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.
