Rebuilding the Magic: A Nostalgic Dive into “A World of Keflings” on Steam Next Fest

The following video footage is from my live stream of A World of Keflings on twitch.tv/checkpointvibes.

If there’s one thing Steam Next Fest is good for, it’s resurfacing beloved gems that deserve another chance in the spotlight. One of the demos featured this week is A World of Keflings—a charming city-builder originally released in 2010 that’s now stepping into the Steam spotlight for the first time. I had the chance to revisit this classic live on stream, thanks to a demo provided by NinjaBee, the original developers. And let me tell you: the magic is still very much intact.

Let’s rewind a bit. A World of Keflings is actually the second game in the series, following A Kingdom for Keflings. I played both back in the Xbox Live Arcade days, and even though it’s been nearly 15 years, booting up the demo felt like slipping into a cozy pair of slippers. The adorable Keflings, the whimsical tone, and the gentle world-building mechanics all came rushing back—along with a few of the game’s lovable quirks.

In the demo, you don’t get to design your avatar (hopefully that’s something saved for the full release), but you do jump right into helping your pint-sized Kefling friends build up their frozen kingdom. From chopping wood and harvesting resources to constructing terraces, fire pits, and cozy snow houses, it’s classic Keflings gameplay with a frosty twist. One of my favorite moments was unfreezing a character named Doug who had unfortunately run afoul of a gang of angry penguins—because of course that happened.

The dialogue and humor are delightfully goofy, full of exaggerated compliments and plenty of Canadian “eh?”s sprinkled in. It’s a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that works completely in its favor. The tutorial tips were a bit much at first, especially since the game’s mechanics are intuitive once you get going, but they’re easy enough to tune out once the nostalgia kicks in.

It’s not all just building for the sake of building either. You can level up your Keflings, assign them jobs, and unlock new blueprints as your village evolves. Even the buildings feel alive—there’s a rhythm to seeing your snow house come together while your little helpers scurry around hauling ice and wood. It reminded me a lot of The Sims, not in gameplay, but in how the world feels like it’s thriving because of your input.

The demo also gives a glimpse of expanded narrative moments—like helping a princess get home or dealing with a dragon roosting on top of a building—which hints that the full game may lean more into storytelling than its predecessor did. That’s an exciting evolution for fans of the original.

Playing this again made me genuinely hope A Kingdom for Keflings will follow suit and make its way to PC. There may be licensing hurdles (pure speculation on my part), but if A World of Keflings is finally coming to Steam, maybe the rest of the series isn’t far behind.

All in all, the demo was a lovely return to a game that doesn’t get nearly enough love. Whether you’re a long-time fan or new to the series, A World of Keflings offers cozy, creative gameplay wrapped in quirky charm. Keep an eye on this one—especially if you’re looking for a game that’s equal parts relaxing and endearing.