Kynseed was a game that I purchased during early access, checked out, loved what I saw, then closed it so I could experience the full wonders of the game once it finally released into a 1.0. And I had no doubt that it would release! Created by industry professionals who had left their big AAA studios and formed their own little indie company, I had every confidence that this game would actually leave the horrid confines of ~early access.~
Today is that day. It has left early access and I can finally indulge in this game that seems like Stardew Valley x 1000.
Yes, you read that correctly. Check out my first impressions of the early access version, so very long ago, and now let us continue on to this full release! 😁
When starting a new game you can choose between a male or female character, and give them the very light customisation options of hair colour and skin colour.
That's a little disappointing to be honest, but it keeps in line with the game's aesthetic and who knows, there may be clothing options and hairstyles to choose from, from perhaps a barbershop or something. The future will tell.
We start the game asleep on a fishing pier where we are having the strangest dream. A little gnome named Pott speaks with you and allows you to determine your playstyle. By the looks of things it gives you a few perks like being able to barter better, have more stamina, be stronger, etc.
I choose my character's lifelong goal to be of Adventure!
Once Adventure has been chosen, I get to choose what type of Adventurer I'd like to be. I decided to go with Nature Lover. I just want to explore and bask in the wilds!
And then there are a couple more little things to choose from. So far I like the choice presented to me. 🙂
With that dream over and done with, I awaken in this new land so different to the one I came from.
Once a child of the woman who lived in a shoe with a thousand kids she didn't know what to do, my twin brother and I had been adopted and taken from that hell of squishy shoeiness and now resided on this peaceful farm.
Being a new arrival to this new land, we don't know the map straight away and we remain lost and wandering until we discover a certain amount of mapstones per area. That seems like an interesting way to discover a map!
Also the clock system seems interesting. We don't know the time straight off the bat. We pick dandelions each day which will tell us the time until further along in the game where we get our own proper time device.
That's cute.
When going to bed, you can choose when you wish to wake up. The game also saves when you sleep so if you quickly want to turn the game off halfway through your day, you can just sleep for an hour then resume next time you open the game.
Sure beats losing an entire day like with other games of this genre.
I'm now wondering if there are any benefits to waking up and exploring at 2am. Probably not for this child age. Curfew seems to be 11pm.
My first night asleep in this new bed on this new farm in this new land, my character had another strange dream. Grasped by evil vines, she was held in place as the silhouette of a dark figure loomed within the gaping hollow of a tree. It would be back for her come the end of summer. Rawr!
Creepy.
There are many notes littered around that speak of riddles that will perhaps come into play later. For the time being they sit in your journal so you can go back to them at some point. There are also helpful signs and books around that teach you a little about this new game you are playing.
For example is the helpful book above, that mocks my desire for a slower-paced farming game and instead threatens me with fast-paced two week seasons and certain things affecting certain days and I don't know. I don't know! It's a bit fretful, really.
Heading off to the local village to look around, I see many, many people I can introduce myself too. Some dislike me immediately, others like the man who adopted me so are more inclined to like me too, and others are neutral. I can work on their hearts by chatting with them and gifting them things, probably by doing quests for them too and being helpful.
This lady has cats in her hair and has lost one of them. I must search for it and make her like me!
And of course you can see in your journal how the people you meet perceive you.
There is a fast travel system given you have apples on your person and have discovered the Goddess Shrine in certain areas. Apples seem to be everywhere, but that could just be this season... so stock up I guess! You also need them for feeding your pet pig. So. MORE APPLES.
I introduce myself to everyone in town I can find and then by some miracle actually found all three mapstones in this village area. I haven't even found them all on the farm yet so that was a nice surprise.
Except...
The moment I activated the last mapstone for the area and got an achievement and tried to take a screenshot, the game crashed. 🤣
It's just out of early access, they're probably going to be hotfixing it all during this upcoming week as the onslaught of new players discover more and more bugs, and so I probably won't try to play it until a month or so from now when I can only assume this type of bug has been fixed.
In saying that though, this is a charming game filled with ye olde British humour and idioms and thus may be a bit too nonsensical for an American audience, but for the rest of the world it's great. If you enjoyed Stardew Valley you'll probably enjoy this; I'd just give it a week or so for any last minute bug squishing before diving right in.
I'll definitely be doing a little Let's Play series of this in coming weeks once there's been a few patches. 😃
From what I understand, this game is more than your typical farming life-sim and you can run proper businesses, actually have an aging family, the town ages, when your character dies you continue to play the game with a child you birthed instead. Very generational! I like the idea of it. Should make for a fun Let's Play!!
You can find it on the Steam Store behind these blue words!
Until next time! 😊
All screenshots in this post are courtesy of me, 