The horse breeding adventure game ‘The Legend of Khiimori’, a collaboration between publisher Mindscape and German developer Aesir Interactive, will be released in Early Access on March 3rd through Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Ahead of launch, the developers have released a five-minute gameplay video and new art images, along with detailed explanations from Design Director Steve Bristow that delve into the game’s key elements.
Potential proven by Kickstarter success
“The Legend of Khiimori” became one of the most successful projects in German gaming history when it launched on Kickstarter in March 2025. It significantly exceeded its goal, raising over €504,000 (approximately 750 million won) from 8,889 backers.
This has allowed us to achieve key objectives that will change the direction of the game, such as Falconry , Mongolian Horse Racing , Advanced Hunting , and Peaceful Mode, which will cater to a variety of gamers, from survival to exploration to healing-oriented gameplay.
Create your own story with system-driven gameplay
The most distinctive feature of “The Legend of Khiimori” is its systems-driven gameplay, which the developers describe as “giving gamers creative control.” Instead of following a predetermined story, players write their own narrative through interactive systems like movement, survival, terrain, consequences, and choices.
Every decision carries meaning, and even in the same situation, the player’s choices can lead to drastically different outcomes. For example, when encountering a pack of wolves, whether to hunt them with precise arrows or scare them away with a gunpowder pouch is entirely up to the player’s judgment.
The Early Access period will focus on this systems-driven gameplay, while the full release will feature a fully-fledged main story and narrative.
13th-century Mongolia: Distance and time determine survival.
The game is set in 13th-century Mongolia, a time when the horse riding culture was at its finest. Players assume the role of a courier on the Yam Islands , tasked with delivering cargo and diplomatic documents from nomadic villages to distant destinations.
This vast and beautiful continent is filled with wondrous locations and captivating stories. But it’s also fraught with danger. Strategically plan your delivery route across vast plains, over snow-capped peaks, and through scorching deserts. Surviving the harsh climate, steep cliffs, and breathtaking landscapes requires thorough preparation, including crafting essential items and setting up camp in the wilderness.
A deep bond with horse breeding based on real genetics
The core of the game is horse breeding . Horse training is essential for exploring the vast Mongolian continent. Gamers can breed horses with special abilities through a sophisticated system based on real-world horse genetics.
The core strategy revolves around breeding the best bloodlines to create horses with enhanced abilities over generations, and overcoming the diverse challenges of the Mongolian wilderness. Horse behavior and animations have been expertly verified, resulting in unparalleled realism.
A delivery simulation combining survival and strategy.
Survival is the core of the game. Players must gather and hunt food, and craft food and tonics for their horses. Failure to carefully plan delivery routes can result in the damage of fragile cargo or the endangerment of precious horses. Only by preparing your horse and equipment to withstand the harsh environment and conditions can you survive in the wilds of Mongolia.
Careful management is especially required, as a horse’s saddlebag can suffer life-threatening injuries if not properly balanced. As you level up and unlock valuable equipment, each upgrade becomes essential for your next journey.
Master archery, a symbol of Mongolian culture.
To survive the perils of the Mongolian wilderness, you can craft gunpowder pouches and special arrows. Archery is a skill deeply rooted in Mongolian culture and a core skill gamers must master.
But bows and arrows are more than just weapons. Various types of arrows and gunpowder pouches are depicted as tools used for various purposes, including resource gathering, defense against dangerous wild animals, and careful hunting.
Gamers grow as a Yam Delivery driver by taking on a variety of activities. Missions include delivering cargo, collecting valuable items, and conquering open-world challenges.
Quests test the player’s mettle. Proper horse selection, excellent riding skills, careful planning, as well as skillful resource management, useful crafting skills, and precise archery are key to survival and success. The open world holds countless secrets, including unknown ruins, challenges related to fire and weather, spirits, and hostile areas.
Partial English and Mongolian voice acting is available starting with the early access version. The developers are proud of the Mongolian voice actors’ impressive performances, bringing the characters to life. This is a crucial element that enhances the game’s cultural authenticity.
We plan to actively reflect user feedback and prioritize “quality over speed.”
The developers plan to have an early access period of approximately 12 months, and will actively incorporate community feedback, prioritizing “quality over speed.”
The current Early Access version includes quests across the open world, encompassing the core gameplay loop of exploration, survival, breeding, and training. Players can experience a variety of deliveries, interact with NPCs, and discover secrets within the rich environment, offering dozens of hours of immersive content.
The full release version will feature a cohesive main story, an expanded open world, additional side quests, new areas to explore, improved horse and survival mechanics, enhanced voice acting and localization, and deeper environmental storytelling. Player feedback will be incorporated into controls improvements and overall game balance adjustments.
Early Access buyers will receive a reduced price and exclusive access to development updates and behind-the-scenes content. The development team will actively engage with the community via Discord, Steam, and Trello, conducting feedback surveys, feature polls, and Q&A sessions with the developers.
The game supports 36 languages, including Korean, and can be added to your wishlist on Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Founded in 2013, German-based Aesir Interactive has a proven track record of successfully leading both internal and external IPs from planning to live operation. With this title, the developer aims to deliver a new experience that combines a unique cultural context, deep simulation, and gamer-centric, free-flowing storytelling.
Steam Store Page:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2697000/The_Legend_of_Khiimori/
