Kids of Karendow Preview – Anime NYC 2024

The Lords were live at the Anime NYC Convention show floor. During the convention, Lord Sonic got a closer look at Kids of Karendow by Phat Games.

What is Kids of Karendow?

As described from the developer on the official Steam Page states the following for the RPG title;

Welcome to Kids of Karendow. For centuries the evil Karendow lineage has ruled with an iron fist over the Karendow nation. King Karendow murders all who oppose him and brings fear to the hearts of his citizens. No one has had the courage to stand up and fight him…UNTIL NOW! Join Elmo and his friends on their quest to topple the monarchy and bring hope to a nation that has none!

Demo Impressions

The build playable at the Anime Expo NYC event had me controlling a party of two, and exploring a dungeon. Controls were simple, using a wired Xbox controller. Exploration is not unlike other RPGs, which use the left stick or D-Pad to move around and press the A button to interact with objects.

Kids of Karendow wears its SNES classic-era JRPG influence on its sleeve. Exploring the dungeon gave me major early Final Fantasy vibes, though the combat pays homage to Grandia. The battle takes place in real-time, with your party members having to take their actions before their attackers.

And even if you decide your attack, you need to be within a specific distance of your enemy, otherwise, your basic attack only moves you closer and nothing else. Thankfully I had a few options that opened up as the demo progressed.

You can use a basic melee attack, have an SP meter for special skill-based attacks with your weapon of choice, an MP meter for traditional magic attacks that can help attack far-away enemies, and even items like fire-crackers not unlike Persona’s elemental one-use attack items.

The number of options made combat engaging and fun, with the demo’s closing boss fight being a particular highlight. All your options aren’t working, but one of your party members takes a fire-cracker out of nowhere, helping you blow up the snake-monsters head and you hammer away at their bloody remains.

Charming Personality & Presentation

When talking to the lead developer, Blair, he expressed that the tone he was going for was darker comedy and wanted to hammer home the idea you are exploring the game world through the eyes of the title’s kid protagonists. Finishing the demo, I completely see his vision.

The writing has a ‘making things up on the fly’ energy that kids have when going on adventures, with the affirmed mentioned boss fighting to be one such example. In addition, the sprite work is unique in the landscape of indie RPGs. Most have a ‘clean’ and polished look, with the recent Sea of Stars being a good example.

Kids of Karendow however, go for larger sprites for the characters and enemies, allowing them to be far more expressive. And the overall design is one of a kind, highlighting the tone the small three-man team is going for.

Engine Choice and Platforms

When asked which engine Kids of Karendow runs on, I was told they decided on Unity. It was a common engine choice used at the Expo. Regarding platforms, I was told PC would be the initial release target while all platforms would follow afterward.

The game is still in the early stages of development, so a release window is TBD as of this writing.

Closing Thoughts on Kids of Karendow

Overall, I had a great time with the demo and thought the project presented a lot of promise. A fun combat system inspired by the classics, unique art direction to help stand out amongst other indie titles, and a charming tone all help create an exciting indie RPG to keep an eye on.

You can wishlist the game on Steam, visit the game’s official website, and follow the developer’s Twitter/X account. Stay tuned for more Anime Expo NYC coverage from Lords of Gaming!