It should be stated, above all of this, that Klei Entertainment's data collection policy is at odds with its online services. You do not get to have a fun romp online with your friends and ensure your data remains private at the same time. Their provided privacy policy is amateur, vague, hasn't been updated since 2018 and is therefore dubious.

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After two years away, I had planned to come back for the full release. This game had a good heading and what was once a good pedigree within Klei Entertainment's hands, but unfortunately 1.0 and beyond has failed to measure up. The game still seems to lean heavily on its art direction and fluid animation to carry the experience, but from the outside looking in, that visual flair appears to be doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Much of the ongoing discussion still circles back to familiar concerns. Concerns met with what feels less like resolution and more like quiet acceptance, culminating in a release that arrived without fanfare or accountability. Rather than a confident statement that the game had reached its full potential, their anemic shadow drop reads as Klei drawing a line under the project and moving on, sidestepping the expectations they themselves set during Early Access.

And again, if they can't take the time to maintain a privacy policy nestled away on a github page from almost a decade ago, I have no reason to engage with this or any future products by this company. Between this and their disingenuous "shadow drop" ploy, Rotwood as a whole is emblematic of Klei Entertainment's poor ability to communicate on all fronts.

It’s hard to miss the irony of a company that insists on collecting user data while appearing to ignore the feedback that actually matters.

My wife and I have sunk thousands of hours into Don't Starve Together. We bought Rotwood on spot when it initially went EA. We never thought for a moment Klei would let us down, just for those wonderful time we'd had playing DST.

They did.

It's been a whole month since any communication came from Klei regarding the future of Rotwood. Given current state of the game and already mixed reviews, I think it's pretty clear that Klei has abandoned the game (I'm still hoping to be proven wrong one day).

Now don't get me wrong. No one is going succeed at every game they make, and I'm not going pretend Klei is an exception. On the flip side, Klei has delivered amazing games other than DST. What saddens me is the fact that to this day, they are still asking for freaking $30 if anyone wants to buy this orphaned game. $30! It's basically a big f**k u price, in the sense that, they figure anyone who has done the slightest research won't get the game for $5, so they might as well prey for those who might spend $30 in good faith and a blind trust in Klei.

The latest reviews since the launch on Mar 3, 2026 pretty much sum it up. Again, Rotwood is not a horribly bad game. It just doesn't stand out among competitors and offers very little unique experience. It's not worth $30 and the team has moved on. Remember that before you spend your hard earned $$.

Save your money, as a roguelike enjoyer this game just isn't good. Feels like a children's game.