Some of my favorite genres come together in Roots of Yggdrasil. We’ve got city building, roguelike elements, and a sprinkling of card mechanics all in one. Instead of building up one metropolis like in Cities Skylines 2, you’re stuck in a Norse mythology time loop and need to master the mechanics to find a way out. Plus, there’s a drafting and deckbuilding system that persists between runs to help you get further each time.
As far as city building games go, Roots of Yggdrasil is one of the more unique takes on the genre I’ve seen. Trading out long-form city creation for a smaller playspace and a reason to keep upgrading between runs.
You’ll always have your hub in The Holt, but every time you fail to avoid the Ginnungagap – an endless void in Norse mythology – you start over. The Holt can get permanent upgrades, however, new mechanics, and you can build decks at the start of each run, too.
Each island is randomly generated per run as well, with the cast of characters not just offering up conversation but also giving you some special buffs and modifiers for each loop, too.
So if you’re familiar with the broad roguelike sensibilities of Hades and Dead Cells and love the city building of Cities Skylines but want something with more of a fantasy tinge to it, Roots of Yggdrasil is definitely for you.
You can find Roots of Yggdrasil over on Steam right now, with a planned Steam Early Access launch on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, next year.
While you wait for Roots of Yggdrasil we’ve put together some great roguelike games, alongside some great card games if that speaks to you instead.
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