KIN

KIN is a fantasy action game developed and published by House of Secrets, featuring 3rd-person perspective with a cinematic camera, platforming gameplay, puzzle elements, and motion controls. Released initially in 2017 for Android and later for Oculus Go and Windows, it immerses players in a fantastical setting with single-player offline gameplay built using the Unity engine.

KIN: Review

Introduction

Imagine leaping across crumbling ruins on a distant, alien world, your pint-sized protagonist—a enigmatic girl with wild, flowing hair and a vivid dress—defying gravity amid bursts of color and peril. Released in late 2017, KIN by indie studio House of Secrets emerged as a beacon of creativity in the burgeoning VR platformer scene, blending puzzle-solving, combat, and exploration into a hypnotic journey. Though overshadowed by AAA titans, its legacy endures as a testament to VR’s potential for intimate, immersive adventures. This review argues that KIN is an underappreciated masterpiece of abstract platforming, where intuitive mechanics, stunning visuals, and subtle storytelling converge to create a timeless indie gem worthy of rediscovery.

Development History & Context

House of Secrets, a nimble indie outfit known for VR-centric titles like APEX and Surge, birthed KIN amid the 2017 VR gold rush. Initially launched on Android (December 21, 2017), it expanded to Oculus Go and Windows in 2018, leveraging Unity’s versatile engine to support both motion-controlled VR and traditional gamepad/keyboard inputs. This dual-mode design was visionary, addressing VR’s accessibility barriers during an era when platforms like Oculus Rift and Gear VR promised revolution but grappled with motion sickness and limited adoption.

The studio’s vision crystallized an “abstract aesthetic”—a hallmark from their prior VR experiments—prioritizing stylized, otherworldly vibes over photorealism. Technological constraints of mobile VR (e.g., Gear VR’s processing limits) forced clever optimizations: lightweight puzzles, cinematic 3rd-person cameras, and responsive motion controls that felt natural without demanding high-end rigs. Released into a landscape dominated by Superhot VR and early Beat Saber hype, KIN carved a niche as a puzzle-platformer hybrid, echoing the exploratory spirit of Super Mario Odyssey (launched months earlier) but tailored for VR’s embodied presence. Crowdfunded ambitions or major publisher backing? Absent—KIN was pure indie grit, with Steam pricing at $14.99 reflecting its boutique polish.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

KIN‘s story is a whisper amid the leaps and clashes, unfolding abstractly through environmental storytelling rather than verbose cutscenes or dialogue. You embody a “mysterious, tiny girl” navigating the “remnants of an ancient civilization on a distant planet,” piecing together a tale of forgotten glory via alien landscapes and subtle motifs. No overt plot dumps; instead, progression reveals lore through platforming triumphs—crumbling spires hint at cataclysmic falls, glowing relics suggest lost technologies, and boss arenas evoke guardian spirits of a bygone era.

Thematically, KIN probes isolation and rediscovery: your diminutive hero, clad in a “bright dress” amid desolation, symbolizes resilience against cosmic abandonment. Puzzles often require syncing with ethereal echoes of the ancients, mirroring themes of kinship (kin)—harmonizing past and present. Combat punctuates this with brutal poetry: foes dissolve into colorful particles, implying cyclical rebirth. Dialogue is sparse (environmental cues via audio logs or visions), fostering player interpretation—much like Hollow Knight‘s subtle lore (though unrelated, it parallels KIN‘s ambiguity). Flaws? The narrative’s opacity risks alienating non-explorers, but for patient players, it elevates traversal into revelation, culminating in a poignant, wordless finale that lingers like a half-remembered dream.

Key Characters and Arcs

• The Protagonist: Silent, hair-swaying sprite whose growth manifests in fluid animations— from tentative hops to defiant dashes—embodying empowerment.
• Enemies/Bosses: Abstract guardians (hulking silhouettes, swarm entities) serve as narrative mirrors, their defeats unveiling civilization fragments.
• No Named NPCs: Reinforces solitude, with “kin” implied through symbiotic puzzles (e.g., hair-whipping mechanics syncing with ruins).

