A Charming Blend of Clone Survival and Base-Building
Cryosleep is a narrative device often used in sci-fi movies and novels to solve the problem of deep space travel. See, space is a big place; no matter how fast a ship travels, it takes an awfully long time to get from A to B. The idea is that the astronaut is frozen for a period of time and is then awoken when they reach their destination. But, as demonstrated in nearly every space story, things always go wrong.
Kentum is no different, as the space traveller wakes up much later than expected. So, how do they cope?
Company Policy and the Thousand-Year Nap
You play as Kent, a sort of everyman, who is on a spaceship travelling the universe with his robot for company. His only job is to wake up from deep sleep every so often and press a button. However, annoyed by this mundane task, he reprogrammes the computer to do the job for him. This results in a bit of a disaster, as he stays in cryosleep for thousands of years until his ship crashes onto a planet.
He dies, of course, but as per company policy, a clone of him is made straight away. His job is to explore this planet and rebuild humanity, stone by stone. But there are mysterious artifacts on this planet holding secrets waiting to be discovered…
This base-building survival game gives you an option at the start: you can either play the sandbox gameplay on its own or follow the story. I recommend doing the story mode, as it is a funny, interesting tale with great characters and some witty dialogue. I liked Kent a lot and was totally engaged in his blundering around with his robot helper, trying to make the best of a bad situation.
From Sticks to Science
The gameplay places you in a 2D environment and covers the usual bases of the survival genre. You start armed only with a stick to hit things with, allowing you to gather resources to start building and repairing your ship and base. For example, you might need to construct a computer to craft items, which requires resources from the wreckage of the crash and raw materials like stone. You get these by whacking the items with your stick. You can also collect twigs to build a campfire for cooking food, which you need in order to survive.
Soon, you are growing your own seeds in a small farm, building a grinder to process them, and then crafting an R&D machine to research further upgrades. You can upgrade the base so that more robots do the heavy lifting, keeping your needs met automatically. Teleporters can also be found and utilised. All the systems in place are easy to use, and the upgrade system and skill tree are far less complicated than in a lot of games in this genre. Upgrading the stick into a proper weapon and tool allows you to unlock new techniques, granting access to new areas, which feels rewarding.
Exploration, Biomes, Grind
Exploration is fun, and there is some limited platforming to do. You have a scanner which can identify all manner of flora and fauna. You will find a lot of things that want to kill you, and a lot of things that you will want to kill to get resources. Thankfully, combat is simple, with one button doing all the work, but you will be easily outnumbered, so be prepared to die a lot.
However, in Kentum it never feels like too much of a worry, as a new clone simply appears at the base camp. I liked the new biomes on offer, and experiencing this brave new world is an exciting prospect throughout. As always with games like this though, your enjoyment depends on whether you can handle the loop of going out, gathering, and coming back to build. I do feel that Kentum runs a decent balance to its grind, and that means it is more rewarding than other games of this ilk.
Visually, the 2D world looks great, with some beautiful backdrops to the action as Kent explores the world. I liked the UI design, which is crisp, clean, and easy to navigate. The sound is good as well, with some nice music and effects. A great voice cast really helps add to the story and the character of Kent.
A Likeable Hero in a Rewarding Sci-Fi Sandbox
If you like survival and base-building games, there should be enough on show in Kentum to whet your appetite. I think the storytelling is great; it is funny but also mysterious. The character of Kent is an idiot, but a very likeable one, and that goes a long way. It is, of course, quite grindy, and the combat isn’t the most complicated out there, but the charm should keep you going through those difficult moments.
If you want to save humanity, then Kentum needs you.
Important Links
Automate Your Way Through a Post-Apocalyptic World in Kentum – https://www.thexboxhub.com/automate-your-way-through-a-post-apocalyptic-world-in-kentum/
KENTUM: A Post-Post-Apocalyptic Adventure Where You’re the Last Man Standing | New Trailer Released – https://www.thexboxhub.com/kentum-a-post-post-apocalyptic-adventure-where-youre-the-last-man-standing/
Buy Kentum from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/kentum/9pjrpbnvjwnm
