Here we are, with yet another pixely, randomly-generated platformer popping up on Kickstarter. Sorry for sounding a bit tired, but you have to admit there have been a little bit too many of those as of late. However, I wouldn’t be covering this if it didn’t contain any interesting aspects worth your time, so here we go!
Going by the name of BiteRate, we are looking at a rogue-lite of sorts (more on that later) offering 4-player platforming/turn-based action set on randomly-generated planets. With the whole premise being that you are tasked to unify as many planets as possible in order to defeat the “prospector”, the game puts you in control of a character placed in a party of four, with each member having a certain race and skills tied to that race.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect is the fact that certain races don’t get along so well, which in turn opens up different interactions – think Darkest Dungeon, but set in a cutesy pixel world with added platforming. As far as the combat goes though, all I managed to understand is that it’s similar to Paper Mario while also featuring permadeath. Apparently bosses are also involved, with those having a random chance to appear in worlds players visit – certainly an interesting prospect, although a bit crazy to balance at first glance.
As such, the game promises both local and online play, in addition to RPG elements such as individual leveling-up, weapon crafting, NPC-inhabited cities and “+200 attacks & spells”. That’s quite a lot of stuff, eh. Perhaps even a bit too much.
Judging by the described concept, all I can say is that the quality of design will be crucial for determining whether BiteRate ends up being a success or a failure. However, as fun as it all sounds there are some problems worth noting, those mostly having to do with the way the campaign is presented.
First of all, BiteRate doesn’t seem to be submitted to Greenlight. I wouldn’t be stating this if the game was meant to be DRM-free, but the fact that a digital Steam key is offered for $8 pledges tells me that the developer simply forgot to go through the step of submitting his game to Steam. Also, there is no mention whatsoever of what platforms BiteRate is being developed for. Only after looking under a microscope does one deduce that PC is the only platform available, with Mac and Android/iOS being listed as stretch goals.
And speaking of stretch goals, I find it a bit silly to find “fancy graphics” listed under the final tier ($20,000), with the stretch goal also including the ‘oh-so-revolutionary’ option to toggle between better or worse visual quality. Add the lack of any real kind of raw gameplay footage and what you really get is a rather poorly-delivered campaign.
Finally, I must note that the sole developer of the project has had a couple of failed attempts at kickstarting games in the past, once trying to make a point ‘n click horror adventure game and another time having a go at a strategy card game. On the bright side though, the required sum for BiteRate is only $1,000 – quite the bargain for such an interesting looking project.
Track the progress of the BiteRate Kickstarter in our Campaign Calendar.
