There are plenty of video games on Steam’s Early Access page, but the one we’re focusing on is The Kindred, a voxel game that takes cues from the world of Minecraft. When it comes to voxel-based games, Minecraft is one gem that every other voxel title is compared to and if we had to compare the two, The Kindred would definitely be a relative, though maybe a distant cousin.
I won’t go into great detail in this review as this is still very much an Early Access title. The developers have stated that only certain functions are available and that there could be changes before the game fully launches. Instead, I plan on doing a preview of the game and to give you an idea of how The Kindred plays out.
As the game is described on Steam, players start off with a vibrant voxel world to take and nourish a civilization. Essentially, The Kindred is a simulation video game set within a creative sandbox. Players will manage a small group along with discovering resources, explore, grow plants, raise animals, and more.
For starters, the similarities between Minecraft and The Kindred first start off with their blocky worlds and both titles heavily influence mining, crafting, along with building. However, unlike the hit voxel title Minecraft, The Kindred instead places you as practically a god, in control of managing a group of people, or in this case Kin.
These Kin will require various necessities to go on about their day so you must manage their lives and dictate their roles within their little makeshift town. Send a Kin to chop down a tree, till the land, plant seeds, harvest, mine resources, slaughter an animal for food, among various other routine tasks.
Additionally, the development team behind The Kindred, Persistent Studios, didn’t focus on just a primitive world but instead offer electric machinery though the game is limited still at what players can craft and operate in the game. Even the developers made note that the Early Access version of the game only includes mechanics for building, wind power, farming, crafting machinery, and a starvation meter for the Kin.
Being that this is an Early Access title, there are still plenty of bugs and issues that will likely get sorted out. Navigating through the menus was a bit of a pain and there was no sense of direction or a tutorial. I spent more than enough time trying to lay down a bed from my inventory only to realize that I was in the wrong menu completely.
Most of the bugs I found frustrating had to deal with the menus in general. They froze up, disappear, wouldn’t exit out, font overlapped, in general, they were a mess. Again, this is an Early Access title so I fully expected to come across issues during my gameplay.
All in all, if you like voxel-based games and enjoy simulation and strategy then you should really check out The Kindred. Currently, the game is not set to release fully for another year according to a post on The Kindred’s Steam page, though if you get the Early Access copy then you’ll get monthly updates where developers will add new content, features, and likely clean up the necessary bugs as it gears towards a launch window.
The Kindred is currently in development under Persistent Studios and published by Nkidu Games Inc. Currently, the game is available as an Early Access title at the MSRP of $14.99. A copy was provided by the publisher for the purpose of review.
