Kinsfolk

Kinsfolk is an emotional, atmospheric journey that invites you to slow down and reflect as you travel through several varied scenes. It is refreshing to play a game that tells a clear story without having to put 100's of hours in. Though simple, the graphics create a clear atmosphere, and the voice acting portrays some real emotion. I recommend you take a short, relaxing time out of your day to experience this story.

A small walking sim game with a lot of heart. Can finish the entire game in an hour. The game isn't trying to introduce anything new here in terms of gameplay but it does have a lot of emotions, and I believe it does convey those emotions pretty well thanks to some really nice voice lines & voice acting. I'm not a father or even married, but I'm at that point in life where I often think about certain interactions from when I was kid, especially with my parents. And some of them are ones you have to make peace with when you realize 'It is their first time here too'. And its probably because of that reason, Kinsfolk did hit me. Recommended. (And I think it might hit you more if you are a new dad)

Kinsfolk est une parenthèse d’une heure qui m’a profondément touchée. Une histoire sur le deuil, la transmission et le plaisir -malgré les épreuves- des petites choses simples de la vie. Une ambiance très douce et mélancolique. J’ai également apprécié la voix du narrateur ainsi que la bande-son, qui nous plonge dans cette introspection paternelle. Merci à Vinko Kodžoman <3 ----------------------------------- Kinsfolk is a one-hour interlude that deeply moved me. A story about grief, transmission, and finding joy in life’s simple pleasures — even through hardship. A very soft, melancholic atmosphere. I also appreciated the narrator’s voice, as well as the soundtrack, which draws you into this paternal introspection. Thank you, Vinko Kodžoman <3

Short, appropriately priced and entertaining game. Very cute journey through the story of a grieving father and you can see that the developer behind it put a lot of love in the game. Would definitely recommend.

A beautiful, short story game, that explores loss, grief, and the feelings that follow that when it comes to moving on. Although the experience was short, it was impactful, I definitely recommend.

Kinsfolk is a short walking sim with some platforming elements. Visually, Kinsfolk is a mixed bag. There is a cohesive look to the world and the color palette works well with the environments and dreamlike story. That said, for every attractive vista, there's a weird texture. Sound ranges from decent to repetitive. The protagonist's voice acting is generally well done, but the baby has a very limited range of noises, which can grate even in the ~1 hour it takes to complete the game. Also, the father character's voice over sounds more like a kid mocking their parent than a concrete character. Writing is OK, but sometimes states the obvious or gamifies an action to the point of silliness[spoiler], particularly the bit where you save a small animal with magic berries[/spoiler]. Clearly a lot of story elements are metaphorical, but it doesn't always work. The game is reaching for something greater, but doesn't quite get there. However, there are a handful of impactful moments and themes at work. Overall, Kinsfolk isn't perfect, but I would recommend this game to walking sim fans. There is a clear visual style, some touching moments, and the price is right.

I’m not crying, you’re crying. A short, relaxing, but also not relaxing because it’ll give you a cathartic cry, game. I really enjoyed playing this as I was in the mood for a sweet story. As other reviews mention, the voice acting is quite stellar and truly pulls you into the story. A great short game and story experience for the price

Calling this game a walking sim, is giving you a bit of a wrong idea, but it does point out the emphasis in this game of in moving forward and experiencing the story. However, it is not just walking, but there are also some small activities, like catching chickens, or a bit of easy platform jumping. (edit: I just found out checking other reviews, that there actually seems to be a genre called Walking Simulator, and I guess this is one then) Main focus in the game, however, is the story, and this is perhaps better described as something equivalent of watching a movie, except you play through the story. Would almost like to call this an interactive movie, except that term is used to describe something else. A very beautiful looking game, with emotional story. It is not something I would like all the games to be, but I really enjoy how games are exploring these kind of possibilities. If this format moves forward, then perhaps 50 years later this might not be much of a game anymore, but since these kind of games haven't really seem to have reached their height yet, right now, this is one of the good examples of these kind of games. From games that I have played, closest resemble is Adams Venture Origins game. If you like one, there is good chance you will like the other one too. Adams Venture just has a bit more gaming elements, and not as (emotionally) strong story. Voice acting is excellent in this one, especially when you think that this is practically a solo dev project. Description said 40 minutes long game, but it took me roughly 2 hours, but that was mostly since I enjoyed walking around a bit more, plus I encountered one bug, which is now fixed, that probably wasted 20-30 minutes of time. So maybe 1 and half hour if you keep exploring all around unnecessarily, like I did. I fully recommend this. I meant to wait till 90 percent off to show my support (you know the joke about show your support to indie games), but with 4.99 with as the regular price only, and with 10 percent off at launch, I figured I buy it right away, since I was very much interested in playing this further than the demo let. I would have gladly paid the 4.99 price.

Despite any flaws this game might have - the feelings are there, and they are done superbly. Sometimes we don't need much more than that. Wonderful first foray from this indie dev. Looking forward to seeing what comes next. If you enjoy short experiences that make you feel, you'll enjoy this.

This is the kind of game I wish there would be more like. It’s not about new addictive mechanics, dopamine loops whatnot. This is a simple yet beautiful short story, a little bit naive but still very touching, and most importantly very sincere. As a game it’s simple in its mechanics, there’s not too much “content”, but everything has plays out well in the greater scope of things. There are some really good parts that I enjoyed both as a player and a game developer. Yes, probably it could have been more detailed from artistic point of view (the art direction is good and clean, but for me it lacks a bit of variation and refinement) and there could have been a little more stuff to do (I have this habit to look under every rock in games I play and find little thingies) and it could have been a little bit longer too. But I also believe that games like these are vessels of artistic expression and in the end they are exactly how they were imagined by the author and everything by else is just a noise. It is a good little poem and it being a video game is just a way of telling it.