise, sometimes working until a neighbour finds me facedown in a pile of turnips. That's all in Harvest Moon, by the way. In reality, I can hardly keep a cactus alive.

Roots of Pacha is a prehistoric farming simulator that brilliantly iterates on a genre famous for finding joy in the monotonous and mundane. It quickly establishes its interest in building community more than its genre cousins. Instead of leaving first-time farmers to fend for themselves, your clan settles together. I spent my first spring as a Pachan living in my grandparent’s home, and with their help, I steadily accrued ‘contribution’—Pacha’s currency with a communal spin.

As an individual, I earn contribution by dropping items into the community bin. I can spend points on tools, seeds and the like, but I’m not the only one who benefits from the success. My contribution feeds into a secondary prosperity pool, which unlocks better village infrastructure for the clan. Everyone’s growth adds to the sum.