Kynseed

Great game! I have played 53hrs so far and am really enjoying this game. Lots of characters to meet and just having fun.

I expected a farming sim with the option to own stores and manage them as well as going exploring/adventuring for a bit if I wanted. And that's pretty much what I got regarding those elements.

I did not, however, expect being forced to choose between two elderly villagers I'd befriended by doing chores for them, so that one of them ended up being sacrificed in my village's Wicker Man ritual and then a couple of days later selling my soul and the soul of all my first-born descendants to the Fae when I was barely thirteen years old and disappearing for five years only to find on my return that my twin now hates me because they had to take care of the farm in my absence and lay to rest the remains of the uncle who raised us.

Also, I adopted a dog and three cats and learned to bake a mean apple pie. And that was just the Prologue.

Absolutely addictive. I had this sitting in my library for.. years. And only recently realized after getting my steam deck that they had done a full release in '22 lol And I'm amazed at how far this game has come since its bare bones.
Key points that I adore about this game;
-So many NPCs that seem so realized and have back stories and lore to them. This makes the game so much more engaging and enjoyable and it makes you WANT to interact with them.
-So much to explore and even tho this is pixel art, it is so well done and beautiful, I absolutely just love wandering around the massive maps.
-Quests have no time limit! Ah man, this is amazing because it really lets you sit back and enjoy the game at your own pace without feeling the dreaded fomo. Once the player hits 18, stay up all night, no bed time 😄
-Everything seems to spawn at a good rate. I mean between wandering around the giant maps, by the time you circle back, poof respawns, fruits and veggies grown. The weather seems to be very balanced as well and it'll rain or be foggy randomly during the day/night cycle, which just adds another element of immersiveness.
-The entire plot (and granted, I am still playing through this and I have a feeling it will be a very long time before I'm even done with this haha) but so far it's very different to what most "cozy", farming or exploration games are like.
-JUST OVERALL the game seems balanced, beautiful, immersive, relaxing and enjoyable. No stress or pressure feeling when playing through it and it is completely addictive.
To say I'm in love with it, is an understatement. If you're on the fence, give it a go, you will not be disappointed.

This is a game that I would love to love, but I just can't as is. The intro to the game is too slow, there are too many people, and it just feels overwhelming. If I could change one thing it would be to remove all of the 4 speech options so that when you speak to someone, they tell you what's important and you can move on. And to make the text appear much faster. Talking to NPCs is just too slow of an activity and my human brain rebels.

It's been a while since I had this game in my library. But now that I'm finally picking it up and started playing it, I gotta say I'm hooked! Kynseed is an absolute gem I can't get enough of. I'm a sucker for farming sims with a dash of monsters, action combat, magic, and life & love sim. And Kynseed has it all. 10/10

I really enjoyed my time with this game. It's become one of my favorite life sims. The mini games are all satisfying and fun, making money and running a store is a joy. With the generational gameplay you lose a bit of authored character from NPC's but i found it easy enough to build my own story up from what you're given. Absolutely would recognize

There are 3 things that made me go for Kynseed, despite not being a huge fan of cozy farming life sim type games:

1. There are no time requirements for getting things done. After a couple (literally 2) mandatory timed events in the game's prologue, you are free to choose exactly what to do when for the remainder of your playthrough. No more Atlus-style calendar to loom over your experience, making you regret choosing one activity over another.

2. Hilarious, reference-filled writing replete with wordplay, innuendo and dad jokes.

3. A unique pixel-art style that really stands out from the Stardew pack.

I knew going in that there was some supernatural / fae stuff involved, but I didn't realize we were talking Midsommar / Wicker Man type shiz! No regrets tho, I love things dark, and honestly wouldn't mind if things got even darker than they do here.

There are so many things I love about Kynseed, but if I had to put my finger on my single favourite aspect, it's the first time exploring a newly-opened section of the world's expansive map. When a new region would open, I'd saddle up my pig, bring my trusty dog along, and go in for that exhilarating first tour, picking up everything I found and looking for the (often cleverly hidden) mapstones. At this point, with 80+ hours in, I only have a couple more regions left to explore. But there are still tons of other reasons to keep playing.

