Tenkemo is a cozy multiplayer survival game where you can team up with friends and animal friends to explore a huge world, gather resources, craft tools, and build everything from homes to factories.
The two-person development team behind Tenkemo launched their Kickstarter campaign on September 22nd, and within a single day, they’d already smashed their $15,000 funding goal. The cozy open-world survival game has now crossed USD$30,000 in pledges from 728 backers (at the time of writing), with the campaign running until October 22nd. Not bad for a project that’s been quietly simmering in development for two and a half years.
If you love a kind of Minecraft-type cozy survival game, then let’s see if Tenkemo is worth you backing or wishlisting.
A Kingdom Overrun by Bots (and Adorable Animals Who Need Your Help)
Tenkemo drops you into a procedurally generated world that’s been overrun by A.I. bots. Your job? Rescue the kingdom’s adorable animals, recruit them to your cause, and fight back against the machine invasion.
The game supports both solo and co-op play in either Story or Multiplayer mode. You can tackle the story alone or with friends, or hop into public and community servers where you can claim your own plot of land alongside other players and go on adventures together.
The developers are aiming for servers that can handle over 100 players, though they’re prioritising optimisation as they go.
Build, Farm, Craft, and Befriend
Tenkemo is a survival game, but a cozy one, so expect it to feel more relaxed than frantic. You’ll gather resources, mine materials, and craft tools as you explore forests, caves, and mountains. The crafting system goes deep, eventually letting you build not just homes but full-blown factories for automated production.
Farming is also on the menu. You can grow resources and food for yourself and your animal companions, though the game lets you decide how much you want to invest in agriculture. Want to be a simple homesteader? Go for it. Want to build an industrial farming empire? That’s on the table too.
The world itself is fully interactive and shaped by procedural generation. The developers have put serious work into the technical side, too. Water flows realistically through the world using a chunk-based water level system, meaning you can actually drain lakes or reshape bodies of water. Dynamic weather and a day-night cycle round out the atmosphere, with everything from sunlight to starry skies shifting naturally over time.
Combat, But Make It Cozy
Combat in Tenkemo isn’t about twitch reflexes or frantic dodging. You select your weapon from your inventory beforehand, and it activates automatically when enemies get close. The game describes this as “cozy combat,” designed so you don’t have to panic when you stumble into a hostile bot.
Don’t worry, you won’t be alone either; your animal friends have your back, and each one has its own skill set: combat specialists, territory defenders, transporters, resource collectors, and more. Building the right team becomes a core part of your strategy, and it gives every rescued critter a purpose beyond just being cute.
The World So Far: Five Biomes and Counting
Tenkemo currently features five biomes: Forest, Villager, Winter, Ocean, and Jungle. The developers have plans to add Desert, Lava, and Underworld biomes in the future. That’s a lot of ground to cover, especially for a team of two.
The art style blends voxel-based environments with anime-inspired characters, a combination that one outlet described as “Minecraft meets Animal Crossing.” It’s a look that feels warm and inviting rather than blocky and cold.
PC, Nintendo Switch and Mobile Planned
Tenkemo is officially confirmed for the Nintendo Switch and PC. Launch timing will be determined later, but the successful Kickstarter campaign locked in the Switch version as a definite target.
The game is also coming to PC, with mobile platforms in the works as well. The developers have tested cross-platform multiplayer between PC and mobile, and they’re aiming for Steam Deck verification too. For Kickstarter backers, the Alpha version will be on PC.
Tenkemo
Tenkemo’s Kickstarter campaign runs until October 22nd 2026, with stretch goals planned up to $200,000. The next milestone at $35,000 would add cute bugs and butterflies to the game. Adding a bug-catching mode. These bugs can then be placed in your territory or released for some rewards.
For a project built by just two people over two and a half years, Tenkemo is shaping up to be something special. It’s a survival game that doesn’t want you to stress, a multiplayer experience that works whether you have friends online or not, and a world that rewards curiosity and creativity. And if the 24-hour funding success is any indication, plenty of players are ready to join the animal resistance.
Development for the game began in 2023, and after their Kickstarter campaign this year, they’re expecting to release an Alpha Playtest in 2027. Eventually, the game is expected to be either fully released or released in Early Access in October 2028.
You can wishlist Tenkemo on Steam now, and follow development through the official Discord and social channels.
