Kentum | PS5 Review

Back in September, I reviewed the demo for Kentum and called it near perfect. The full version delivered everything I enjoyed from the demo while also sealing up the audio hiccups I noted earlier. The craftervania genre stood strong in the full version. Perhaps a little too strong. A lot of my words from the demo review remain true, so I will avoid repeating them. Instead, this will be a brief update of my opinions and takeaways when playing the full game rather than just an hour or so.

Everyone Is a Smart ***

In case you do not recall or did not click on the link above, Kentum starts off in space. You are Kent. You awaken from cryo-sleep every ten years to push a button. Recognizing the futility in this activity, Kent overrides the system against his AI companion’s advice to wait fifty years between cycles. He makes an error and sleeps for seven thousand years. The power source depletes and he crash lands on the planet below, dying instantly.

The AI companion, ORB, clones Kent and hands him a petrified stick from a tree that died several thousand years earlier to serve as his starting weapon. ORB directs you toward a monolith that is emitting a mysterious signal. On the way, you begin collecting materials that will eventually support base building, crafting, and survival. Once you reach the monolith, you find out that the company you work for wants payback for those lost seven thousand years of sleep. Your new objective is to recreate humanity.

Throughout the journey, Kent and ORB share witty repartee filled with playful insults and pointed comments that still imply a “we are in this together” attitude. It keeps the experience personable and entertaining.

Where Things Go Right

Kentum shines in the moment to moment experience with crisp, responsive platforming and a crafting loop that feels both purposeful and rewarding. Its systems overlap naturally, with upgrades to weapons, farming, and your AI companion opening new areas and continually feeding back into exploration and progress. The blend of roguelike resets and metroidvania gating never feels disjointed and creates a steady rhythm of discovery and advancement.

Visually, the layered 2D world feels rich, dimensional, and thoughtfully arranged. Sharp writing and strong voice work elevate the personality of every interaction, and the area designs flow logically from one region to the next. I especially appreciated how clearly the game communicates what you need to unlock a blocked area. It is clean, understandable design.

I also enjoyed the different game mode options. I mostly stayed in Story Mode, but Sandbox and Creative Modes are welcome additions. They let players approach Kentum in the way that matches their preferred style of play. 

Combat and Enemies

You start out with a petrified stick with a small light source on it. Your weapon is as upgradeable as everything else in the game, and its improved abilities often help open new regions. You will need to focus on your weapon once the enemies grow stronger.

The world is filled with hostile plants and roaming creatures that can be harvested for food. Weather and the environment also pose threats. Extreme heat, freezing temperatures, and acid rain can disrupt your progress unless you are prepared.

Life itself can be a challenge. You need to eat and rest to stay alive. Of course, death simply means ORB will clone you again, but it is still a setback. You might be far from your base, and the long trip back to recover your corpse and continue your objective can be frustrating.

Where Things Go Wrong

I only had one negative comment during my time with Kentum: the grind becomes noticeable. While automation eventually plays a heavy role and the aesthetic upgrades allow you to personalize your base, each new area requires a new machine, object, or weapon. Each of those requires gathering and crafting. Some of the materials you need involve repetitive actions or random scavenging. It is fun at first and the mechanics are implemented well, but several hours in, I began to feel the length of the journey and wanted to reach the end sooner.

The automation I mentioned takes a long time to reach. A couple of years ago, I reviewed a game called Sixty-Four where I felt the same way. Ingenious gameplay design with a long runway to see the payoff. In Kentum, some players might not reach full automation at all, depending on their tolerance for resource collection.

Final Verdict: Kentum 

Kentum is a technically impressive achievement that blends multiple genres into a cohesive world. The graphics are crisp and layered, giving the 2D environments an unexpected sense of depth. The sound design supports every action with clarity, and the voice work adds charisma and humor that never feel out of place. Platforming feels tight, crafting is intuitive, and the metroidvania layout is both thoughtful and clearly communicated. It all comes together to form a clever, polished design that shows how much care went into building this world.

The grind may stretch longer than necessary, and the payoff for reaching full automation might not satisfy every player, but there is no questioning the strength of the experience on a technical level. Kentum excels at what it sets out to do. It is funny, smart, and mechanically rich, and it offers plenty to enjoy for players who appreciate survival crafting, resource management, and exploration driven by genuine player growth.

To hear me talk more about Kentum, be sure to listen to the September 16th, 2025 episode of The Gaming Outsider Podcast around the 1:16:12 time stamp.

This review is based on a PlayStation 5 copy of Kentum provided by Vicarious PR for coverage purposes. It is also available on Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.