The mini-games are plentiful, and while some work better for me than others (e.g. I adore most cooking, i like fishing, i'm not nuts about crafting lotions), we are truly spoiled for variety.

I've seen that Kynseed's combat really rubs some people the wrong way. Being a pretty bad player at anything reflex-based, I prepared going in by taking advantage of the game's generous Accessibility option to reduce enemies' speed, and after a couple sword upgrades I am finding combat to not only be tolerable but truly fun!

Honestly, I got lots more I could say about Kynseed, but I'd rather get back to playing it. Byeeeee

The story of "your childhood got stolen, your family hates you, and everyone will soon die" is a bizarre departure from normal farm sim motifs. When I think about the animal crossing intro where Rover encourages you to be brave in starting a new life or the stardew valley intro where you have the sense that everything can be ok it really reminds me how no such feeling is attempted in this game. You are all alone in picking up the pieces of your broken past. Thats the plot.

The time gating the game constantly has you in prevents any relaxation. Every day I have to frantically avoid missing an opportunity. Im never deciding what to do based on my mood. Theres a whole mechanic about the inevitability of death but it seems pointless because I will tire of the game long before my character dies anyway.

There are shops to own with associated minigames but tying them to capitalism steals their joy and makes them chores. Eventually you've done all the minigames so it turns into a business management sim? Unclear why that would be fun.

You are robbed of any sense of creative expression because your starting house is already fully developed, furnished, and has all kind of crops around.

This game is the emotional equivalent of picking up someones save file who is halfway done with stardew valley but stopped because they died. Its a game I continued playing begrudgingly while hoping its odd pieces would come together into something pleasant but they never did.

This is a game clearly designed with love and care. Everything works as intended, so far as I can tell, and the first 14 days of the game are really fun since you have to work around the limitations of being a child. Curfew, chores and limited options for making money made making a good amount of coins worthwhile.

Once you grow up it's just fairly dull. I hate the star system for crops and other such items because some of the conditions make no sense such as 'pick on an even day or the 3rd day of the week/month' is so annoying. We already have a levelling system for our crafting, just make it simple.

This is not your typical farming sim you dont have to be a full time farmer, your not penalized for not farming full time, you earn actual rewards in game that add to the game play. You can choose to branch off into other aspects of the game such as owning a store, family members can be put to work on tasks you chose while the game does have a main story line the game does not have to end there. Overall a relaxing game that lets you choose the way you want to play while I did finish the main story line at around 90 hours of game play, I dont feel like the game is over yet and still have plenty to do and see as I still have not found all the events that take place in this game nor all the items for a total completion.

The biggest downside to this game in my opinion is the combat system.

Side note: some might find the figure it out yourself style of this game a downside but it adds to the game play once you figure out the basics and encourages you to interact with both the NPCS and the world.


Edit: Nobody feeds the cats except for you even when assigned pet care and be prepared for the hardest achievement to be the cliche for this genre mini game that will require more hours to master then most game tasks. The multi generation does add to the gameplay but perhaps not as much as some players would wish for. Still a very solid game with lots of challenges and something for everyone.

A little hard to get into at first if you're used to games like Stardew Valley, there's just so much more to learn here pretty quickly (All. The. Minigames.). But it's fun once you get the hang of it and well made, I've encountered no bugs in 40+ hours of play.

can't remember exactly when i bought this game because it was such a loooong while ago when i was still in school, it was one of the first steam games i ever bought with my savings. Picked it up today and i've been having an absolute BLAST. so happy to see this game progressing well, it was so worth the wait!!

a pretty vast and interesting game

I love the lore and story in this game. This is such a fun, quirky and interesting take on the traditional farm sim. You spend way more time exploring and building relationships, gathering and combat then doing any farming, that it feels more like a story adventure game then anything else.

