Stardew Valleyreleased in 2016, immediately becoming a huge hit for fans not only in the farming sim community, which only consisted of those who played the oldHarvest Moongames back in the day but also those who rarely game at all.Stardew Valleyhit thesame vein that games such asAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsdoes: a seemingly mundane set of tasks somehow becomes addicting.
It struck such a chord that small-time and individual developers began creating numerous games inspired by the same formula of farming simulators. One of these games wasKynseed, which similarly has added content over the years since its release. After pouring hundreds of hours intoStardew Valley,Kynseedis an excellent follow-up game because of the way it twists and turns the farming sim formula.
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The Charm of Stardew Valley
Stardew Valleybegan essentially as a copycat of the oldHarvest Moongames, aimed at capturing the feeling no longer present in the newHarvest MoonandStory of Seasonstitles. Though the series has somewhat improved their graphics over time, they ultimately end up feeling like hollow emulations of the past, leaving most farming sim fans to turn toEric Barone’s recreation,Stardew Valley.
One of the reasons whyStardew Valleycontinues to be a success over anymodernStory of SeasonsorHarvestMoonreleaseis how balanced the game’s mechanics are. When just getting started, it takes quite some time to accrue enough money where it’s no longer a concern, and the first year really requires the player to budget out seeds, fodder, and other necessities. Fishing also has a unique learning curve, but rare fish will also stay appropriately difficult. Mining higher-quality ore will also become increasingly harder thanks to varying enemy types.
But if the game gets too easy from playthrough after playthrough?Stardew Valleyhas difficulty settings known as “Profit Margins.” This is the start of howStardewis great for both children and adults. It’s family-friendly, but there are some darker storylines in the mix keeping it interesting for the adults playing the game.Kynseedtakes these subtle mature themes, as well as difficulty, and runs with them in a way most uncommon to the normal farming sim. But that’s exactly why so many players love it.
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What Makes Kynseed a Great Game
Boasting a similar yet more complex pixel art style,Kynseedwas one of the many farming and life sims inspired byStardew Valley. But while they may look mostly identical,Kynseeddoes more than regurgitate the same mechanics, unlike some other titles. Instead,Kynseedleans more heavily into the RPG genre with more quests and a more concrete story, butKynseedalso created its own original charm.
According to development studio PixelCount,Kynseedfuses British folklore with the sandbox world of a farming sim, meaning the characters' humor and personalities are a bit less innocently chipper and a bit more cynical and sad. But perhaps its this macabre trait that has gotten players addicted toKynseed, some even enjoying it more thanStardew, despite the game only being available in Early Access.
This same humor is echoed in the game’s everyday tasks as well. Likemost farming sims, players can expect the usual: raising a farm, helping villagers, romance, and starting a family. But whileKynseedis whimsical, it’s also more realistically dark. The game starts off with planting an acorn, which turns into a family tree as time passes. Unlike most farming sims, the player will age and watch the tree age as well. Everyone ages and dies, including the player character and their pets.
When the player dies inKynseed, they can step into their children’s shoes and continue the legacy. And the player’s choices will affect their children’s lives in this farming sim, and so on and so forth. As for pets and animals, while it might be a bit morbid, farm animals can die and they can be harvested for resources, such as a pig dropping pork behind when it passes, for example.
So for those picking apartStardewValley’s darkest storylines, felt that the relationships in the game aren’t organic, or are just simply running out of original content, perhaps look intoKynseedas a more complex and unconventional spin on the successful formula.
