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THE Kenshi (video game)

Kenshi is a real-time strategy action role-playing game developed and published by Lo-Fi Games for Windows. Emphasizing sandbox gameplay, the game offers players extensive freedom to explore and shape their own experiences within its world, rather than following a linear narrative. Remarkably, Kenshi was primarily developed by a single individual over twelve years and was released on December 6, 2018.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world, Kenshi allows players to fully customize their characters' personalities and roles. The game has been well-received by critics, who have praised its depth and challenging gameplay.

kenshi Gameplay

Kenshi is an open-world role-playing game featuring real-time strategy elements, characterized by its lack of a linear narrative. Set in a harsh post-apocalyptic environment where survival is a constant struggle, players begin with no skills and must work hard to endure the initial challenges.

Skills in Kenshi improve through direct actions—thievery skills increase by stealing, combat skills by fighting, and players can recruit other units to expand their squad. Characters from various factions and species can be recruited, and players can eventually construct their own towns. The game's damage system allows for individual limb damage or loss, with the possibility of replacing lost limbs with prosthetics if available.

Kenshi's world is populated with numerous non-player locations, ranging from single buildings to large cities. The game features a dynamic world states system, which triggers reactions to the deaths of notable characters, leading to power shifts, new locations, or towns being taken over by different factions. The zones within Kenshi are not merely for aesthetic purposes but have distinct characteristics such as soil types, terrain, and resource availability, which are crucial when constructing outposts. Weather conditions, including harmful effects like acid rain, pose an ongoing challenge whether or not players build outposts.

kenshi Development

Kenshi was primarily developed by Chris Hunt, who began working on the game around 2006–2008. To support himself during the early years of development, Hunt worked part-time as a security guard. After about five years, he achieved enough initial success with Kenshi to leave his security job and focus on the game full-time. Hunt continued to work solo on the project until 2013, when he was able to hire a small team to assist him.

Hunt described the world of Kenshi as "sword-punk," drawing inspiration from tales of wandering rōnin and the concept of a survivor traversing a wasteland. His motivation for creating the game stemmed from his dislike of the "hand-holding" approach common in other RPGs. Hunt designed Kenshi with the philosophy of positioning himself as the player's adversary. The game features a vast playable area of 870 square kilometers (340 square miles), designed to intersperse dangerous and challenging regions with rewarding locations. He aimed to give different areas distinct themes and factions, such as one region that treats female characters differently than males.

Kenshi was released in early access in 2013, with its full release following on December 6, 2018.

kenshi Reception

Kenshi received "generally favorable reviews," according to Metacritic. PC Gamer's Robert Zak commended the game's vast size and scope but mentioned that it could become "grindy" and that the user interface "can get cumbersome as your group's numbers grow." Rock, Paper, Shotgun highlighted the game's depth and favorably compared Kenshi to Dwarf Fortress.

 Reception

Aggregate score:

Metacritic: 75/100

Review scores:

PC Gamer (US): 84/100

Kenshi Sequel

info is coming