If you remember Lionhead Studios, you’ll remember Peter Molyneux’s propensity for embellishing certain features in upcoming Fable games. An occasional point of contention, it was almost enough to make you wonder what Fable could have accomplished without having to aspire to such wildly optimistic (occasionally unrealistic) standards. Well, we may finally have an answer in the form of a Kickstarter campaign for a new 2D RPG, Kynseed.
Developed by PixelCount Studios, Kynseed is seeking $38,850 to give players a sandbox adventure of a lifetime, literally. Players lead their protagonists through a lifetime of changing seasons, meaningful choices, and real-time combat. At the end of their lives they can choose to let their story end or allow their legacy to live on through their offspring. It shares much of the charm that originally drew fans to the Fable series, (including outhouse humor) but with simplified graphics.
(Insert Flatulence Noises)
Of course, the Fable connection isn’t just a throwaway nod. The Kynseed team is lead by a few ex-Lionhead developers who built the original world of Albion and its lore, brick by digital brick. They are drawing from their collective 30 years of experience with the series to infuse Kynseed with the same eccentricity and humor that players fell in love with in Fable. As such, the sandbox world of Quill is brimming with both the practical and whimsical in roughly equal measure.
Play Your Way
Players can take on the role of shrewd businessman, running their own taverns or apothecary’s. Or perhaps they prefer to be adventurers and hunt various nasty faery tale creatures for powerful loot. In Kynseed both or neither of this options is valid. PixelCount gives players the world and a lifetime to do as they please.
Including participate in pig rodeos
The campaign makes a point of letting players know that they have the option of feeding laxatives to a herd of sheep before leading them through town. Just in case you needed to know the extent of your powers. It’s oddly charming and totally irreverent.
There are a host of other interesting mechanics mixed in, including an in-game calendar to keep up with of all the comings and goings of the town. Honestly, it’s probably better to just check out the Kynseed prototype for Windows to really get a feel for all that the game has to offer.
The developers are aiming for an early access release later this year with a full release in 2018. Backing at even the lowest tier ($9) gets you copy of the early access build when it comes out. It’s odd to be so excited about a game we thought we would have so many years ago. Hopefully, Kynseed will deliver where Fable fumbled.
