You can milk a cow by simply
standing next to it, but you need a
bucket. You harvest crops instantly by
clicking, but if you just leave them
they’ll rot. Granted, virtually nothing
ever takes itself too
seriously, as you would
expect of a game
designed by two
Lionhead alumni who
count Fable among
their proudest
achievements. Kynseed
is already creaking with
pun-laden flavour text
and kooky characters, although none
of them say much yet.
Quill is a lovely place, right down
to its mossy logs, mysterious runes
Y
ou start life inKynseed’s world of Quill as a 12 year-old,
immediately buried under a mountain of chores. For the
first few hours this means mostly running errands and
figuring out how exactly things work. You feed the family
pig, harvest vegetables and go out to buy tools. When it
comes to completing tasks, Kynseedis, by turns, detail-oriented and
delightfully unconcerned.
and the odd stray cat. It’s there to be
explored in your own time, with
nothing but simple maps and road
signs to guide you. You have all the
time in the world to look around–
falling asleep where
you stand won’t incur
any large penalties.CIRCLE OF LIFE
As you explore, you
regularly come across
signs telling you about
upcoming content. Boy,
there is a lot of it, from
the ability to befriend and marry any
villager, each with individual likes
and dislikes, to monster-slaying and
owning a shop. There’s much to lookforward to. Most importantly, the
system behind the title-giving
Kynseed hasn’t been implemented
yet. The Kynseed is the foundation of
your family tree, steeped with magic,
the evidence of which you can see
everywhere. It will make sure that
villagers remember your deeds
forever. Everyone grows old and dies,
but in the finished game you can then
pass on your legacy to your children
and continue from there.
Kynseedis ambitious, but right
now mostly comes down to child
labour and busywork (I really don’t
know how to feel about sending a
12-year-old to mine ore without a
lamp.) Soon, your daily tasks mostly
consist of hauling buckets of milk for
miles to everyone in the village. With
all its interlocking systems,
minigames and menus, it will likely
resembleGraveyard Keepermore
closely thanStardew Valleyonce it is
done, but like any life-spawning
adventure, it still needs lots of
attention to grow strong.NEED TO KNOW
WHAT IS IT?
A beautiful sandbox
life-sim
FIRST RELEASED
November 8, 2018
VERSION TESTED
The First Steps Update
EXPECT TO PAY
£7.49
DEVELOPER
PixelCount Studios
PUBLISHER
In-house
LINK
http://www.pixelcount
studios.comYou can pass on
your legacy to
your children
and continue
from thereKYNSEEDwantstobethelifesimyou’lltaketothegrave.By Malindy Hetfeld
“I really don’t know how to feel about
sending a 12-year-old to mine ore”
Caves of Qud / Kynseed
THE BEST OF EARLY ACCESS
Fishing minigame:
check.It’s a gorgeous
space to live in.