Yes and no. The main game is mostly the same, and you would have to complete it again. But it comes with a free expansion/sequel called Roottreemania that is more like an extra challenging second mystery.
jjohnstongames
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I'm really sorry to hear that! On the bright side, it's usually a lot easier to catch back up to where you were and sometimes by redoing searches you'll notice new things that might have seemed less useful the first time before you knew as much about the family.
Also, if you're enjoying it enough, it might be worth getting the Steam version (if possible) since you have to start over anyways. I know it might sound like I'm trying to make a sale, but that's not my intention.
The Steam version contains a bunch of extra hours (about 6-8 depending on how stuck you get) of more challenging content than this version of the game in a new mystery, but you can only experience the second mystery in the Steam version by finishing the main story, so if you had to re-do that work anyways it could go towards unlocking that
Right now we're working on The Incident at Galley House. It's a remake of a game called "Type Help".
I would estimate the earliest it could possibly be released is maybe March or April of 2026 but it's not really possible to know for sure (until we're closer to actually being able to test which is still a ways off) so to be safe I'd estimate sometime after that even.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3641000/The_Incident_at_Galley_House/
In the meantime I'd be sure to check out Return of the Obra Dinn and Curse of the Golden Idol if you haven't already. Those are probably the most often recommended games similar to Roottrees.
This game is meant to be played in a browser so there is no downloadable executable. There is a newer, better, downloadable version of the game available on Steam (but it is not free like this version)
I do believe if you use the itchio client you might still be able to download this free version. (I am not sure, this is just what I have been told by other users)
This is the original version of the game. It's different than the version on Steam, which has updated puzzles, changes to content, a better UI, and a whole expansion that does not exist in this version.
The history of the game is that I made this version and released it for free due to its use of AI art, then worked with another developer named Evil Trout to remake it from scratch for Steam with actual art and a MUCH better interface.
If you're stuck in the tutorial there's likely something wrong with your answers, but in very rare cases your browser might be preventing the game from saving, which can cause issues. If you come to the discord server using the link in the game and post screenshots of what is happening people can help you diagnose the problem.
At the moment we have no plans to continue with the Roottree family. We will be announcing a new project in the next few weeks (I will announce it here and also on our discord, as well as in the mailing list that you can find from the main menu of the Steam version) but it is not anything Roottree related.
That ending was meant to be a bit of a joke as opposed to a real teaser, Iam comfortable saying that if I were to make another family tree game it would be centered around a different group of people.
The evidence paper with Notable Roottrees is the best place to start. Pay attention to the yellow stars on the tree, because they are associated with that list. You should be able to place all of them (except one, but it should be clear which one when you look them up) just from doing research into them on your computer.
If you need specific hints after that I'd recommend coming to the discord from the menu link. People there are happy to help!
I'm not fully in charge of the Steam version (which would be the only one that could be ported) because it was made by a different developer. Even so I imagine it's unlikely.
The game is very heavily based around typing for "searching the internet" and highlighting text to make notes. While it is possible to bring up an onscreen keyboard all the time, using a controller to type has never really been a great solution.
The itchio version and steam version have no code in common (I did not work on the steam version, it is just based on the story from the game I made, with my blessing) so there is no way to take progress from one into the other.
Plus you have to play the first mystery before unlocking the second one so you will need to start over in the steam version anyways to get all of the content.
If you'd like to begin again without that risk and have a windows computer, come to the discord via the link on the main menu/in the settings, and someone can get you a downloadable version of the game that will save locally. (The web version saves into your browser cookies, so some ad-blockers/extensions/browsers have issues saving)
There's a small chance your antivirus/browser is preventing the game from moving forward. The hints you are looking for involve things on the page about the Roottree Sisters. One hint involves jewelry the other a shirt.
If you have definitely have them in the right spot, then try simply refreshing the browser tab. If you can't skip the opening newscasting scene, then your browser isn't allowing the game to save. If you do have a skip button now, it may autocomplete when you enter the game?
If you're still having trouble please come to the discord using the link in-game. Someone can get you a downloadable version of the game that doesn't require browsers to behave.




