Kickstarter Check-In: Kindred Fates

Kindred Fates is an open-world RPG being developed by Skymill Studios, which has launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for the game. The game features monster battles in real time and online play, with the creators aiming to evolve the genre.

The game takes place in the Hinterlock region, a territory filled with lush forests, rugged mountains, and large bodies of water. Players will be able to customize their characters before venturing out and recruiting creatures known as Kinfolk. Kinfolk are sentient beings that live throughout the land, but there is a restless fog that is starting to corrupt those that live in the wilderness. Players will need to use a cleansing light from local shrines in order to free these beings from their distortion, and ultimately recruit the Kinfolk as a reward. There will be nine different elemental types for the Kinfolk, with each type having a favorable and unfavorable matchup.

Battles take place in real time, so knowledge of each Kinfolk’s moveset is essential to winning fights. Kinfolk that fall in battles die, leaving their souls to materialize into blue flames that players can pick up and revive. If a player does not reach the Kinfolk’s flame before it burns out, it is lost forever. There is an item players receive at the start of the game that automatically retrieves one Kinfolk’s flame, though any others must be retrieved by the player. The online features will include 1v1 and 2v2 matchmaking, as well as the option to trade with friends.

Players will also be given a customizable home where they can add furniture, change the layout, build expansions, and craft items. Towns will have guilds consisting of specific Kinfolk types for players to join or compete against. Players can create camps anywhere on the map when they are not in combat. These camps act as home points so when all the player’s Kinfolk fall in battle, they will be sent back to camp.

Kindred Fates is currently being developed for PC, though other platforms such as the Nintendo Switch will be considered based on the success of the campaign. Skymill Studios is looking for $50,000 in funding by February 27, 2020. Those who pledge at least $15 will receive a digital copy of the game, soundtrack, and a digital wallpaper as part of their backer rewards. Kindred Fates is expected to launch in 2022.