I reviewed this game back in 2017 when it was in early access and played it for about 40-60 hours. I noticed it finally had a release on Steam just recently, and I've now spent 100 hours playing this game in the past week alone. I think it's time for a new review.

Let's get the negatives out of the way:

-You will probably crash at some point (I've had 5-10 in the 100 hours I've played thus far), especially if you decide to up the modifiers for squad sizes/enemy limits/etc. due to single thread processing. Having auto-saves on every 5 to 10 minutes is crucial and makes these occasional crashes bearable.

And that's pretty much it, lmao. If you think the graphics are a turn off, just go outside and get the high fidelity you apparently crave. Mods have you covered on any minor gameplay annoyances.

Positives:

-If you like Rimworld, Mount & Blade, X-COM, and minimalist sandbox RPGs with the mod-support of Skyrim, you need to buy and play this game.

-You have complete freedom to roleplay. No linear questing. The world reacts to your decisions. Tired of the Holy Nation sending their umpteenth Prayer Day to your front door? Slap that proselytizer in the face and attack all Holy Nation paladins on sight. Just don't be surprised when they send an assault against your encampment.

-Discovering the world of Kenshi. Who is this "Bug-Master" everyone keeps talking about in taverns? Why is everyone afraid of the Ashlands? Who or what are the "Fogmen"? What happened to the Ancient Empire and what do the Skeletons have to do with it? The Wikia for this game is still pretty barren, so these are answers you're going to have to learn on your own.

-50 Max Companions. FIFTY. Not enough? Become a madman and max out your recruit limit to 256 with mods.

-Prefer a warzone instead of a barren wasteland? You can jack up the AI squads (and the amount of units those squads have) to 3x or more. Don't be surprised if you end up in a scene right out of Starship Troopers though as Skimmers try to overrun your base in the Great Desert.

-Crafting in this game is extensive. Find blueprints and then arm your mounting army with your personally forged equipment. Figuring out how to make the best stuff requires you to explore.

-Factions are living and breathing in this world. If you kill a shopkeeper? He doesn't come back. If you murder a faction leader? Neither will he, though you might find that you're a kill on sight threat now to half of the map. Did you think you could walk around the United Cities while being poor? Think again, slave.

-The endgame is what you make of it. Set your own goals and fulfill them. There is no end-game cutscene — you are the story-teller.

-Build your own base. I've mentioned bases a lot by now, haven't I? Uh, yeah. Make multiple base if you want to. Make an empire if you're ambitious enough. Just expect to be attacked. A LOT. What? Are you telling me you don't try to raid and loot every settlement you come across? Why'd you expect Kenshi's NPCs to be any different?

-Character customization is superb. Saturation & Color sliders alongside significant choices that borders The Sims in terms of character creation. Don't like how your character turns out? Visit a plastic surgeon in-game. They'll even let you change your companion's name most of the time. Download mods if you aren't satisfied with the vanilla toolset.

I could honestly go on with this game. Kenshi's been in development for nearly 10 years and it really shows.

I know it's sacrilege to say this but, this is actually an early access game done right.

I reviewed this game back in 2017 when it was in early access and played it for about 40-60 hours. I noticed it finally had a release on Steam just recently, and I've now spent 100 hours playing this game in the past week alone. I think it's time for a new review. [b]Let's get the negatives out of the way:[/b] -You will probably crash at some point (I've had 5-10 in the 100 hours I've played thus far), especially if you decide to up the modifiers for squad sizes/enemy limits/etc. due to single thread processing. Having auto-saves on every 5 to 10 minutes is crucial and makes these occasional crashes bearable. And that's pretty much it, lmao. If you think the graphics are a turn off, just go outside and get the high fidelity you apparently crave. Mods have you covered on any minor gameplay annoyances. [b]Positives:[/b] -If you like Rimworld, Mount & Blade, X-COM, and minimalist sandbox RPGs with the mod-support of Skyrim, you need to buy and play this game. -You have complete freedom to roleplay. No linear questing. The world reacts to your decisions. Tired of the Holy Nation sending their umpteenth Prayer Day to your front door? Slap that proselytizer in the face and attack all Holy Nation paladins on sight. Just don't be surprised when they send an assault against your encampment. -Discovering the world of Kenshi. Who is this "Bug-Master" everyone keeps talking about in taverns? Why is everyone afraid of the Ashlands? Who or what are the "Fogmen"? What happened to the Ancient Empire and what do the Skeletons have to do with it? The Wikia for this game is still pretty barren, so these are answers you're going to have to learn on your own. -50 Max Companions. FIFTY. Not enough? Become a madman and max out your recruit limit to 256 with mods. -Prefer a warzone instead of a barren wasteland? You can jack up the AI squads (and the amount of units those squads have) to 3x or more. Don't be surprised if you end up in a scene right out of Starship Troopers though as Skimmers try to overrun your base in the Great Desert. -Crafting in this game is extensive. Find blueprints and then arm your mounting army with your personally forged equipment. Figuring out how to make the best stuff requires you to explore. -Factions are living and breathing in this world. If you kill a shopkeeper? He doesn't come back. If you murder a faction leader? Neither will he, though you might find that you're a kill on sight threat now to half of the map. Did you think you could walk around the United Cities while being poor? Think again, slave. -The endgame is what you make of it. Set your own goals and fulfill them. There is no end-game cutscene — you are the story-teller. -Build your own base. I've mentioned bases a lot by now, haven't I? Uh, yeah. Make multiple base if you want to. Make an empire if you're ambitious enough. Just expect to be attacked. A LOT. What? Are you telling me you [i]don't[/i] try to raid and loot every settlement you come across? Why'd you expect Kenshi's NPCs to be any different? -Character customization is superb. Saturation & Color sliders alongside significant choices that borders The Sims in terms of character creation. Don't like how your character turns out? Visit a plastic surgeon in-game. They'll even let you change your companion's name most of the time. Download mods if you aren't satisfied with the vanilla toolset. I could honestly go on with this game. Kenshi's been in development for nearly 10 years and it really shows. I know it's sacrilege to say this but, this is actually [b][i]an early access game done right.[/i]