Kenshi hates you. With every fibre of its being, it dislikes you vehemently. It wastes no time in letting you know, either. From the moment you start, you’re hit with a wide variety of starting scenarios to choose from, each with their own quirk that lets you know that your stay will not be a particularly smooth one. It’s a game that, frankly, isn’t for everyone. But if it clicks for you, there is not a single game that can scratch that particular itch that Kenshi does. And you’ll soon find yourself coming back to it, over and over again, always itching to start a new playthrough.

It’s very hard to categorise Kenshi into a single genre. It takes elements of a CRPG, an RTS, a builder and a life-sim, creating a crazy, unique goulash. Honestly, it depends on how you approach the game. When you select a scenario to start your game with, it mentions the kind of gameplay that you’ll get with the scenario, which can be changed within the run. My preferred way of playing was to focus on a single character at a time, at most two, because I loved to roleplay them and build up my own unique story for them.

Kenshi has no set storyline for you to follow. It is a true sandbox, leaving you to find your place within its unforgiving world in whatever way you see fit. When you start a playthrough, it gives you unique scenarios to choose from that decide how you start, with some being relatively easier, while others would drop you into the game starving and dying.
Regardless of your choice, the game will not be easy. You’ll likely be hungry, and you won’t have the stats required to go up against enemies who could easily dismember, or even kill you. The charm of the game lies in fighting through these odds, through sheer resilience and will to survive.

One of my most treasured memories from Kenshi has to be when my charac-
ter, feigning death after being robbed and beaten to a pulp by fanatics, pushed himself off of the ground after they left and just started laughing, surprised by the fact that
he made it.

There were moments where I thought the game was extremely unfair but even then, it always makes you believe that you can make it. It makes you believe in yourself. Coupling this with an impeccable atmosphere, soundtrack and a world that feels like it has swathes of ancient history waiting to be discovered, Kenshi sets the stage for a gruelling, yet truly rewarding experience.

VERDICT: Kenshi is a game that will have you your teeth because of how harsh it is, but it is also a game that rewards your resilience and will to survive like no other. With an astoundingly large map, tons of lore to uncover, factions to join (or destroy)
and lives to live, Kenshi is a true sandbox. I rate it a nine out of 10.