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

At its core, KIN loops platforming, puzzles, and combat into addictive cycles, demanding precision in a 3D space that VR amplifies thrillingly. Core movement—leaping platforms, wall-clinging, hair-based swings—is intuitive, with aerial control rivaling Mega Man X inspirations (echoed in broader indie trends). Puzzles blend physics (manipulating blocks, wind currents) and observation (aligning ancient mechanisms), escalating from simple jumps to multi-phase brainteasers.

Combat introduces hack-and-slash flair: swipe to slash, dodge-rolls evade projectiles, building to “challenging boss fights” with patterns demanding spatial awareness (VR shines here—ducking feels visceral). Progression unlocks abilities (enhanced jumps, combo attacks), tied to collectibles in a lightweight tree—no grinding, just synergy.

Mechanic	Strengths	Flaws
Platforming	Responsive controls; VR motion feels embodied.	Occasional camera jitters in non-VR.
Puzzles	Clever integration with environment; intuitive hints.	Rare trial-and-error spikes.
Combat	Fluid combos; boss variety (e.g., multi-phase behemoths).	Shallow depth post-midgame.
Progression/UI	Clean HUD (Steam Achievements: 28); notches-like charm system for tweaks.	Map sparse; backtracking tedious.

Innovations: VR-exclusive motion aiming for immersive targeting; non-VR fallback preserves accessibility. Flaws mar perfection—pacing dips in linear sections, UI lacks polish—but loops reward mastery, clocking 6-10 hours with replay via harder modes.

World-Building, Art & Sound

KIN‘s setting—a fantastical, sci-fi exoplanet of “alien landscapes”—immerses via abstraction: vibrant biomes shift from neon forests to crystalline voids, evoking Journey‘s wonder. World-building shines implicitly—ruins pulse with holographic echoes, suggesting a tech-magic fall—fostering awe without exposition dumps.

Art direction dazzles: “Lively colours” pop against Unity’s cinematic camera, handcrafted assets yielding vivid otherworldliness. VR scales intimacy (hair physics tickle your view), non-VR retains spectacle. Atmosphere builds tension-release: serene vistas punctuate chaos.

Sound design elevates—ethereal synths swell during leaps, percussive clashes underscore fights. No voice acting; ambient whispers and boss roars convey emotion, with dynamic OST adapting to biomes. Collectively, they forge escapism: exploration feels poetic, combat cathartic.

Reception & Legacy

Launch reception was muted—no MobyGames score, Steam’s 9 user reviews mix praise (“swearing like a salty dog for all the right reasons”—VR the Gamers, 9/10) with gripes on controller support (Steam lacks native Knuckles/Touch). Critics lauded visuals/mechanics (“Games of KIN’s quality are few”—Virtual Reality Shop), but obscurity (1 MobyGames collector) doomed visibility amid 2017’s Zelda/Mario dominance.

Commercially niche ($14.99 Steam), it sold modestly via VR enthusiasts. Legacy? Influenced VR platformers (e.g., Moss‘ lineage), pioneering abstract dual-mode play. No direct sequels, but echoes in indies like Light Kin (2022). Evolved rep: Cult VR darling, ripe for Quest ports (community pleas persist). Industry impact: Proved Unity’s VR viability for solos, inspiring motion-puzzle hybrids.

Conclusion

KIN masterfully fuses platforming prowess, puzzle ingenuity, and VR immersion into a colorful odyssey of rediscovery, flaws notwithstanding. House of Secrets crafted a jewel that punches above its indie weight, demanding a spot among VR’s elite like Superhot or Tetris Effect. In video game history, it exemplifies bold experimentation—underrated, unyielding, unforgettable. Score: 9/10. Revive it on Steam; your inner child (with big hair) awaits.