What do you get when you cross the original Fable developers with pixel presentation and a Stardew Valley approach while everyone is drinking Red Bull? The answer is Kynseed, which starts as a farming/life sim and evolves into an intricate RPG intent on moving through generations. The game has such a broad range of mechanics, mini-games and options that it can at first feel overwhelming. The days move quickly, your uncle is loading you up with tasks and each morning seems to throw a new activity into the basket. Every NPC goes about their day asking for help, crops need planting, the house needs painting, your pig needs to be fed and mysterious dreams are showing how you came to be. There are also businesses seeking your help, noting that one day you may own said business and run it your way for profit. I haven’t even touched on exploration or combat yet, for this game tackles it all. Get married, have children and put them to work. Die at a certain age due to a deal with a shady character? No worries, you then play as your children and move through generations with the curse. Yeah, I know, it’s impressive. Often with farming sims, the pull of simply growing your crops and styling your area can wane after a few seasons. Kynseed has so much happening that you’ll always want to push through one more day – especially when relaxing on handheld on the Switch 2.
There is a fairytale element to Kynseed, which begins with your uncle taking you away from the lady that lived in the shoe. You’ll meet Old Mother Hubbard and engage with countless other stories from fairy tales. But don’t be lulled into a false sense of security, because there are aspects of Kynseed that are dark. The prologue is light and allows time to learn the many, many mechanics. Once that is finished, it feels like (and literally is) progression into adulthood as you manage businesses and start fighting on your journeys. I won’t reveal story beats beyond the prologue, as it factors in to be one of Kynseed’s best traits, but on a fateful night everything will change. Know that it has charm, heart and enough surprises to keep the player engaged across 50+ hours (in my experience).
I begin with my opening days. You quickly meet your twin (in my case a female, as I am a male) at your uncle Bill’s homestead. It’s a farm with crops, animals and plenty to see. Bill sets you off on tasks across the local town and surrounding areas to teach all that is needed. I was smithing buckets, helping shop owners man the tills while they ran errands, milking cows, digging up treasure, trying to maximise NPC happiness and attending festivals. Movement is increased by being able to ride a pig, and I also purchased a cat and a dog to live with me (the dog sniffs out treasure – he’s a good boy). Each day, a story task pops up and this is the best integration into the wider game. Testing all the shop mini-games is key, as you’ll eventually move into ownership and spend time trying to increase profits while helping both others and yourself. Is this a cosy game? At times, mostly in the prologue. Combat isn’t present in the early hours and spending time around towns and homes does feel cosy. You’ll cook meals, collect many different ingredients and simply try to learn that land. Then the prologue ends, and all ramps up.
The defining moment comes about 3-4 hours after starting your journey. One of the NPCs asks you to meet a shady character in a mine. Said shady character presents you with an option that alters your life and all future generations. The terms are set, you sign away and the game skips 5 years at the click of a finger. Now you’re 18, an adult and able to engage with combat and also more of the world that had been locked away in the prologue. The game also mentions getting married and having kids often at this point, so I set about boosting the like ratings on NPCs (you also need high ratings to help with building structures) and learned the combat ropes, which had more strategy than I expected. Combat is essentially a grid-based system of 3v3. Position and rhythm are more of a focus than simply swinging your weapon. Some positions cannot reach others, therefore placement is important. This is all taught after the prologue (though there is a minor glimpse in the prologue). There are combos, movement and stamina costs, dodging and parrying, and a heap of stats to assess. I was constantly surprised by how involved this all became, always enjoying the opportunity to try different approaches and gear. Then there is the owning of shops, which boosts reputation and money. You can purchase shops such as the blacksmith and apothecary, generally choosing the one which either aligns to a need or has the better mini-game. Staff can be hired to run the shop while you adventure, with stats to balance in the ledger. This is me being brief on both store ownership and combat, for I could write another 5000 words on the intricacies. In terms of reviewing these features, each wouldn’t feel astray as their own game.
I need to highlight the QOL features that Kynseed has compared to many other games in the field. Because there is so much on offer, having solid features to automate and make life easier is key. While the larger functions such as business ownership have a heap of options, even the removal of a curfew and tapping certain buttons to bring up wheels of inventory see great improvement over others in the genre. NPCs really are there to be manipulated as you see fit, the speed of the pig is helpful in traversal and batch crafting saved me many hours. The friendship breakdowns provide so much information to assist with decision-making, and I found myself learning new features 25+ hours into a game I thought I already knew so well.
Performance on the Switch 2 is excellent. Colour pops, the pixel art is vibrant and there is just enough flexing to show that this is pushing the limits of the style that has become synonymous with farming/life sims. Yet I need to spend time discussing the soundtrack, because the OST is phenomenal. You’ll move from a cheery jingle in a town to a haunting track in a graveyard. The combat music compared to the life-sim music is stark, yet works so well to convey the emotion. The game is not voiced and it doesn’t need to be, because the music is simply best in class.
Kynseed is a fantastic RPG that could also be called a cosy game or farming/life sim, exceeding many in the genre to offer a truly unique experience that has impressive depth. In a bold statement, I have to say that I prefer Kynseed to Stardew Valley as it provides so many QOL features that never make the game a chore despite the many chores within. With a stellar cast of NPCs, endless activities and generations that extend the playthrough, 50 hours is not enough – I will be playing for generations to come.
Pros
- Ever-expanding story and gameplay options
- OST – wow!
- Perfects the farming/life sim genre
Cons
- The prologue is very long and does mean that many core gameplay elements are gatekept
- Overwhelming list of tasks, can be hard to focus
