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Kynseed combines elements of Stardew Valley and the famous Lionhead RPG Fable and the result can be described as mostly successful. During its early access phase I was hesitant to purchase Kynseed because I was afraid that it could end up to be a shallow experience - I thus waited for it to finally leave early access and bought it with a small discount.
I guess it was a good idea to wait because older reviews often mentioned that content is a bit on the lacking side and when I started it the "Big Build Update" had already launched which seemingly added quite some new features.
So when I started the game I immediately recognized the fancy look of the characters which may not be everyones cup of tea but for me it is alright - I'm not 100% excited about the character design but it wouldn't deter me from enjoying the game. There could be more options to design your own character, though, I chose one of the few models that looked okay-ish but I'm not really all too content with the result. Well I'm not someone who is obsessed with character looks but I can see other people to whom this is a more important feature being disappointed in the scarcity of customization options.
The start of the game was pretty neat - you start with some choices which determine some starting bonuses and you also get to choose your twin brother who will cross your way several times during the game. My first impression of the overall design of the game world was a pleasant one - the vibrant fairytale-like style is really neat and immersive.
That's one of the aspects which immediatly reminded me of "Fable" which also had an outstanding fairytale-like charm to it. One of my first actions was to grab some apples from a nearby tree where I was greeted with the first pun when I picked up the "gassy apple" which sells for for higher prices due to "inflation" - I cought myself chuckling a bit at that and looked forward to the wealth of puns that were to follow - just as it was back then in the Fable-days (for everyone who played Fable puns like this one should come to no surprise - the Fable series was always know for it's quirky humor...and Kynseed follows in the footsteps of its older brother - so to say). My expectation of encountering numerous humorous jokes was absolutely met, Kynseed is a lot more on the humorous side than Stardew Valley is - for everyone who enjoys humorous game this is a definite plus over Stardew Valley, anyone else who enjoys a more serious tone in games may find it annoying in the long run. Personally, I prefer the funnier setting of Kynseed because it definately brightens up the mood and that's what that kind of games are mostly here for. I'd even say that the whole game impressed me more than Stardew Valley did, even though I was very captivated by the world of Stardew Valley, too, so that says something. Nevertheless I still have fewer hours in Kynseed which is partly because I don't have it as long as I have Stardew Valley on my account but it's also because I have played well over 100 hours of Stardew Valley and I'm not the kind of person who wants to put more than 200 hours in a game because my backlog constantly cries for attention and I want to play as many different games as I can. So I didn't want to put too many hours in Kynseed because ultimately I have played both Fable and Stardew Valley and this game has so many features out of both of those games, so my desire has already been kind of satiated.
But for everyone who has no problem in investing countless hours in one game or for someone who hasn't yet played through Stardew Valley the similarities are no drawback.
If someone has yet to decide between Stardew Valley or Kynseed I would recommend Kynseed (despite having fewer hours in it than in Stardew Valley for the above stated reason) just because there's a bigger variety in what to do with your ingame time - you aren't stuck with just the farming, you can also become an apothecary who mixes potions and concoctions, a smith who forges tools and weapons or a mixed goods vendor who sells self-made meals from home-grown vegetables. Every profession comes with mini-games which are very unique and influence the star-rating of the finished product (I had fun with the mini-games). Another factor of the quality of the final product is the star-rating of the used ingredients which is connected to several conditions that can be found through experimenting or hints that are scattered across the world. Finding all star ratings was quite addictive - and amusing because some ot the star requirements are hilarious like shooting apples with a slingshot and picking them while on the back of your piggy - which can be bought on pig auctions. Well, in fact the the overall "collectatron" happening in this game can become one big addiction.
There is a wealth of things that can be picked up (fish, fruit, vegetables, flowers, notes, books...) which leads to putting countless hours in the exploration of the game world, always in search for new and / or better quality stuff to use for crafting. There were days where I couldn't leave the PC because I lost my sense for time in the world of Kynseed - at the start of the game that also happened quite literally because until you get a better clock you have to use dandelions for time measurement - yeah you heard right - at first you can only determine the time through picking flowers - which is very innovative but also a bit stressful, I was happy when I finally got a real clock but kudos to the devs for trying something new! Some people lamented about the stressful time management stating that the day is too short for the flood of quests and daily tasks - and yeah I can see why some were stressed because of this because at the beginning it really feels overwhelming (which is also probably a good thing because it shows that the game is far from being shallow - there is indeed a lot to do and accomplish) but that feeling of being overwhelmed and stressed fades over time when you start to become familiar with your surroundings and know where to find ressources and specific characters.
So my advice is to keep playing it even though stress may set in - it definately becomes less stressful and more pleasant with time - some games need a little dedication before you can fully enjoy the features that they have to offer.
As you can see I'm overall really glad that I purchased Kynseed after my initial hesitation.
So why did I say that the game is just "mostly successful" in being an exotic hybrid of Stardew Valley and Fable?
Well, the game definately also has it's downsides - characters to date and marry are abudant, you can basically marry anyone who is old enough to be a marriage-candidate - but that abudance of choices comes with a drawback - as quite a lot of other people have already mentioned, the characters aren't too fleshed out and it quickly shows after you have won their friendship. The dialogue and quests are quickly becoming repetitive and shallow which is a pity because relationships are an important aspect of games like this one and a lot of people want their in-game relationships to feel meaningful and realistic - a feeling that this game can hardly offer, I didn't even have the desire to marry anyone because the characters lack just that - character. Their personalities are rather bland, sure some of them have their moments but it is still disappointing. Though I can understand why the devs couldn't offer a more indepth relationship system because as I said the choice of candidates is just too big for that - and there also is the generation-system which further complicates the implementation of intricately crafted relationships. But yeah, despite that the game is still a lot of fun and lets be real - the relationships in Stardew Valley aren't too fancy either, they also lack depth and once the goal to marry that special someone is reached the initial excitement quickly fades away - the same goes for Fable...