Kainga: Seeds of Civilization was a small Kickstarter game from 2021, a survival strategy game from Erik Rempen, funded with around $23,000 USD. It is a very small indie project; in fact, almost the entire game was created by Erik Rempen, from design to graphics to music. If anyone else worked on the game, it was extremely minor and not part of any credits.

The Kickstarter campaign, however, may have hampered some of the initial progress. It appears that some standard features of a strategy game, like sandbox mode, that were stretch goals, were not reached. These concepts may arrive later, but there is no guarantee.

Kainga: Seeds of Civilization, PC, Review, Gameplay, Screenshots, NoobFeed

In Kainga: Seeds of Civilization, players find themselves in one of the many diverse regions within the land of Kainga. Using a small band of settlers, one will need to gather supplies, create shelters, and defend themselves from enemy tribes and wild animals.

The settler clan of Kainga: Seeds of Civilization is made up of a single Thinker and a larger band of Braves. The Thinker is the one who discovers new technology by observing locations of interest and gives orders to the rest of the village. Braves perform manual labor and defend territory. If either the Thinker or all Braves are killed, the mission fails.

Players start by scouting an area to set up a basecamp fire pit. This is the main zone where resources can be gathered and structures built. One can claim more land by placing additional flags. However, between one and three other rival tribes are in the area and may turn hostile if one encroaches on their territory.

However, it may be necessary to venture so far out. Technology is found by leaving the Thinker near an important landmark, like a single tree on a beach or a rock high on a mountain. After reflecting on a said object, players may be able to select from a choice of possible new buildings. There is a warning if the construction resources are scarce in the area, but not when the actually needed terrain base is missing.

The world of Kainga is divided into several zones and maps. The starting Terrace is a hilly area overlooking a vast lake. Another early region is Flatlands, which is a desert dotted with a few oases. As one unlocks challenges, they may venture to even more areas like the forest-laden Greenleaf or the rocky island Towers.

Kainga: Seeds of Civilization, PC, Review, Gameplay, Screenshots, NoobFeed

Each map has different resource types, dictating what is easy, hard, or even impossible to construct. For example, clay and reeds might be easily found in Terrace, but nearly unheard of over in Flatlands. Players will need to be mindful of this, as one might stumble upon a new technology that can't be readily made in the region.

Some maps may be visited by wandering traders. These merchants might have the missing materials players are looking for. However, it is a question of whether one has enough surplus of unwanted goods to sell off in the first place. In some cases, the traders are fickle and will want quite a bit more in return; there is no set economy or currency to evaluate if any bartering is really fair.

Rather than having an endless free-for-all mode, each map has several objectives to complete to clear a level. This could involve hosting a certain type of festival, building a boat, or constructing a key landmark. Anything built that isn't in service of this objective is a waste of time and resources.

Though some maps have worthy side objectives, these may include rescuing a new Thinker or unit type, etc. They might either have been taken prisoner or are wandering in a far-off place on a map. These new characters have their own unique passives and powers, which may make certain objectives easier or harder.

Some of this personal technology will remain unlocked even after the first use. This can sometimes lead to simply discovering and building a Thinker's tech, even if it is useless in the current map. On future missions, it might be easier just to have this tech ready from the beginning.

Kainga: Seeds of Civilization, PC, Review, Gameplay, Screenshots, NoobFeed

Kainga: Seeds of Civilization is always a difficult challenge. Some of this comes about due to the player's faction always starting with nothing, while enemy clans might already have a sizeable army and land eked out. At other times, it comes from sheer randomness, like a wild animal charging into the camp, a raging fire, or wild storms. Those looking for even a remotely relaxing experience will not find it here.

An additional pressure is that there is no mid-mission saving. So any mistakes or random occurrences just have to be endured. It can often be the case that a downward spiral is inevitable, and there is no true means of recovering from a botched mission. Some missions can also be extremely long, taking close to two hours to complete. This creates the same burden found in other long, Rogue-like games like Returnal, where losing a run can feel shatteringly awful.

Kainga: Seeds of Civilization just lacks quality-of-life features in general. There is no customization to any maps or objectives, like changing starting resources or placement. There is no tweaking a difficulty, and hitting the random match button just selects a pre-existing map. The biggest oversight is a lack of speed controls, meaning players will need to always play at normal speed, even if slowing down or speeding up would be more strategic.

Kainga: Seeds of Civilization is a very cartoony, hand-drawn art style. Characters are even flat 2D objects rendered in a 3D world. This means that rotating the camera or quick character movements will show everyone's cardboard cutout-like physique. This look is both memorably charming and a little bit garish to stare at.

The sound design of Kainga: Seeds of Civilization is a bit grating. Characters make strange grunts and hums every time they turn, which comes off as if they are constantly mumbling as if being steered by holding down the right mouse button. It is also a bit hard to tell if they are using royalty-free stock sounds or if Erik Rempen supplied a few of the noises himself.

Kainga: Seeds of Civilization, PC, Review, Gameplay, Screenshots, NoobFeed

Crashing to the desktop is frequent with Kainga: Seeds of Civilization. It could be when opening menus, interacting with an object in the field, or engaging in large-scale fights. This is incredibly disheartening when it means the sudden and unexpected loss of hours of playtime. One small remedy is that the standard Unreal Engine crash report will come up, allowing players to forward any issues directly to Erik Rempen.

Kainga: Seeds of Civilization has a lot of great little ideas, but still needs work with balancing, features, and stability. Despite now being the official full release, it still feels very much like an early access title. Perhaps another year of development can turn it into a very remarkable strategy game.

As it stands now, most consumers interested in Kainga: Seeds of Civilization should treat it like an ongoing, still-in-development game, for some that could be well worth the current $19.99 asking price. However, others might still be concerned at the pace of new features and may want to either hold off for some time or wait until some future Steam sale.

Kainga: Seeds of Civilization

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