Kenshi

Before I talk about my experience, check Sseth's review if you already haven't. Quite certain he's the reason this game went up in sales rank on both GOG and Steam, and he's certainly the reason I bought it at full price. WARNING. Potential hints/exploits ahead. I started out as a slave. My days consisted of failed escape attempts and subsequently feeling Okran's love at the hands and boots of his wrathful, zealous servants. I was crippled most of the time so I never actually did any of the mandatory labour at the labour camp. At night, I'd escape my cell to just beat all the other slaves. This kept going until I realised that I had gotten strong enough to knock out the weakest of the Holy Sentinels. RNGesus blessed me and he was out like a neglected child on his stepbrother's Benadryl. Before his body even hit the floor, I had already swapped out my inventory and his, making him look like a slave, shackles and all. Then, I lock him up and while I wait for the heat on my head to die down, I watch his old opressor-in-arms tell him that "Only heretics disobey their masters, only heretics defy Okran's will..." I kept going and did the same thing to two other guards. I was very bitter about the beatings. I swear I will gather an army and I will make every single guard a slave. I am still bitter. Soon after I escaped the Holy Mines, I ran into a skirmish between two groups, one of them being cannibals. The cannibals lost on their home turf, so after the other group left, I snuck over and chained up every single cannibal using their own constructs at their own camp. Then I spent an entire night beating them to level up my skills. Now I'm onto bigger better things. Before you start, atleast get the following mod from Skymods: Nice Map [Tpg + Grid + Zones + Zone Names + Roads]

A unique game of which I know no equal. Brutally difficult until you learn how dangerous the world is. Its a sandbox game where you build a team of characters, research tech, explore the world, craft equipment, build an outpost and establish your own objectives. Truly amazing on its own but you are gonna want MODS and there are a plenty but I highly recommend them.

It really shows that Kenshi is someones passion. It has a unique style of post apocalyptic sci-fi on an alien moon. Many people compare this game to others or say "if you liked X, then you'll love Kenshi" but for me it is not like that at all. I don't like Morrowind, I never played a fallout game before 3 and RimWorld was not for me, but Kenshi hit home and I love it. Watch someone play it or just jump in, whatever way you like it, Kenshi is sure to give you an experience you won't soon forget.

This game is the vision of just one man and it shows. There is no design by committee. The combat mechanics are engaging while still being easy to understand. The story and tone are more than just yet another post apocalyptic wasteland, and rather than the usual lip service to a harsh society, this game goes all in on the mechanics of slavery, cannibalism, and looting. The action rpg elements remain fun throughout the playthrough as there is always someone more dangerous than you out there but the real game starts with the base building, resource gathering, trading, and researching. The one downside is the lack of bells and whistles. This game feels more like an economy and military simulation at times than an rts or an action rpg. There is no voice acting, no cut scenes, just the sandbox. The emergent behavior of all the things being simulated creates a lot of fresh gameplay but it lacks artistic scripting. There are some manually crafted characters and dialogue but for the most part it is procedural programming that tells the story and shapes the experience.

It's a pretty hardcore survival game, initially you will struggle, a lot. But when you hire a companion and have two of you, the game becomes much easier. Always keep someone around to pickup your character(s) when they go down. If you are playing with just one character, when you fall in combat no one is going to save you and you'll just bleed out and die. The trick is to getting 2, 3, 4 characters on the go as soon as you can then pretty much it's hard to lose. After my 3rd playthrough I now have a full squad of ninjas and bulls and dogs and can take on the Holy empire paladins quite easily.