Kenshi

 PC
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 239 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 199 out of 239
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 239
  3. Negative: 24 out of 239

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  1. Noir9090
    Feb 22, 2019
    4
    It's very unpolished game that let's you do a little bit of everything. The downside is that it's indeed very "only a little bit of everything" as nothing feels that finished or in-depth. Better games out there if you wanna explore, better building simulations, better RPGs and better sandboxes in general. The game just has weird shallow mixture of everything which makes me question whyIt's very unpolished game that let's you do a little bit of everything. The downside is that it's indeed very "only a little bit of everything" as nothing feels that finished or in-depth. Better games out there if you wanna explore, better building simulations, better RPGs and better sandboxes in general. The game just has weird shallow mixture of everything which makes me question why would anybody want that. The game felt really interesting at start but after while it just made me question is this all game has to offer in X side of the game as the limits started to hit. I was given a free copy so it didn't feel that bad but I wouldn't pay for this game nor am I gonna play it any further.… Expand
  2. kuehnau
    Mar 25, 2013
    0
    A unpolished, unfinished product that is currently being sold for "early access" (aka cash grab), Kenshi advertises itself as a "open ended, sandbox, squad based strategy."

    What it really is, is a unfinished product that doesn't even have sound, it is a massive grind and waste of time. Do yourself a favor and buy paint and watch it dry. You'll save money.
  3. sfgsgfs
    May 18, 2019
    0
    This game is simply bad. It is bad in its every aspect.
    It does not have any storyline.
    It is not immersive because you cant even talk to most of the NPCs. The combat system feels dull and ridiculous because animations look awful and its poor explanation leaves no desire to learn it at all. The world is empty and uninteresting. The game is not even difficult because you can easily    This game is simply bad. It is bad in its every aspect.
    It does not have any storyline.
    It is not immersive because you cant even talk to most of the NPCs.
    The combat system feels dull and ridiculous because animations look awful and its poor explanation leaves no desire to learn it at all.
    The world is empty and uninteresting.
    The game is not even difficult because you can easily loot bandits killed by guards, get good equipment and sell everything else.
    The gameplay itself is simply boring. Game promises you freedom, but it shackles you instead. It has very limited number of things your character can do at all.

    One of the worst experiences in my life.    … Expand
  4. shawnpaul
    Jun 10, 2020
    2
    The idea and gameplay itself, I would give a 9. It is an amazing game in design. However in execution it is not and I can not recommend it. The game is plagued by extremely poor performance, loading every 30 seconds when traveling, memory leaks and crashes that make the game unenjoyable and ultimately unplayable. Starting a session, game loads quickly, around 4-5 seconds. However afterThe idea and gameplay itself, I would give a 9. It is an amazing game in design. However in execution it is not and I can not recommend it. The game is plagued by extremely poor performance, loading every 30 seconds when traveling, memory leaks and crashes that make the game unenjoyable and ultimately unplayable. Starting a session, game loads quickly, around 4-5 seconds. However after about 15 or 20 minutes of traveling game runs sluggish and loads can take several minutes. These loads are extremely frequent as well. If you try to have your character make a run across that map that would take about 3 minutes travel time, expect to spend at least 15 minutes waiting on a load screen, despite having a good rig and proper ssd.… Expand
  5. mrnobody99
    Jan 4, 2022
    3
    If I had to describe this game in one word, it would be clunky. The game started development in 2006, and it seems like almost every aspect stayed back in that time. The graphics are HORRIBLE, to put it lightly, it's almost if the creator never bothered to change them throughout it's long development time. The gameplay is clunky and buggy like crazy. The world feels lifeless. NPCIf I had to describe this game in one word, it would be clunky. The game started development in 2006, and it seems like almost every aspect stayed back in that time. The graphics are HORRIBLE, to put it lightly, it's almost if the creator never bothered to change them throughout it's long development time. The gameplay is clunky and buggy like crazy. The world feels lifeless. NPC pathfinding is a mess. And there are a heap of other problems. This game may have been good had it actually released back in 2008 or so, but it was pushed back and back and back, now everything about it was just stuck in the past.

