In the ever-creative world of indie games, few premises feel as delightfully unusual as “you wake up 8,000 years in the future, build machines, farm, rebuild civilization.” Kentum, developed by the indie gamedev Tlön Industries and published by V Publishing, sets you in exactly that scenario. According to its Steam page:
“Stranded in the year 10,000, Kent — an average Joe turned clone — must survive, explore, and rebuild civilization with the help of a quirky robot companion.”
With a blend of crafting, base-building, farming, exploration and automation in 2D “craftervania” style, Kentum promises to mix genres. But how well does it deliver? Let’s dive in this indie game review.
Gameplay & Core Loop
This indie survival base-building Kentum’s core loop revolves around several interlocking systems:
- Exploration & Survival: You crash-land on a future Earth devoid of humanity, equipped initially with little more than a stick (literally). You must explore varied biomes — jungles, ruins, unique fauna/flora. The Steam demo describes: “Discover the wonders and oddities of a vast, ever-changing world filled to the brim with fascinating flora, fauna and climate events.”
- Crafting & Automation: A major pillar is building machines and automation: turn raw materials (bone, wood) into coal; scrap metal into sheets; then build factories and automation chains. The tag “Automation” appears prominently in its Steam store tags.
- Farming & Base-Building: You’ll farm, build a home base (starting from a broken module or satellite), upgrade cloning machines, cook food, manage resources and survive the seasons. The demo review notes: “Base camp starts as your damaged satellite home, but can be repaired and upgraded over time… start a small farm to grow some of the crafting materials you need.”
- Survival Mechanics & Humour: The protagonist Kent narrates with dry humour, accompanied by the robot companion O.R.B. One review states: “Kent and O.R.B. are surprisingly well-written … the ambience of each area adds to the feeling of isolation.”
- Meta & Progression: As you progress you unlock more machines, expand your base, explore deeper, and ideally bring humanity back. The tagline: “kickstart humanity, one machine at a time.”
So the loop of this indie title is: Explore → Gather materials → Build machines/farms → Automate and survive → Unlock more tools → Repeat with broader scope.
What Works Very Well
1. Ambitious Genre Blend
Like many viral indie games recently, Kentum tries to combine exploration, crafting, base-building, automation and survival in a 2D side-view (craftervania) format. That sort of ambitious mash-up is what indie games thrive on, and Kentum nails the concept of “automate and survive in future Earth” well. The genre blending sounds simple, but to us at Indie Games Tavern, indie gamedev teams should pay a lot of attention to details in order to make a good mix, and this is where Tlön Industries did great.
2. Strong Aesthetic & Atmosphere
The setting — Earth far in the future, abandoned, strange fauna, climate events — gives the game a unique mood. The demo review praises it:
“The ambience of each area adds to the feeling of isolation as you go about your business saving your race and avoiding getting zapped.”
The quirky humour from Kent and O.R.B. also helps give personality.
3. Automation & Progression Depth
For players who love automation chains and base-optimization (à la Factorio, Satisfactory, etc), Kentum seems to offer plenty of that: from raw resource handling to production chains, farms to machine networks. The tag “Automation” plus descripton confirm this.
Areas for Improvement & Things to Watch
1. Onboarding & Clear Guidance
Because Kentum mixes so many systems (exploration, farming, automation, survival), players might feel overwhelmed at the start. One review noted:
“It takes way too long to upgrade your HP and offense… Whilst minimal hand-holding is appreciated… you’ll oftentimes forget little things mentioned if they’re not pinned as a task.”
This suggests the tutorial or early guidance may need polish.
2. Progression Pace & Difficulty Balance
The same review mentions that early combat feels weak: you spawn with meager HP and early enemies hit hard, meaning the early survival portion could feel slow or frustrating.
The risk: if progression is too slow or the farming/automation loop takes too long to kick in, some players may lose engagement.
3. Content Variety & Long-Term Depth
While the demo is promising, long-term appeal will hinge on variety: how many biomes, machines, automation setups, enemy types, base customization and late-game content exist. If the early promise doesn’t scale, the game could plateau.
4. UI/UX & Optimization
Crafting/automation games often require robust UI (resource tracking, chain visualisation, machine layouts). Some early feedback pointed to minor issues (controllers, gamepad). We should monitor for full release polish.
Final Thoughts
Kentum is a very promising addition to the indie crafting/survival genre. It may not (yet) have the polish or scale of AAA titles, but for players who love indie games with mechanical depth and quirky settings, it’s definitely one to watch. The automation + farming + survival + exploration mix gives it strong potential.
If you’re a fan of crafting base-builders, automation chains, or side-view platformer survival, Kentum should be on your radar. If you prefer very fast-paced action or minimal building, this may take time to click.
To us at Indie Games Tavern, if you’re ready to wake up thousands of years too late, pick up your stick (or whatever machine you build next), and start farming, automating and exploring a strange future Earth—Kentum just might be the indie survival/craftervania experience you didn’t know you needed.
Who Should Play It?
- Players who enjoy automation & crafting games (even in 2D) and want something fresh.
- Those who appreciate survival + base-building + exploration in an indie context.
- Gamers who enjoy quirky humour and a slightly unconventional story setting.
Who Might Wait or Skip?
- Players wanting ultra-fast action or heavy combat focus (Kentum leans more into building/automation).
- People who dislike longer build/craft loops or feel overwhelmed by too many systems.
- Those who prefer fully polished, large-budget experiences right at launch (this is indie-scale).
Kentum Review by Indie Games Tavern.
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