Root (2018)

“If there is a praise I can give Root I’m not sure there are any higher than this: Everyone I’ve played with thinks one faction is overpowered, but no one agrees on which faction that is.”

Tim Chuon considers Root his second favorite board game of all time, highly praising its unique asymmetrical gameplay and the depth it offers with repeated plays.

The reviewer enthusiastically praises Root, highlighting its unique asymmetrical factions, deep strategic gameplay, and exceptional replayability, making it a highly engaging and satisfying experience despite initial learning challenges.

“It’s everything I want in a game! Asymmetrical factions, room for negotiations and betrayals, and thrilling economy-building… oh my! Cole Wehrle nailed it with this one, to the point where anything with his name on it is an instant blind purchase for me.”

“Root is a positively brutal game of competition among cuddly forest creatures, and it’s asymmetrical, so each player has their own meeples, rules, and goals.”

“I absolutely love Root. The game design is genius, and it’s a lot of fun to play.”

“It’s nuanced and complicated, without being elitist about it. It wants you to play it, to have fun in its world, and dive as deep as you feel comfortable with.”

“Root works because it is at once familiar and novel: a wargame with a cutesy theme disguising a highly asymmetric strategy affair.”

The reviewer considers Root one of his favorite games, highlighting its enjoyable combat, deep card play, and diverse factions, finding it a ton of fun despite some acknowledged complexities in solo/co-op rules and AI resolution.

The reviewer highly praises Root for its innovative take on area control with highly asymmetric factions, its appealing Redwall-like theme, and well-produced components, considering it a superior and enjoyable experience.

The video offers a high-level overview and 'how to play' guide for Root, describing it as an awesome board game that provides a quick understanding of its asymmetric mechanics and factions for players.

The Roll For Crit reviewers highly praised Root as a deep, interesting, and fun asymmetrical area control game, noting its unique qualities and considering it a strong contender for their top games of the year.

The reviewer ultimately highly recommends Root, praising its unparalleled asymmetry and engaging interplay between factions, despite acknowledging the significant challenge and "homework" involved in teaching the game to new players. They found it to be a game that offers a brilliant experience, despite some initial difficulties.

Tom Vasel enthusiastically recommends Root, praising its innovative asymmetrical gameplay, charming theme reminiscent of Red Wall, and high replayability due to the unique factions and solid mechanics.

The reviewer enthusiastically praises the digital adaptation of Root, highlighting its excellent presentation, tutorials, and challenge modes, noting that it successfully translates the core game while adding a unique digital identity.

The reviewer highly recommends the digital early access version of Root, finding it to be a fun and interesting adaptation of the board game, despite minor issues with camera controls in its early state.

The reviewer highly praises Root as an incredibly beautiful game with excellent, albeit brutal, mechanics, finding it addictive and well-themed despite some potential player count and price tag concerns.

“Root is an excellent game with some of the best asymmetry I’ve ever seen. Each of the four factions manages to make it feel like you’re playing an entirely different game while still keeping you interactive with the other players on the same board.”

The reviewer suggests that players who enjoy deep area control games with a charming aesthetic will likely find "Root" to be a highly engaging and enjoyable experience due to its unique blend of strategic gameplay and cute theming.

Quinns highly praises Root as a grand and inventive asymmetric war game, highlighting its exceptional design and replayability for experienced players. While acknowledging a steep learning curve, the review ultimately recommends the game, particularly with the Riverfolk expansion, for those willing to invest in understanding its depth.

“Root is very hard to put into a pigeon hole, due to the fact that every faction does things quite a bit different to every other faction. It sounds confusing, but it is absolutely glorious!”

“Reviewers express strong praise for Root, highlighting its replayability and engaging asymmetrical design. Despite a learning curve and the potential for rules mistakes in early plays, they find the direct conflict enjoyable and consider it a standout game.”

“Root is so strategically rich that's tricky to sum up with an 800-word retrospective review. Just know this: it's absolutely gorgeous, narratively interesting, and each of its factions is so unique, the game is tough to get tired of.”

No Pun Included highlights Root as a deeply rewarding and highly replayable game for players willing to invest time to master its strategic complexities and various factions, though they caution that its initial learning curve and distinct rulesets might deter casual players.

“Root is the sort of game that gets better, the more you play it.”

“Root’s base game is a well-assembled meat and cheese tray; people expecting more may be left hungry, but there’s plenty of people who want exactly what it’s offering, and a whole other set sticking around to order the full meal of expansions afterwards.”

“In summary, Root is a visually stunning and strategically rich board game that offers a unique asymmetrical experience. Its deep strategy, dynamic player interaction, and scalability make it a standout title for those who enjoy complex and competitive games.”

The reviewer found Root the RPG to be a well-conceived game that successfully merges serious themes with a charming aesthetic. Despite being somewhat hard to approach due to extensive explanations and organization, veteran players and dedicated newcomers will find it allows for memorable storytelling and engaging gameplay.

“This review praises Root for its unique and functional art style and solid component quality, which they feel justifies the price. The reviewer states they are happy to both own and play the game.”

“I would lie if I said I did not enjoy my time with Root. It was really fun, but I don’t see the base game getting too much table time in the future.”

The reviewer appreciates Root's deep asymmetry and well-integrated factions, but ultimately finds it too complex and time-consuming to learn and play regularly, expressing a preference for lighter games.