10 Upcoming IndieGogo Games to Keep an Eye On
by Marcus Estrada
[divider] [dropcap]D[/dropcap]espite being a year older, IndieGogo is like Kickstarter’s kid brother. Although the two having very similar aims IndieGogo is stuck playing catch up in many instances. Kickstarter projects often receive publicity by virtue of being on the “popular” crowdfunding platform. As a result, IndieGogo campaigns are fewer in number and many less have been successful via this avenue. Still, a handful of very cool looking projects are currently in development after funding on IndieGogo. Here’s ten which may be worth your time. [divider]AdventurOS
There are tons of Metroidvanias out there, but it’s hard to ever turn down a new one! AdventurOS might at first seem familiar with its 2.5D visuals and pixel art but it veers in a different direction from most. The game is procedurally generated via the files on your computer. Not only does this sound super weird, but it sounds like a fun way to randomize user experiences. The game has been progressing and developer updates are common. Having already been Greenlit, hopefully we can expect AdventurOS on Steam sometime soon!
Crest
God games are often very literal in interpretation, allowing players control over every aspect of the world. In Crest you’re definitely a god but don’t have nearly as much direct control. Instead you begin by setting up “commandments” (rule sets the people should obey) and see how they respond and grow in turn. The developers have kept fans in the loop via frequent updates. Their Forever Funding campaign on IndieGogo will last until March which is when the Early Access build is intended to land on Steam.
Factorio
Those with a mechanical-leaning mind should stay away from Factorio as it may become their next great addiction. With that said, I’ve been playing the alpha for a while now and enjoy each second. You construct factories as vast and complex as your mind can create – and then go even further! The game sees many updates via the blog as well as its active user forum. As they work through each alpha stage it’s easy to trust that they’ll reach an amazing “release” build eventually.
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Fran Bow
As a fan of adventure games it only makes sense that Fran Bow would completely attract my attention. This point and click game follows the disturbed tale of Fran and is poised to be a very dark, psychological title. The developers have embraced Twitter and Facebook as means of getting updates and sneak peaks out to their fanbase instead of a blog like many others. So far, four of five chapters have been completed so hopefully that means Fran Bow is poised for a launch sometime in 2015. Oh, and it’ll definitely be on Steam thanks to a successful Greenlight campaign last year.
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Karmaflow
Karmaflow is a puzzle platformer that deems itself the first “rock opera” game. With inclusion of musicians from Dragonforce, Cradle of Filth, and more it really does seem they’ve got great support to make it a reality. Despite not being fully funded on IndieGogo, the Flexible Funding campaign still netted the developer about 70% of funds. Updates as to Karmaflow’s progress come primarily via Twitter, although YouTube updates have also started rolling out again.
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Rats!
RPGs are a great genre but rarely do we really see titles push beyond the confines the genre has railed itself into. Rats! excites me because it offers a wholly unique take on things. In it, rats are engaged in a holy war against humans. Of course, rats are totally on the “right side” of things. If you’re curious, don’t look for their Twitter as it has been completely silent for years now. However, their Facebook page sees loads of updates so focus your attention there!
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Reset
Here’s another adventure game (sort of) focused on solving puzzles an unraveling a mystery along the way. Reset’s main “hook” is the ability to reset time in order to manipulate puzzles with a version of your past self. This may not be the first game to utilize such a mechanic, but it’s still a pretty cool-sounding aspect. Unfortunately, the game has been delayed past its 2014 launch window, but the team is still hard at work to get Reset ready for 2015.
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Shaq-Fu: A Legend Reborn
Here’s a game most gamers couldn’t help giggling over when the campaign was announced. And yet, everyone almost immediately forgot about it once the campaign ended! Shaq-Fu: A Legend Reborn may have fallen off the radar but it’s still very much in development. This wild beat ‘em up starring Shaquille O’Neal sees most updates on Facebook. There’s also a member forum, but you had to back the IndieGogo project to gain access.
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Tormentum
You know how earlier I said I love adventure games? Well, here’s another one for the list – but hey, it’s one that even non-fans should be able to pick up! Tormentum is a 2D point and click title that oozes disturbing visuals. And so far, at least as far as the demo presented, it also has fairly simple puzzles to work through. This means you can absorb the nightmarish atmosphere at a leisurely pace. There was a bit of a worrying four month period with no updates, but recently the team came forth with more information and a tentative release in about two months. If that works out then we should expect to see Tormentum out in early 2015!
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Yatagarasu: Attack on Cataclysm
Yatagarasu was already a known fighting game quantity when an IndieGogo campaign launched for Yatagarasu: Attack on Cataclysm. This game from former SNK developers was going to be remade and improved, as well as localized for audiences outside of Japan. Thanks to the solid starting point many gamers quickly backed the project. In return, the developers provide regularly updates and interact with their community in very impressive fashion via their blog updates.
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These are just a few of the many great-looking projects to watch on IndieGogo. Of course, the selections were all filtered through what I personally find cool! If you’d like to discover more titles then head over to IndieGogo and search around. Or, you can always stick around on Cliqist where we feature coverage of all the great upcoming IndieGogo and Kickstarter projects!
[divider] [author image=”http://cliqist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/marcus.jpg” ] Marcus is a fellow with a love for video games, horror, and Japanese food. When he’s not writing about games for a multitude of sites, he’s usually still playing one. One day when he became fed up with the way sites would ignore niche titles he decided to start his own site by the name of Pixel Pacas. Writing about video games is something he hopes to continue doing for many years to come. Some of Marcus’s favorite games include Silent Hill 2, Killer7, and The Sims. [/author]
