Vanderboom family tree · Main route

Rusty Lake: Roots Walkthrough

A compact, executable checklist for every portrait. Levels can unlock nonlinearly, so match by title rather than the position of its frame.

Updated Sep 26, 2026Levels 33Coverage Main ending

James and the house

Levels 1–8

Official level order

1 · The Tree: read James’s letter, enter 572 on the suitcase, take the bone and seed, fill the can at the well, give the bone to the dog, plant the seed in the hole and water it twice; click James and the white square.
2 · The House: move the stool to James, take the worm and white diamond from the pots, break off the twig, use James and the twig to drop the nest, hatch and feed the crow, take the green diamond, break the window diamond and fit both diamonds into the door.
3 · The Uncle: open the umbrella, collect it and the axe, move the stool under Uncle, cut the branch in the marked sequence, give him the umbrella, then finish the swing/branch action until the white square appears.
4 · The Stairs: collect the loose book and emblem pieces, place them in the wall frame, rotate the pieces into one image, then arrange the stair symbols in the same order to expose the study entrance.
5 · Finding Love: give James the rose, assemble Mary’s handkerchief message, use the two portrait clues to open the small box, place the ring on Mary and click the couple.
6 · Childbirth: collect the scissors, spoon and pestle; prepare and give the medicine, cut the cord, wash the babies in turn, then place each child in the matching cradle before clicking Mary.
7 · The Elixir: weigh the bottles as +=1, dot=2, wave=3, x=4, circle=5; pour wave, x, x, circle into the vase, give the elixir to the dog and then James, and click the fallen glass.
8 · The Wake: take both coins, solve the cabinet into the deer-and-roots picture, place the coins on James’s eyes, light the candles in their displayed order, then close and reopen the coffin.

The three children

Levels 9–16

9 · Child’s Play: give the children their toys, reproduce the target throws with the slingshot, repair the butterfly jar, then follow the children’s pointing order until the bee reaches Albert.
10 · Fertility: cross-pollinate matching flowers with the bee, place the four blossoms in their color-matched pots, collect the seeds and feed them to the plant until Emma’s baby is revealed.
11 · The Swing: take the knife and pipe pieces, cut and join the rope, attach the seat, then pump the completed swing until Frank reaches the nest and the scene completes.
12 · The Search: use the telescope to follow the bird, copy its four positions onto the cabinet, enter 126, ink and stamp Emma’s letter, seal it in the tube and attach it to Harvey.
13 · The Painting: take shell, turmeric, berries, oil and brush; grind shell/berries/turmeric separately with oil for white/red/yellow paint, add them to the palette, then paint every numbered flower shape to match the potted flowers.
14 · The Well pt. 1: lower food and water to Frank, exchange the paper clues through the bucket, set the top mechanism from Frank’s symbols, then lower the ladder and take the hand from the wall opening.
15 · The Bathroom: heat the water, assemble the pipe route, fill the tub, wash Albert, then use the razor and mirror clues to collect the required hair and finish the portrait.
16 · The Stars: repair the telescope, align each constellation, copy the star patterns onto the wall device, then use the revealed positions to open the box and give Leonard his timepiece.

Family rituals

Levels 17–24

17 · The Clock: collect the gears and weights, fit them into the clock, use the family portrait ages for the hands, wind the movement and take the timepiece that emerges.
18 · The Fortune Teller: light the candle, place every tarot card, look into Ida’s sphere, then rearrange the cards to match the six visions—Empress, Devil, Death, Hanged Man, Hermit and Star.
19 · The Wedding Photo: open the upper dresser with white×4, black×3, white×5, black×3, white×4; open the lower with W2 B1 W2 B3 W2 B1 W2; give Samuel top hat, Ida veil, Albert mask, Emma bowler, Leonard cap and Mary ribbon hat, then take the photo.
20 · The Family Band: collect the three instruments, place every family member, use the sheet’s note order on the correct performers, and repeat the completed melody until the white square appears.
21 · The War Hero: open Leonard’s case from the medal clue, assemble the gas mask, fit it to Leonard, then remove the bandages in order and place the recovered body part in the jar.
22 · The Trenches: pass each mine only when the field clue marks a safe square, use the shovel where indicated, repair the grenade, throw it into the enemy position and collect Leonard’s severed foot.
23 · The Treasure: combine the birthdays into 22 33, open the box for the piercer, break Albert’s grave stone, recover all six bones, assemble the skeleton and take the timepiece from its mouth.
24 · The Lying Game: inspect every statement and hidden card, use the snow outside to identify the liars, enter 3794 on the locker, then place the recovered tarot cards by the High Priestess/Devil/Chariot/Empress truth rules.

Sacrifices and rebirth

Levels 25–33

25 · Masks: collect each mask and give it to Albert, use the window/moon clue 5231 on the box, take the butterfly, place it before Albert and let him strike it.
26 · Voodoo: match the dolls to Samuel and Ida, place pins where the wall diagram indicates, alternate the two dolls to reproduce the dance, then collect the eye sacrifice.
27 · The Brood: feed the child, move the pipes to route milk to each bottle, place the three babies in the marked baskets, then follow Albert’s hand sequence to reveal the sacrifice.
28 · Communication: connect the telephone, copy Rose’s symbols into the planchette board, answer with the matching yes/no positions, then use the final letters to open the cabinet and recover the voice.
29 · Checkmate: move the knight through the first legal sequence to take the king; on the letter board move B4, A2, C1, A2, C3, E4, D2, F1 to spell CEREBRUM, let Frank choke Albert, cut out the brain and jar it.
30 · The Well pt. 2: send the berries, cup and rope down to Frank, mirror his symbols on Rose’s machine, raise him one stage at a time, then open the grate and pull him out.
31 · The Last Dance: solve all six sliding-block drawers, take and play the record, then tap Rose, Rose, Frank, Frank, Rose, Rose, Rose, Frank, Frank, Frank, Rose, Rose; take Rose’s key.
32 · The Graveyard: ring the bell twice, follow the bird to each grave, use dates and family clues to open the graves, collect and assemble all bones, then give Rose the recovered gold timepiece.
33 · Roots: take Rose’s gold, Leonard’s bronze and Frank’s silver timepieces; place them in the three slots, add every collected sacrifice to its marked vessel, turn the machine, click Rose and the roots until all sacrifices are absorbed, then follow the baby/tree/clock sequence to the ending.

Verification register

How these steps were checked

Official walkthrough confirmation: Rusty Lake’s official 33-level video index.

Cross-checked step-by-step source: Gamezebo’s complete written route. Level names and fixed codes were compared against the official videos; wording is original.

Rusty Lake: Roots Walkthrough

Related Products & Further Reading