The demo of Kinsfolk is a heartfelt walking sim that explores the meaning of family. It’s a quiet, peaceful game which tells a compelling story in an atmospheric setting.
The Backstory of Kinsfolk
The game opens with a beautiful, realistic snowstorm, and then an image of the main character looking towards a headstone. As I walked him closer, he expressed deep sorrow. The headstone was his wife’s, and he has no idea how he will manage without her. He laments that they were supposed to be a team, and he’s not sure he can live on his own. He feels lost and alone.
Next, the screen turns dark blue, and our main character is in the dark. Both figuratively and literally. Then he hears a baby crying, and there is a bright spot in the sea of darkness. It’s his child, who misses their mother too. The man tells the baby that he will take care of it, that now he knows what his wife would want him to do. The adventure begins.
The Gameplay of Kinsfolk
The actual gameplay in the demo consists of walking around and remembering events from the past. The main character can walk and jump, but I don’t think he can do anything else. There does not appear to be a day/night cycle; our character does not need to sleep or eat. He simply walks and explores. I like games like this! The story is very engaging, and I am curious to see where it is going. Kinsfolk is presented as “stories”, and the screen said I had discovered the story of hope.
I could see the main character pick up his baby and put it in a sling to carry it around. The next place the two visited was their house. The main character remembered when they moved there, but for some reason, he and his child have to leave now. He walked from room to room, remembering their lives there. He remembered that his wife loved to paint, and he bemoans that his child will not be able to grow up there. And then they set off into the snowstorm. He says, “We need to go back to that place. I don’t really want to, but we have to”. He says that it’s what his wife would do. It’s very mysterious. What is “that place”?
As I was playing, I ran into one very minor technical issue and had a question about the game settings. So I reached out to the dev. He was very responsive and graciously helped me out. I always like to recognize when that happens. To me, it shows that the dev is really invested in their game and want the player to have the best possible experience. So I thank him for that!
Discoveries in Kinsfolk
The father and his child began walking through the snowstorm. Occasionally, the baby cried, and the father comforted him. In their travels they found the place where the father grew up. That spurred him to have a memory of his past. Unlike the other scenery so far in Kinsfolk, the memory is bright and colorful. The main character remembered time spent lazily looking at clouds. He also remembered his father giving him tasks to do and berating him when he did not complete them to his satisfaction. The man wondered how his own child would remember him. The screen told me that I had discovered the story of his childhood memories.
Our main character also found an area where he and his wife would lay down and look at the stars at night. He remembered that one time she saw a shooting star, and made a wish. She said she wished for a child. The father tells the baby, “and now you are here”. So sweet and yet, terribly sad.
The Mood And Feeling Of Kinsfolk
Kinsfolk is a narrative walking simulator set in a 3D open world with a soft, pensive soundtrack. The main character is voice acted in addition to having text on the screen. His voice is very emotional, which adds a lot to the game. I could also hear the wind howling in the background, which gave a desolate feel to the setting.
I am having a hard time determining when and where the story takes place. The main character wears unusual clothing. The houses appear to be from the past, and at least in the demo, there are very few other people to interact with. Perhaps that’s the point; this man could be anyone, anywhere. It’s an emotional story and all humans have emotions.
When the main character in Kinsfolk was remembering his childhood, the mood of the game changed. The soundtrack transitioned to happy music, and he spoke in a much more joyful voice. It’s obvious that life events have changed him. I look forward to learning more about his life.
Final Thoughts
The Steam page for Kinsfolk states that each short story within the game is meant to challenge the player’s perspective, their understanding of the world, and expand the story. Some stories will be obvious, and some will be hidden. The demo is short; it took me just 15 minutes to finish it. So I played it again, just in case I missed something. Turns out I did! I had missed the whole memory of the main character’s childhood. So I’d suggest you play slowly and carefully, and look everywhere so you don’t miss anything.
Kinsfolk was developed by indie developer Vinko Kodzoman and is set to be released soon. On a personal note, as he was developing the game, he became a father. That made the game even more meaningful to him. I like that a lot!
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