Kenshi is a single player free-roaming Role Playing Game, with a Real-Time Strategy influence. Its squad-based, meaning you have a whole team of characters who can split up and go to different ends of the world. The game world is 400 square km of seamless terrain with a world map screen for fast-travel, Fallout style. You can play with one character, or with 50, and there are advantages to both. Combat is real-time and is based on swords and bows, action beat-em up style but with RPG stats influencing the outcome. No Magic. No fantasy cliches. Think of a combination of X-Com Apocalypse and Oblivion.
Features
Original take on the RTS-RPG hybrid genre. No "hero" characters with artificially stronger stats than everybody else- Every character and NPC you meet is potentially an equal, and has a name, a life.
You are not the chosen one. You're not great and powerful. You don't have more 'hitpoints' than everyone else. You are not the center of the universe, and you are not special.
Freeform gameplay in a seamless game world stretching over 400 square kilometers. The game will never seek to limit you or restrict your personal play style.
Unique real time combat system, based on motion capture and developed by an actual martial artist and sword practitioner. Despite being an RPG, combat is action-game-grade and fast paced. No longer do characters stand there like idiots taking turns to hit each other. There are no "dice rolls", game mechanics are not based on archaic board game rules.
Intelligent AI that allows for characters to reason and work towards long-term goals and desires. Squads work together and carry their wounded to safety.
Variation and possibilities of gameplay. Be good, be evil, be a business man, be a thief, live in a town, live in the desert, join the army, fight the army, travel alone, travel in hordes, build a fortress, raze a city.
Dynamic, ever changing world. Support or hinder whoever you wish, or keep to yourself, the world won't stop moving. This is not just a "game", you are living and surviving in a simulated world.
Absolutely no Level-scaling. The world does not level up along with you, and the shops don't change their inventory to only items matching your level. At the start of the game almost everyone will be stronger than you, and survival will always be a struggle.
Independently developed with no design influences, or alterations dictated by men in gray suits who have never played a game before in their lives.
Original game world. There are no fantasy-knock-off cliches. No magic.
January update
Sunday, 31 January 2010 15:07
While I promised a new demo for January, I had an overwhelming number of emails asking instead for a screenshot and further delays, so here you go!
Demo will be in the next week or two, and will feature 1 rubbish town with mindless civilians in it, pathfinding, and a better framerate. Lots of crashes have been fixed, and lots of crashes have been added. Other than that though its essentially not much different to the last demo and still has nothing to do. Things should start getting better within the next few updates though, and I'm hoping to have some decent gameplay by summer.
Another quick video. Shows the scale of the new landscape, and a bit of fighting. Still this is very early, much more to do with the combat system, and I will probably end up replacing most of these animations in the long run. Still no real blood either, but there will be, don't worry.
