It’s very rare to see the words “roguelite” and “city-builder” used together to describe a video game but solo indie developer Erik Rempen’s Kainga: Seeds of Civilization does just that. The game, which is available for the PC via Steam, welcomes players to the mystical world of Kainga where strange, other-worldly beasts roam.
Players take on the role of a Thinker, a village elder, who must use their knowledge of Kainga to lead their tribe, learning through trial and error on how to adapt to their surroundings and develop a village that can flourish while protecting their Thinker at all costs. Each Thinker has their own strengths, weaknesses and playstyle.
Instead of a long-winded city-builder, Kainga is a unique roguelite-inspired village-builder and is played in short 30-90 minute “runs” where players complete challenges to keep unlocking new maps, Thinkers and unusual technologies. Colossal creatures can be found lurking throughout Kainga’s varied biomes, often hidden in the sea or deep underground. Players will need to learn to live in harmony with these creatures, as these creatures have both economical and combat use.
Update 1.1 for Kainga, titled Life of Spice and released today features balance changes, hundreds of fixes and quality of life improvements to the beautiful world of Kainga, not to mention a plethora of new content. The update brings about Map Modifiers which are variations of every map meant to shake up players’ strategies. Other new content include unlockable alternative sides of each Thinker, nomadic tribes, new festivals, new quest lines and challenges.
Kainga: Seeds of Civilization is now available via Steam for £14.99 / €16.99 / $19.99.
