Kynseed

This game is still in development, which should tell you all you need to know here. If you've been following Kynseed or like the idea of it, this is a really good price to give it a go! It's a bit buggy and doesn't have all it's features, but it's still very good (expecially for an "early access game"!) and I'm thinking of it as a sort of demo right now. I've only played about an hour and probably won't play more until there's further updates, but I already am enjoying it and looking forward to seeing where it goes! If you're unsure about the game, then maybe hold off until a full release so you can get a better idea of it.

After years of anticipation, and for a project of this scope, managing expectations is key for a fair review. The 1.0 release disappoints & players holding out hope for the potential of this title will need to keep waiting. Pro: ambitious concept with some imaginative minigames as well as beautiful music, landscape art and environmental effects. Con: bugs & balance issues abound, to the degree that you will question the validity of a 1.0 stamp. You may find yourself getting few hours of qualified enjoyment before you decide to shelve it for pure broken immersion. At time of review, the developers are broadcasting a lot of commitment to addressing these issues. Personal Dealbreaker #1: fewer opportunities for world-building than you might expect, especially if you were hoping to scratch the itch Stardew Valley left you with. You won't cut down trees or prepare fields. You won't plan & construct buildings. You won't modify or even furnish your home. Character customization is limited to gender, skin and hair color. You get the feeling the world is a painting you're not really supposed to touch. And if, like me, you appreciate the special magic of scouting, sourcing, managing and manipulating resources, you will not feel quite at home here. Personal Dealbreaker #2: far weaker writing than the game would require for a real emotional core. While some of the flavor text is enjoyable (particularly the proverbs) it is enjoyable primarily due to cleverness and topical innuendo. Which is enough to make you chuckle sometimes, but not nearly enough to immerse you in the world or give you any sense of depth. The NPCs are bland. Dialogue is perfunctory, quests are overwhelmingly fetchy. The beauty of the set design carries you just so far before you feel the world amounts to less than a sum of its parts. In conclusion, while I respect the ambition & the attempt, Kynseed falls short of its potential. Here's hoping the team sticks with it & sculpts it into a masterpiece.

Years of little progress and little communication from the developers & still no character ageing. It is a pretty game and the concept was great, but years later and the game is still yet to implement the core concept of the game that I was sold on.

In earnest, in buying Kynseed, I knew what I was getting into: 1) Most systems aren't implemented yet. 2) There are strange glitches, and cart-before-horse moments in flags and events (Hubbard can give you the recipe before the quest to receive a recipe from her). 3) There's very little to do with the NPC's you'll eventually be romancing to make babies with. However, I cannot say I've played enough to know: 1) If stores are yet implemented. 2) How combat works. 3) Any of the plot and story Beyond this though: 1) I'm excited. 2) I am the hype train. 3) It's so freaking gorgeous and it has far too much promise for me to not purchase it and rate 4 stars for concept alone. Seriously. Between the development team, the stated goals and ideas, and the promise of an intergenerational farming/shopkeeping/dungeon-dwelling adventure, I cannot do anything but voice my overwhelming support for this title. I have absolutely no doubt (especially considering the recent update announcement) that PixelCount will be delivering in full on this. tl;dr: Don't buy it if you want to play it *now*. Buy it if you're okay investing in playing it later.