New Steam Game is Like Zelda Married Red Dead Redemption

The Legend of Khiimori has released on Steam to positive reviews, blending elements of Red Dead Redemption and The Legend of Zelda to create a historical love letter to 13th century Mongolia. Although The Legend of Khiimori hasn’t yet attracted significant player counts on Steam, its positive user reviews indicate that players are enjoying the experience so far, despite it still being in Early Access.

The Legend of Khiimori launched on Steam Early Access on March 3, the latest game from Windstorm series developer Aesir Interactive. It was released exclusively on PC, although console releases are also planned further down the line. The game was announced back in 2024, and immediately stood out thanks to its commitment to its open-world historical setting. Development updates have been slow and steady, culminating in its recent Early Access release.

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The Legend of Khiimori Blends Zelda Exploration With RDR Atmosphere

The Legend of Khiimori is an open-world game set in 13th century Mongolia, available on Steam right now for $29.99. Players must breed and train their horses, bonding with them before taking them out into the landscape to deliver valuable cargo, while attempting to survive the harsh landscapes of the time. Each horse has its own specialized traits, which help players to traverse the game world in different ways. Gamers must also remain vigilant of the dangerous wildlife, and can craft various resources to help protect themselves. According to developer Aesir Interactive, the current game is a glimpse at the core gameplay loop: “exploration, survival on horseback, breeding, training, and questing across a decent portion of the open world.” However, there are even more features in development, planning for more quests, a bigger world, refined horse and survival mechanics, full voice acting, and more.

The harsh, changing atmosphere of the open world as well as the prominent horseback gameplay immediately draws Red Dead Redemption comparisons for The Legend of Khiimori. However, its exploration gameplay definitely has serious Zelda: Breath of the Wild vibes, while its delivery gameplay loop has already led to some Death Stranding comparisons, too. Despite this, it doesn’t feel derivative of them, offering a fresh experience in a historical setting not often explored in video games.

At the time of writing, The Legend of Khiimori‘s Steam reviews are 78% positive, giving it an overall rating of “Mostly Positive.” Many of the reviews focus on the visuals and the atmosphere of the game, with some praise for its addictive gameplay loop. It seems that for those who are massive horse fans, this game is not to be missed. On the flip side, some reviews do mention that the game has its fair share of bugs, and it still has a way to go in terms of optimization. As it’s an Early Access game that has just released, The Legend of Khiimori deserves the benefit of the doubt for the future, but it’s also important to be aware of these issues for those who are looking to purchase the game right now.

With The Legend of Khiimori now in Early Access, the long road to a full release begins. According to its developer, the game will remain in Early Access for approximately 12 months, although it also notes that it can’t provide a concrete release date at this point, as it adopts a “quality over speed” motto, and it wants to ensure that The Legend of Khiimori meets its quality standard before launch. The developer wants to make great use of Early Access to “expand the world, polish gameplay systems, and integrate community-driven improvements,” with a more detailed timeline for the game still to come.