Really good story. Many things to do. Not just another farming sim or dating sim.

Love love love. Beautiful relaxing game. Great graphics and music, will appeal to Stardew Valley fans, but brings original elements to the game (different crafting mechanics, shopkeeping, more exploring, the generational aspect, Druid fairy mythology). I'm nearly thirty hours in and feel like I'm maybe halfway through the main story, if that. Still a lot to learn and discover. If you're a fan of cozy games, this one is a must.

I'll never understand how this game still has such little visibility. It has some of the best 8bit environments I've ever seen, and music to match. It is an 8bit life sim like Stardew, but the formula feels fresher in 2025 because it does not merely seek to replicate that game's success by just copy pasting those same mechanics into a new world. It takes place in a huge world with a large number of villages and well over 100 relevant NPCs. There are complex mechanics for pretty much every aspect of the game, and they are introduced to you piecemeal, over the first 4-5 hours. The way the game works is that you are slowly given new tools to automate aspects of the crafting/earning process so that you can focus on the story or exploring. You don't even have to return home every day, nor do you need to sleep at night outside of that first year as a child, or watercan each plant individually later on. No reason to feel overwhelmed or stressed about accomplishing everything all at once. You are not meant to and the amount of years you can live is practically infinite as it will become apparent. Just step into that world and let it lead you where it will; don't try to cram another games elements into this world. Some caveats so you understand what to expect:

1) this game leans heavily into fantasy and some dark fantasy, moreso than into medieval lifestyle

2) if you equate medieval life sim to farming sim, I would not: the crafting is way more complex than the farming, and that's a positive for me... no tilling or individual watering of plants (10 hours or so in), and after about 30 hours or so you can plant all seeds in all seasons.

3) besides the farming, really a lot of the game's systems are quite complex and will require paying attention and reading all prompts for that first 4-5 hours of the game, and again once you start buying shops. They aren't hard, especially after some practice, but I noticed a lot of reviewers feel a bit overwhelmed in that first part of the game because of this introduction of one complex system after another.

4) Reputation farming over 100 characters will never feel as charming as reputation farming 15 like in other sims. A lot of the rep quests are fetch quests but there are unique quests for each villager after you reach max rep. Also many characters reminisce about their past in short cutscenes which really gives them personality. But hey, your inventory is largely unlimited, so if that pervy pie lady Rosie Crust asks you "hey is that 300 carrots in your pocket or are you just happy to see me" your answer will be yes on both counts.

One of my favorite games. Highly recommended. Has fairly in-depth shop management mechanics and farming isn't the focus at all.

You can pretty much suck whoevers you want to. its nice sucking it.

Absolutely beautiful gorgeous pixel graphics, environmental effects, etc.

This game has some farm-sim relationship building aspects, but has some darkness to the story and environment. You could maybe be cozy in it if you stick to certain aspects, but there's a bit of a more sinister background lurking.

Decent amount of story - in addition to the main story, each NPC (to start, see below) also has a mini-story that I found interesting. Aside from their story, the NPCs have generic dialogue that's non-interesting. There were a lot of NPCs - too many to engage with all of them every day, but given the limited need to engage with them, it was the right amount and not too many. In the original beta I found the generic dialogue made the NPCs really blah, but in the current version with the little stories they felt more like interesting people.

Lots of collecting and unlocking to do, for people who like that sort of thing (like me!)

Some balance issues - there is a generations mechanic - NPCs are born and age and die, you can age and die, your kids take over - that I completely didn't need to engage with before I finished the game. I can't speak to how well that part of the game works, and whether future born/new NPCs are at all interesting.

As someone who doesn't like combat much in many games - it was fairly well done, not full action game but not turn based either, can be tuned down if needed, and is only necessary for a few quests.

Limited amount of online info - but I was able to find the things I needed.

Game worked well and I didn't encounter any bad bugs.

