Kandria

About

"Kandria" is a single-player, open-world Science Fiction action game with pretty visuals and a fantastic soundtrack. As the powerful android The Stranger, explore a ruined world, fight rogue robots and malcontent humans, and venture into caverns to battle epic bosses. The game offers a mix of wall-climbing, puzzle platforming, and hack and slash swordplay, with the freedom to choose missions and dialogue.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 132 reviews

story34 positive mentions

grinding2 negative mentions

Kandria features a unique narrative and engaging exploration, with a rich, post-apocalyptic story and a beautifully crafted open world filled with secrets.
The platforming mechanics are rewarding and reminiscent of games like Celeste, providing a satisfying challenge that encourages mastery of movement skills.
The pixel art and atmospheric soundtrack enhance the overall experience, creating a visually stunning and immersive environment.

The combat system lacks depth and variety, often leading to repetitive encounters where spamming basic attacks is the most effective strategy.
Some platforming sections can be frustratingly difficult, with precision required that may feel unfair at times, especially for less experienced players.
The save system is poorly designed, with few save points that can lead to significant backtracking and loss of progress if players forget to save frequently.

story
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
55%
4%
The story of Kandria is described as a captivating and immersive post-apocalyptic narrative filled with mysteries, engaging characters, and a rich lore that encourages exploration. While some reviewers noted that the characters could be flat and the storytelling lacked cinematic depth, the overall plot and world-building were praised for keeping players invested and entertained. The combination of smooth platforming mechanics and a compelling story makes it a recommended experience for fans of 2D platformers and metroidvanias.
- “The story and the fictional world are immersive; you want to know what happens next, and the characters are sympathetic.”
- “A lovingly crafted game with excellent sound, a rich, detailed, and expansive world full of neat touches, and a great story with just the right amount of humor thrown in.”
- “The platforming feels super smooth, and I'm already hooked on the story - want to explore this little universe some more!”
- “This was very surprising and unsatisfying, because I wanted to see more of the story and world.”
- “There are some surprises, but they are not totally unexpected, the characters are mostly flat and the story wouldn't win literary awards, but it's good enough to be fun and kept me playing through the weekend.”
- “I think there is some missed potential of making the story more cinematic with more character portraits, scripted in-game sequences, etc., but this is a reflection of the game being low budget; I hope future games of the developer will improve on this front.”
music
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
33%
7%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the overall experience. Players have noted that the soundtrack is surprisingly high-quality for an indie title, often surpassing that of AAA games, and contributes significantly to the game's immersive vibe. While some mentioned occasional abrupt changes in the music, the general consensus is that it complements the gameplay beautifully, making it a standout feature of the game.
- “Seriously, I am blown away by how good the soundtrack is in this indie platformer; most AAA games don't have soundtracks as good as this.”
- “It absolutely nails so much of what makes a metroidvania platformer work - the art style looks as good as I remember my first 16-bit games looking, the music is of a quality and atmosphere that is a step above what's usually seen in smaller indie games.”
- “It's a joy to play, with immersive details like the ability to take a seat and chill out on a rock while absorbing the epic soundtrack.”
- “Some rooms are challenging but quick retries, the calm music and -- as a last resort -- cheats available from the menu keep the frustration in check.”
- “The music is of a quality and atmosphere that is a step above what's usually seen in smaller indie games.”
- “The art, music, dialogue, and even the UI fit the theme of the game.”
gameplay
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
47%
16%
The gameplay in Kandria is characterized by smooth, responsive platforming and a cozy art style, though it suffers from shallow combat mechanics and some technical issues, such as clunky controls and a lack of clear guidance on mechanics. While the exploration and traversal aspects are enjoyable, the combat feels underwhelming and inconsistent. Overall, players appreciate the engaging story and soundtrack, but note that certain gameplay elements could benefit from refinement.
- “Intriguing story, great mechanics, very responsive platforming.”
- “I'm enjoying Kandria a lot - really smooth Celeste-esque platforming with tight combat mechanics mixed in, and great music, art, and an engaging story to go with!”
- “Was super impressed by the polish, mechanics, and soundtrack.”
- “There's also stuff that could be a bit more refined here and there, like the map for example isn't very good and I really do not need to know how many times I died on that screen with spring boards. As far as mechanical issues go, I'm playing with a controller and I cannot figure out how to reconfigure it. Maybe this is a me issue, but the remapping just doesn't seem to work properly for the controller, so I'm left moving around with the joysticks, which is icky.”
- “[b]shallow combat:[/b] lack of variety in combat mechanics.”
- “Its challenge sections attempt to be like Celeste, with poor mechanics that aren't predictable, so doing the same thing in some cases results in different outcomes, and doing different things results in the same.”
graphics
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
25%
8%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their impressive pixel art, detailed visuals, and stylish design, creating a distinct and immersive world. Reviewers highlight the beautiful atmosphere, effective use of light effects, and a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic 16-bit games, all of which enhance the overall gameplay experience. The combination of graphics and music is noted as being particularly high quality, elevating the game's appeal beyond typical indie titles.
- “Impressive pixel art: detailed and expressive visuals create a distinct world.”
- “The art style looks as good as I remember my first 16-bit games looking, and the music is of a quality and atmosphere that is a step above what's usually seen in smaller indie games.”
- “Very cool background story and lovely, very detailed graphics.”
- “The graphics are stylish, the platforming is tight and challenging.”
- “It is well-balanced by mechanics, cozy with graphics and art direction (which presented in Kandria).”
atmosphere
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
29%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with an atmospheric soundtrack that enhances the overall theme and experience. Reviewers highlight the beautiful graphics and varied open world, noting that the art style and music evoke nostalgia while providing a tight and immersive gameplay experience. Overall, the combination of exploration, story, and sound design creates a captivating environment that stands out among indie titles.
- “The open world is atmospheric and varied.”
- “It absolutely nails so much of what makes a metroidy platformer work - the art style looks as good as I remember my first 16-bit games looking, the music is of a quality and atmosphere that is a step above what's usually seen in smaller indie games, and the feel of moving through the world is tight in ways that put most other games to shame.”
- “I love the exploration, atmosphere, and story.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and occasionally unfair, expressing a desire for more variety in challenges beyond simply avoiding spikes.
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players find the world of Kandira to be more relaxing and enjoyable to explore compared to the challenging aspects of games like Celeste, indicating a strong replay value that encourages return visits.
- “Exploring the world of Kandira is more relaxing than trying to get all the B- and C-sides of Celeste, so I think I will be coming back to this game; it definitely has replay value.”
- “But I admit that exploring the world of Kandira is more relaxing than trying to get all B- and C-sides of Celeste, so I think I will be coming back to this game; it definitely has replay value.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted through clever and amusing references found in various skins, which many users find entertaining and well-executed.
- “Some of the skins are really good and feature funny references.”