Kenshi is one of those downloadable games that feels like it has been in development forever. Finally, it’s left its alpha state and can be considered a finished product. Kenshi was originally released on Steam on March 20, 2013, and was finally released on December 6, 2018. Thus, the RPG and survival fans are really excited about it and the title is certainly picking up steam (no pun intended).
How to Download Kenshi
You can download Kenshi from Steam, there is also the separately downloadable original game’s soundtrack. To start your download click on the Download button at the end of the review. And if you like RPGs with survival theme and a harsh world to live in be sure to also check out Conan Exiles.
The Game Review
The Gameplay
Kenshi is a game that is straight up going to demand all of your attention. There is a very, very steep learning curve here. However, when you fire up the game and you create your character at first you think this is a standard RPG.
Kenshi is anything but standard. You get to pick from a few different “stories” that start you off such as you can be a trader for example who will have some stock to sell, a guy with a dog or as part of a group who has nothing, but each other.
There is a tutorial in Kenshi, but there is so much going on it can be rather intimidating at first. You will need to find food, shelter, talk to people and just generally try and survive. Kenshi is all about giving you the chance to play the game anyway that you want. It is very ambitious and the world is massive and exploration is highly encouraged.
Things You Do in Kenshi
While you would call Kenshi an RPG there is also survival aspects, strategy, crafting and much more here. This mix of styles allows you to come to the game anyway that you would want.
There is no end game here or list of objectives for you to do. You can do pretty much whatever you want. For example, I got into working as a bounty hunter and had fun doing that, this then led me to somehow trying to free a bunch of slaves.
Or you can play as a bad guy, wandering into a town or city and just taking it over. There is so much choice here that each time you fire it up, you never know what you are going to do.
Death
With all the randomness that is in Kenshi, you are going to die a lot. There was one time I was being chased down by these creatures for what felt like forever, I got away and then ended up running straight into a group of cannibals.
The Factions
There is also a faction system in Kenshi. There are many different factions and the things you do in the game can result is some factions welcoming you with open arms and wanting to trade and talk to you and other factions wanting you dead and hunting you down.
The Bugs
As this is still in alpha and a massive open world game, Kenshi does have a few bugs here and there, but to be fair none of them are game breaking. Actually, the hardest aspect of the game is getting to grips with it in the first place.
You Like Extremely Difficult Games? Get Kenshi
This is a very, very tough game and it is certainly not easy to pick up and play, but that to be fair is probably by design. Kenshi demands you to put in the time and learn what works and what does not work.
You can take your team of wanderers anywhere you want and steal, fight, protect and shape the world how you sit fit, but whether or not they all survive is a different story. The more you play the more you learn and the more fun you will have.
The Bottom Line
Kenshi for a game that is still in its alpha state has a lot going on. Some people will really love this whereas others will feel it is a bit much. It is the kind of game that for those who love open end sandbox games where they can play however they want will suck up all their free time as I can see people getting very addicted to this.
Those who want a game they can pick up, play and get into right away may become frustrated with how much Kenshi demands of the player.