    One of the few impressive parts of the game is that you have the ability to do practically whatever you want, you can be a bounty hunter, a farmer, you can travel the map as a trader, you can be a thief, you can be a raider, be a cannibal, become a miner and sell copper etc,    … Expand
  6. AmokHarvest
    Oct 30, 2021
    3
    I'll start things off by saying I'm on the bad side of the Kenshi moderation team.

    I'm on the bad side of them because I butted heads with one person - the creator of Project Genesis, Atlas. I bought Kenshi in June of 2020, and downloaded Genesis / joined their discord to learn more about this thing that I had just got. I've never modded a game, but for whatever reason thought I    I'll start things off by saying I'm on the bad side of the Kenshi moderation team.

    I'm on the bad side of them because I butted heads with one person - the creator of Project Genesis, Atlas.

    I bought Kenshi in June of 2020, and downloaded Genesis / joined their discord to learn more about this thing that I had just got. I've never modded a game, but for whatever reason thought I might be able to increase my own fun by adjusting this one.

    It became a rabbit hole of changes, and this guy quickly had issues with them. He started accusing me of mod theft, despite me never distributing my mod to the public, or even to friends. He went on Reddit and promised users could get $12,000 USD for reporting me to the US Government copyright office. He also doxxed me, taking it upon himself to share my personal information.

    I first tried to resolve this in Discord. Mods suggested we block one another. I did. He did not. Instead he responded when I would talk with more accusations of theft, and if I clicked the show message button I'd see it.

    I complained, nobody cared.

    I then tried to resolve this on reddit. The moderator there, Arkontas, allowed Atlas public harassment to stand, and only nominally removed the doxxing post because it violated reddits core policies and could likely get the community shut down as a whole.

    I tried to resolve this in the official Kenshi discord, with two of the moderators there.

    Within 4 hours of me contacting one moderator, suddenly Atlas messages me on a discord account I never use. I wouldn't have known about it except that an alert went to my email box that I had a new message. He contacts me using my real life name, and accuses me of stalking him.

    I contacted another moderator, and was called a kid, and asked why the ♥♥♥♥ I was speaking (loose paraphrase, the actual quote was 'why the ♥♥♥♥ did you speak').

    Unfortunately, this is how this community treats its users. if you dont jack off the moderators here and constantly praise their good deeds and often incomplete ideas, they treat you like crap.

    If you call them out for it, you're on their ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

    I have a whole host of messages people have sent me about the 'drama' in Kenshi. A single player game. There are a few websites devoted to the misbehavior of some of these people.

    Think about that for a second. A single player game with drama.
    Great game, but the community at the top is run by a group of narcissists.

    So while the game is great, the mod staff is sterotypically neckbeard/weebo and that sets a very negative tone for socialization.

    Advice - Play the game. Enjoy it. If you can deal with the other stuff, cool. I can't. The Kenshi community for me is the definition of toxic.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

41
#41 Most Discussed PC Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. CD-Action
    Mar 25, 2019
    50
    It took Chris Hunt and his small team 12 years to develop Kenshi and that unfortunately shows. The game utilizes an archaic engine, is poorly optimised and hideous most of the time. It also does next to nothing to help the player get a grasp of its mechanics, and, as it happens, their complexity are Kenshi’s most important aspect. I would be happy to love this game, because I understand and applaud Hunt’s idea of completely open gameplay, but loving Kenshi is extremely hard. [02/2019, p.47]
  2. Games.cz
    Feb 25, 2019
    80
    Do not trust your first impression - this game is a true gem. Elaborate, huge, unbridled, stylish, fresh, captivatingly different. The only blemish is its poor performance and many bugs.
    Read full review
  3. GameGrin
    Jan 14, 2019
    75
    An intriguing RPG/Survival hybrid sandbox that invites you to experiment in the world it presents. Some technical hiccups interrupt the open world and the freeform nature definitely isn’t for everyone but if you are after something different, Kenshi is the very definition of that.
    Read full review
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