Kynseed from PixelCount Studios is a pixeltastic life sim sandbox RPG created by veterans of the Fable series. Learn more in our Kynseed review!

 

Kynseed from PixelCount Studios is a pixeltastic life sim sandbox RPG created by veterans of the Fable series. It’s a story-driven experience in which actions matter, and choices most definitely have consequences, so how you treat others, whether you help fellow villagers in need, whether you’re kind to animals, what crops you have, and so on, will all matter… not only for the end of your journey, but for the journey itself. It’s thanks to their expertise that, in Kynseed, the scope is big, the stakes are high, and you’re in for a literal lifetime of adventuring as your character grows and ages, working on improving and expanding your farm, and even might get a chance to raise a family… and have your offspring continue your journey.

PixelCount Studios took Kynseed to Kickstarter back in 2017, seeking £30,000 in funding for the game’s development. Once the crowdfunding campaign was over, and thanks to the support of over 3,400 backers, the project ended up securing a little over £50,000 in funding. This allowed the team to release the game on Steam Early Access in 2018, followed by a 1.0 launch on Steam in 2022. It’s now 2026, and we’re getting a chance to take Kynseed for a spin on the Nintendo Switch.

The first step in your new life will be to pick your character’s look, as you select the main archetype and then focus on picking from the options you’ll have for your character’s head, hair color, and skin color. Next up will be choosing your character’s name. Once that’s been sorted, the game’s first story cutscene will play, and it will start in a very familiar way: There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe. You know, the one who had so many kids, she didn’t know what to do. It’s from this premise that the Shoe is born on Kynseed. The aforementioned woman – one Mrs. Foster – is in charge of this orphanage, and that’s where you come from. You’ll later be given the chance to pick the name of your sibling.

After the intro cutscene ends, you’ll be taking control of your young character by using the left analog stick to run through each area. You can also walk if you press and hold down the R button. Your adventure starts with a dream sequence, during which you’ll get to meet Pott. Pott has one special task: to ask you some intriguing questions. You venture into the Woods-of-What’s-to-Come, answer the questions, and begin to shape your future.

 

You’ll have to tell Pott about what your ambition in life is (run a business, raise a family, adventure, or follow fate), your heart’s desire (money, fame, freedom, or love), as well as what you’ll be remembered for once you’re gone and there’s nothing but tales of your memories to keep your legacy going (my generosity, my skills, things I created, and deeds I did).

Each potential answer will have a very useful piece of info below it: the boost that you’ll receive to one of your stat values! Say you go with adventure as your answer to the first question. This will, in turn, grant you a +2 boost to your toughness. Picked money as your heart’s desire? Then you’re going to get a +2 for the barter stat. As for what you’ll be remembered for? That answer will grant you a special pendant.

Since you’re 12 years old, there are lots of things you can’t do as a little kid that you’ll have to wait for until you’ve grown a little bit more. You’ll start in the Prologue, as you get a taste of your life with Uncle Bill and your other sibling. Uncle Bill is the one who adopted you two at the Shoe and is the one who has given you a shot at a more fulfilling life. Yes, the Prologue will act as the game’s tutorial, and it will have you completing a series of tasks that Uncle Bill gives you to work on at Willowdown Farm. You’ll feed the pig, go pick a dandelion, find the mapstones to unlock the map for Willowdown Farm, collect tools, attend a festival, collect useful items, and more, as you start to get the hang of things. Any useful – and not so useful -items that you’ve collected will be added to your inventory, which you can open up by pressing up on the D-Pad.

It’s after the long, long, loooooong Prologue is almost over that you’ll eventually be given a seed by a mysterious individual known as Mr. Fairweather. Plant it, and the titular Kynseed will grow from it. The twist? The deal you’ve made with Mr. Fairweather is paid in years, which is why you’ll suddenly jump in time, going from your just-turned-13-years-old persona into someone who’s just turned 18 years of age. The pact is going to run for 1,000 years, and over that period of time, the second payment – and each subsequent payment – will be that your life ends when you reach 50 years of age, and the same happens to your offspring over the aforementioned 1,000-year period.

 

It would have been a good idea to read the whole thing before agreeing to it, but just in case you’re curious, here it is in all of its glory:

By taking ownership of the KYNSEED, you agree to the stipulations in this contract.

The Kynseed will allow you to SEE and SPEAK with all things FAE and grow your FAMILY TREE.

Your children will carry on your legacy and as your tree grows, so does your power.

Once planted, the Contract begins. You may uproot the Kynseed and pass it to any of your children who are of age, and join them in spirit, thus continuing to monitor your bloodline.

In return for the Kynseed you agree that on the day of your 50th birthing day, you willingly give your body to Mr. Fairweather, and every heir who inherits the Kynseed must do the same.

If you have no heirs to pass the Kynseed to, you will be offered an orphan to take your place. If you die before your time, Mr. Fairweather agrees to revive you at a cost of 1 year of your LIFE.

This contract is binding upon signing this paper.

The initial cost of the Kynseed is 5 years of your life, payable upfront. Life tax is payable at the end of each human calendar year.

Signed Mr Fairweather.

Combat uses a mix of turn-based gameplay mechanics with a dash of actime time battle, which helps to make each encounter feel more dynamic. Positioning is key for combat in Kynseed, since you won’t be able to attack all enemies – or be attacked by them – if you’re not in the right spot. Want to move around? That will cost stamina. Ready to attack an enemy? That costs stamina. Want to block? You guessed it, that costs stamina.

 

There’s plenty for you to do during your time with Kynseed, so you should press the – button every now and then to review your progress. This will allow you to check out your progress for combat, items, relationships, shop, renown, challenges, story, events, skills, and customization. There’s even an achievement section where you can review your progress for the in-game achievements system.

What will you need to do if you want to 100% the game? There are 80+ achievements for you to work on, and some of the objectives to complete include finishing the Prologue, cooking your first meal, crafting your first cure, getting married, having a baby or adopting one, crafting an item, traveling to each region, finishing specific story tasks, taking part in a dance, fighting during a blood moon, purchasing any business, becoming a friend of one of the villagers, recoloring an item, repairing all bridges in Quill, and having your life end at 50 years of age before passing the story to one of your offspring, to name some examples.

Kynseed is a pixeltastic life sim sandbox RPG created by veterans of the Fable series. It’s a story-driven experience in which actions matter, and choices most definitely have consequences, so how you treat others, whether you help fellow villagers in need, whether you’re kind to animals, what crops you have, and so on, will all matter… not only for the end of your journey, but for the journey itself. It’s thanks to their expertise that, in Kynseed, the scope is big, the stakes are high, and you’re in for a literal lifetime of adventuring as your character grows and ages, working on improving and expanding your farm, and even might get a chance to raise a family… and have your offspring continue your journey.

After entering a pact with Mr. Fairweather, you take care of the upfront payment with 5 years of your life, and will then need to pay when you reach the age of 50… with your body and your life. This cycle will continue going for 1,000 years, and it will be your offspring – and their offspring – who will have to cover the cost. Sure, you can also get some extra items from Mr. Fairweather to ease up your life, but do know that each one costs some extra years from your life! Are you up for making the deal? Kynseed is out on Nintendo Switch with a $24.99 price tag.

Disclaimer
This Kynseed review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by PixelCount Studios.