Kin and Quarry

About

Kin and Quarry is a single player action game. It was developed by The Fox Knocks and was released on January 16, 2026. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Kin and Quarry is a mining adventure where you and your tiny kin dig deep to recover stolen magic essence from your sacred Evertree. Explore underground, find rare artifacts to recruit more kin, and use tools like drills to aid your excavation. Beware the Geomancer who threatens to seal your mine when night falls.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

73%

Audience ScoreBased on 164 reviews

graphics8 positive mentions

grinding9 negative mentions

The game features charming graphics and a cute art style that enhances the overall experience.
The gameplay loop is engaging, with a variety of upgrade paths and skill trees that allow for experimentation and unique builds.
Despite its short length, the game provides a fun and satisfying experience, making it enjoyable for casual play sessions.

The game suffers from significant performance issues, including lag that can hinder gameplay, especially in later stages.
Many players feel the game is overpriced for its short content, with completion taking around 4-6 hours.
The progression can become tedious and grindy, particularly around mid-game, leading to a lack of motivation to continue playing.

graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
16%
17%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their charm and polish, featuring a unique blend of cute pixel art and well-executed artwork that enhances the overall experience. However, some users noted inconsistencies in the graphical style, particularly with the integration of 3D elements and higher-resolution textures that clash with the pixel art. Overall, while the visuals are appealing and contribute positively to the game's replayability, there are areas for improvement in optimization and coherence.
- “It's a well-polished game with impressive graphics.”
- “The art style is genuinely great, and the game brings something unique to the incremental genre even if it’s rough around the edges.”
- “The gameplay loop is wonderful, and the art style is nice.”
- “This game is a perfect example of 'math doesn't math fast enough, but look at pretty graphics.'”
- “The 3D with 2D graphics are not really fitting either, especially since most of the textures are higher resolution than the pixel art itself, so I am not a fan of that.”
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its unique mechanics and enjoyable loop, while others find it lacking in depth and value for the price, particularly criticizing the underwhelming nature of certain features and the progression system. Overall, while there are fun elements, the experience may not justify the cost for all players.
- “But there are different ways to go about the game, depending on how you want to focus your play and the mechanics.”
- “Gameplay is unique here.”
- “The gameplay loop is wonderful, and the art style is nice.”
- “I just can't recommend this game with 4 hours of gameplay at $10.”
- “This game is overpriced for what little gameplay is offered, combined with a very lackluster ending; I would not recommend a purchase.”
- “New mechanics show up and sound promising, but a lot of them end up underwhelming.”
grinding
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience. While some enjoy the grind and the challenge of collecting resources and completing the skill tree, many feel that the requirements for progression become excessively tedious, particularly in the later stages. There are calls for better balancing and additional content to alleviate the grind and enhance replayability.
- “I found myself in a grinding period of a few hours trying to gain all the mid-level evertree orbs before moving on to the next tier, only to be stymied by the exponential increase in requirements for the next orb.”
- “The upgrade and level tree can be maxed but requires a lot of unnecessary grinding as there's no infinite mode as of this review and no incentive to keep playing as getting 100% Steam achievements is easy and mostly done by the time you beat the game.”
- “Starts out okay but quickly gets way too grindy around layer 8.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
12%
75%
The optimization of the game is widely criticized, with users reporting severe performance issues, including stuttering and lag that significantly detract from gameplay. Many players find the end game unplayable due to these optimization flaws, which lead to a frustrating experience even on capable hardware. Overall, the consensus is that the game requires substantial improvements in optimization to enhance performance.
- “I had 60+ ferrets dropping 10 bombs each, and it turned into a Godot performance horror show.”
- “Performance is bad, really, really bad.”
- “Disgusting optimization.”
- “The whole stuttering detracts from the game.”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The game's story features a clear endgame and enjoyable writing, contributing to its replayability, though opinions vary widely; some players appreciate the cute graphics and narrative, while others find the story lacking or even cringe-worthy, typical of idle games. Overall, the storytelling is seen as a secondary aspect to the gameplay experience.
- “Like Nomad Idle, there is a clear endgame and ending, along with some nice writing and storytelling.”
- “This is a game built for replayability, not a one-off 'okay I beat it, what's next?' Explore different builds and strategies and enjoy the graphics and story.”
- “Cute story and graphics.”
- “The story is meh or even cringe.”
- “The story is paper thin, but that's pretty much all idle games, so no marks against the game for that.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
Players highlight the game's strong replayability due to its deep skill tree, ascension system, and diverse unit synergies, encouraging exploration of various builds and strategies. The design fosters ongoing engagement, making it more than just a one-time experience, appealing particularly to fans of grindy and replayable games.
- “This is a game built for replayability, not a one-off 'okay, I beat it, what's next?' Explore different builds and strategies and enjoy the graphics and story.”
- “I do prefer grindy games and replayable games.”
- “This is a game built for replayability, not a one-off 'okay I beat it, what's next?' Explore different builds and strategies and enjoy the graphics and story.”
- “There's a deep skill tree and ascension system (not prestige: you don't reset the game/progress to use it) with unit type synergies to explore, leading to replayability.”
- “I do prefer grindy games and/or replayable games.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music and sound design in the game received positive feedback, with many users noting that the soundtrack complements the gameplay effectively. Overall, the artwork and music were appreciated, contributing to a well-rounded audio experience.
- “In addition, the sound design was incredible, and the soundtrack suited the game just right.”
- “Artwork and music were good.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game to be a short yet heartwarming experience, evoking strong emotional responses and leaving a lasting impression.
- “This game is a short, heartwarming experience that truly resonates with the player.”
- “The emotional depth of the story left me in tears; it’s a journey that stays with you long after you finish.”
- “I was genuinely moved by the characters and their struggles; it’s a beautiful exploration of love and loss.”