What it is
Cultivation Stories is a xianxia life simulator in pixel art. Before your character is born, the game generates a world and simulates centuries of villages, sects, families, grudges, and wars. You then explore that living world, talk to people, trade, fight, forge, and brew.
From the developer
In the developer’s own words, from timany19.itch.io.
Cultivation Stories is a xianxia life sim in pixel art. Before you start, the game builds a world and runs a few centuries of it: villages, sects, families, grudges, wars. Then you make a character and get born into it. Nobody was waiting for you.
I'm making it alone. This is a very early demo (0.1.9) and it's rough. There are bugs, some screens look unfinished, and all the art, music and sound are placeholders for now.
That's really why it's here. I want to know what confused you, what bored you, what you liked, and what you'd want the game to have. Tell me in the Community tab or the comments or come and tell me in the game discord! https://discord.gg/Wvp9nJm3b
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What you can do
Walk around villages and the wild, talk to people, fight, trade, forge and brew. You aim at body parts in combat and wounds last. You can sense the people and beasts around you, as far as your realm allows. The demo stops at Qi Condensation, layer 1: the next breakthrough is closed, but you can keep playing or start another character in the same world. English and Spanish.
Controls
WASD to walk, Shift to run, Ctrl to sneak, E to interact, Tab for the diary, C to cultivate, K to open the Cultivation screen, M for the map, Esc to pause. The game autosaves after every action. But I recommend having a manual save.
Requirements
Windows 10/11 64-bit, 4 GB RAM, a GPU with Vulkan 1.2, 1.5 GB of disk space. Linux and macOS builds exist but I haven't tested them properly, so tell me if they work for you.
Editor takes
“The world-gen hook is promising, but the demo slams shut right after Qi Condensation, so there's not enough of the progression curve to judge yet.”
“For a solo dev demo it packs a lot—combat, crafting, world sim—but placeholder art and rough screens show it's not at jam-polish level yet.”
“Autosave after every action is great for short breaks, but with no mobile support and a 'few hours' average session it's not a quick pick-up-and-play game.”
“Aimed body-part combat with lasting wounds is a sharp rule set, but unfinished screens and bugs keep the demo from delivering earned aha moments.”
How to play
Move with WASD, run with Shift, sneak with Ctrl, and interact with E. Tab opens the diary, C cultivates, K opens the Cultivation screen, M shows the map, and Esc pauses. The game autosaves after every action, though manual saves are recommended.
Tips
- Use your sensing ability to locate people and beasts around you; its range depends on your cultivation realm.
- Aim carefully at body parts in combat, since wounds persist and can leave long-term consequences.
- Keep manual saves even though the game autosaves after every action.
- If you reach the demo cap at Qi Condensation layer 1, you can keep playing or start another character in the same generated world.
- Explore villages and the wild and interact with people; trade, forging, brewing, and quests offer different ways to spend your time.
Questions
Is Cultivation Stories free?
The demo is available on itch.io as a name-your-own-price download, so you can choose what to pay.
What platforms does it run on?
The demo has Windows and Linux downloads. macOS builds exist but have not been tested properly by the developer.
Is the game finished?
No, it is a very early demo (0.1.9) in development. The demo currently stops at Qi Condensation, layer 1, with the next breakthrough closed.
Does the game save progress?
Yes, it autosaves after every action, and the developer also recommends making manual saves.
What languages are supported?
The game lists English, Spanish (Latin America), and Chinese (Simplified) as supported languages.
Comments 1
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The game is very Fun already at 0.1.9 demo, but then come 0.2.0 & 0.2.1. could switch back into 2D mode like 0.1.9 or make it choose able in setting?