Kynseed Reviews

Kynseed is a shockingly robust and fully realised fantasy farming-sim that may overwhelm at first but rewards patience with its countless interlocking systems.

Kynseed is beautiful and the general vibe leans heavily towards a classic cosy RPG. However, as you play, there is a near-constant sense of slight unease, a feeling that something strange is going on in this cosy land of Quill and that things may not be as they seem. This ominous feeling is a wonderful contrast to the otherwise very tranquil setting.

If you want combat that feels unmatched in a life sim, Kynseed has it. If you want to look at beautiful pixel art, and hear a soundtrack that fits a game exceptionally well, Kynseed has that too. You can pick what you want to do in life and go out and achieve it. There is so much to see and do that it can feel overwhelming. But Kynseed lacks too. There's little emotional toll to building relationships, and frustrating gameplay bugs. The attention to detail is massive in places and lacking in others. Knyseed is close to being the groundbreaking life sim of my dreams. But unfortunately, that dream is still elusive.

A hearty stew made from elements of Fable, Stardew Valley and Crusader Kings.

That is the plan at least. For now everybody is locked in a perpetual state of youth, pets and all, cursed to wander the game world never knowing death’s sweet kiss. The day-night cycle gives way to changing seasons, sure, but new tasks and events soon stop appearing on the calendar, ostensibly because they’re still under development, but I prefer to imagine that the population of Kynseed eventually succumbs to ennui, gripped by an existential crisis with the dawning realisation that they are trapped inside a stuck clock. Because if there’s one thing more frightening than dying, it’s living forever. That or spiders.