Wonderfully paced, ginormous, gorgeous, vibe-nailing game with lots and lots and lots and lots and lots to do! <3
Like Stardew? Want fascinatingly beautiful graphics/textures? Want a whole bucket-load to do? Want a game that you play for about 24 hours in a few days, and you still know you haven't done a third of the game?
Kynseed. Enchanting game!

Stardew x Fable with extra magic thrown in :)
A very unique experience. I'm re-experiencing the same feelings I had for Fable as a kid playing on the xbox classic. Very clearly a project with lots of love and passion (and fantastically humorous writing) put into it. The world feels so established, the characters unique, and the maps are lovely.
I'll return and build on this when I've finished the game. I've yet to find how new generations go with the gameplay. I believe I'm just over halfway through the game at 35hrs.

This is Skyrim and Stardew all in one. it's magic. it's amazing. it's everything. the amount of stuff and options is endless without being overwhelming. i haven't loved a game like this since zelda. it is insane.

honestly it's been a while since i played this, I believe it was still in early access. it was fun then, but now? It's dope! feels like anonther game in the same genre but as a long time fable fan i can feel the story they are weaving so far I've been getin scrumpy but i think imma take a deep dive soon!

Been playing Kynseed pretty nonstop, fantastic game for anyone who likes stardew valley type shit. You got shops to run, you find items or enemies drop them in combat (combat is optional, everything is optional, youre really just doing wtfe you want)

the combat is actually very unique and interesting and not just button mashing; its also not hitboxes either, it basically is on a grid but in realtime and the enemies are on one side, ur on the other, and ur goal is to move ur guy off of the grid-space where the enemy is gonna fire

(they telegraph their attacks like winding up, a ball appears, etc) or when they jump over, so basically just dodging. and then u hit them (they try to dodge you as well) and you also have a stamina bar. Ive found it super intuitive and fun and Im not big on combat oriented games at all but Ive beat the fuck outta the combat zones

There are also places to clear out, map stones to find, different faerie zones (I just unlocked a new place and I'm 200 hours into the game and I've been progressing the story pretty steadily) you forage for shit, chop down trees, mine ores, you can then run a blacksmith shop and sell the ores. crafting involves little minigames like having to hit a moving circle on heated metal to make a sword or some shit, or chopping up vegetables before a timer runs out, etc. (you can get mods to disable these)

Its all optional, it depends how u wanna raise ur renown. I chose to do it primarily thru combat and owning shops, I own 3 shops. You hire people to manage ur shop and you can feed them food to give them energy for better customer service, you put them on a schedule. if u put them too close together they'll get unhappy. you can dictate their wages, and the prices of everything u sell (like moonlighter)

Its like a moonlighter/stardew valley/rune factory had a baby lol PLUS it has generational play. you can get married, have a kid, grow old, then die and then play as your child without losing ur stuff. It is on sale for $19 CAD right now but honestly, it's worth the full price. I have 200 hours and I'm still finding new shit, and it's still interesting.

It's also kinda disturbing because you play ur own child and your sister becomes your aunt but we don't think too hard about that.

Gameplay is nice and familiar, but also has its own flair and unique qualities. Very pretty art and fun story, only downside is some characters could be fleshed out more.

Invested in this game early on and so far its paying off! The Devs are amazing and this game is so fun! The mechanics for cooking and small things like that are where this game thrives. It's the ultimate cozy game. I'm excited to see what more they add to it!

I like this game so far, but it seems kind of like Stardew Valley, just on a much larger scale. I don't think I've gotten very far into it yet.

Today I am writing my first review, because it is so important to me to give Kynseed the kudos it deserves. The music, the design, the little references, the details, I am always stumbling upon something new that makes me laugh. There is a real and personal interaction between the player and the content. It reminds me of the good old early days of gaming, when you bought a CD and then you played that specific game for 4 months or so and it became some sort of friend. It's not the soulless rubbish you often find. The developers really poured their heart into it. I love the humor, the obvious irony and the originality. You cannot by any means compare it with other farming games. I love Stardew Valley but Kynseed is so so so different. If you enjoy mini games and NPC interaction, this game is for you.

Thought I was playing a chill farming sim and then got hit with HUMAN SACRIFICE outta nowhere and it suddenly got REAL dark, real quick??????
how is there no mention of the much more intense aspects anywhere??
wouldn't have been a problem if there was any warning that this wasn't just a relaxing, chill game - but i was NOT prepared
talking about a family legacy like its wholesome and not incredibly messed up what you have to force upon your future family forever...

i adore this game, the art, the music, i like everything about it.
its not the usual farming game and honestly i prefer this.
some people might not like the dialogues/interactions with npc's and items but it has genuinely brought a smile to my face with the amount of stupid jokes/puns ive read so far.

I love this game so much, I got it while it was in early access but its always felt like a full game to me. The developers obviously have a lot of love for this game and it shows in how much of a joy it is to play. The combat system is fun and very unique for this genre, I love being able to choose how difficult I want my encounters to be at any point. I owned a bakery before they improved the cooking which was the only thing I was gonna complain about. The different worlds are so interesting, tho I found myself gambling way more than I shouldve been lmao

tldr Kynseed has so many features that are still new to the genre that makes it feel incredibly unique and fun to play 20/10 highly recommend

This game has surpassed my expectations. For any Fable lover, the constant references are absolute gold. And I imagine the lesser known reference to The Wicker Man had was a crazy twist I had not been expecting, my jaw was on the floor. A bit of a slow start, but worth it. If you like any of the Stardew, Harvest Moon, or Story of Seasons titles, this is probably going to be right up your alley. I hope this game gets the recognition it deserves.

this thing is charming and lovely, need to hop back in after all the recent updates

I've played this since the very early stages of early acces and, at this point, this game has become one of my favorite comfort games. It's just something about it that makes me feel good, and I can easily get lost in it for hours on end.

If you could package "relaxation" or "peace" and sell it, it would look like this game. The world takes you in with it's whimsical story and brings you back to days when the world was new to you and magic was hidden around every corner and in every interaction. The pixel art of the game is beautiful and it's one of the few games I can write a review to without a major "but" that holds the game back. My biggest complaint is that there's not enough game, and that usually means it's a really good game

Ok, I've been looking for something to scratch my Harvest Moon itch for a while now, and this has certainly scratched it. It's not just a farming game, there's crafting and mining and villager interactions, it's more like if Fable met Harvest Moon with a touch of Sims to make this. There are definitely parts I struggle with/dislike, but there's more that I thoroughly enjoy!

The generational mechanic is fun to watch as the villagers all marry up and pop out new kids, it's a little fun seeing how the townsfolk change over time, which is another thing that I like about this game.

Combat is quick and punchy, managing my animals and schedule is a minigame in it's own right (in that I have to balance my time), and the world is massive enough that I'm still finding things in areas I've already mapped out that I missed the first go around.

If you like Fable, Harvest Moon or any of the other games in those categories, I highly recommend!

I really love this game.
Alot of people would say this is a farming game but i have to say, I dont really farm in Kynseed. You can do so much more here.

Explore, fight, build relationships and in the end be the monopoly man and control the whole economy of the vale. Build your legacy and continue to play with your children if you want.

Of course you can also farm, customize your home and just have fun. So if that sounds good to you, buy the game and enjoy.

Enjoyable and fun game! I really love the family progression aspects of it and the combat. It's a fun mix of different game modes (store management, combat progression, exploring, farming, etc.) which makes it easier to customize to how you want to play.

Hog Rider and Gnome Gambling.

Wish your SO had more specific dialogue instead of the generic one most of the time.
Also, being able to kiss them (even if it would be just on your wedding) would be nice.

Need to play 6+ hours to get to the first battle. I only bought this because people mentioned you could progress via battle instead. If so, it would have been available from the first hour...

I very much enjoyed this game. I play a lot of farming simulator and cozy games which is why I decided to check this out and I was pleasantly surprised by the darker themes, the unique approach to gameplay. I dont want to get too much into spoilers because thats why I fell in love with this game, it was the unexpected-ness of everything. From the skills, farming, fishing, minigames I loved it all.

That being said (This is where spoilers come in). I was very disappointed with the end of the game. In the beginning you are whisked away by Fairweather after withnessing the death of one of the townpeople being sacrificed and to me, it sounded like I was in for a "Take down the Goddesses and their corrupt sacrifice system". By we end up joining hands with the grandmasters who were sided with the goddesses during the Fae Goddess war and when we eventually take down the Jabberwock we are congratulated and thats it (if I am missing something please let me know as far as I know this is the end of the game). Fairweather doesnt get any dialogue at the end except becoming a shop. And there is just a continuation of the same practiced I thought we set out to destroy. If the game just becomes a sandbox after that, it seems like a lot of wasted potential. All of the characters you meet and completed tasks for pretty much die and end up replaced by randomized characters which say the same or slightly varied dialogue.

All in all I loved the game but the ending left me feeling empty and with no direction

i pretty much played all farming sims. tried to get into kynseed several times over the years its just not that fun. It does not feel like i am building "my farm". I do not like the interaction prompts like for dialogues and tools. I cant seem to sell what i have because the shops have limits (i get it can probably be upgraded over time but why bother?). I see no fruit trees to look forward to planting or other upgrades I would enjoy related to "my" farm. the artstyle is beautiful tho.

First. I don't enjoy Stardew Valley. I really don't. It's too grindy and repetitive.

But I saw a friend playing this, and on their recommendation, got it. Now.... now I hope this gets even more, even if it's a new game with even better stuff.

The best way I can describe it: Stardew + Midsommar + Fae. And it is a BLAST. I feel like it keeps surprising me. You can own shops, cook, make alchemy items, blacksmith, romance, marry, divorce, repeat, and so on. There is enough variation that it keeps me interested.

My biggest complaint is probably combat. It's really the only thing that frustrates me, but if you can move past that, then it's an absolute treasure.

Also.. would totally smash Fairweather.

Rating: 9.6
Gameplay: Stardew valley, met Fable, met Folklore with a healthy amount of puns and creative charm
Story: Amazing and simple
Difficulty: Not the point
Graphics: Low key amazing
Play Time: Take your time and spend your time
Price: Worth every dollar
Bugs: None
Audience: Everyone could play it but teen plus will really enjoy it.
Grind: Didn't notice one.
Misc: This game changed me.

Relaxing and fun. I liked the fairy tale spin on the farming/life sim game.

Cute little game that I have played on/off for the last few years. It is really a joy to see how the game changes and improves when I return after a long hiatus. And the devs seem to keep on trucking and pushing out bug fixes and new content.

Very charming. Simple controls, deep storyline, and super tranquil bgm. Very Highly recommend for chill gaming

I played this game a couple years ago and stopped because it was incomplete but I had a hankering to play a few weeks ago and I am so glad I did. Kynseed has been updated so much, new features, completed stories. This is truly a wonderful game and everyone needs to experience it.

This is a temporary review. I will most likely update it as I continue to play through Kynseed.

While it is easy to draw an initial comparison between this and, say, Stardew, this is not Stardew. Stardew was a cutesy farming simulator, where you produced a lot mayo and a lot of anxiety. As for Kynseed, I've only made it to the end of the first year--and while there is certainly a twist right out of an Ari Aster film, Kynseed otherwise presents itself more as a chill townlife simulator, where you grow up, make friends, and do jobs to make money, with each job having its own little minigame. Maybe I'll be a blacksmith. Maybe I'll be a cook. Or maybe I'll just grind out the forests for materials--'cause the combat is waaaaay more than I expected.

Who knows. For now, though, as it's right after midnight for me writing this, I'm going to go to sleep and hope I don't dream of Fairweather.