It’s rare to see an already fully funded game put up a Kickstarter campaign. Usually this is the place developers go when they’ve exhausted all other options. Rebels that they are, the developers behind the iOS title, Nocked! True Tales Of Robin Hood are raising funds, though they aren’t very specific in their reasons.
Nocked! Follows the text-based adventures of Robin of Locksley. Players will recruit merry men, build a base, and stick it to the Sheriff of Nottingham in a lushly-illustrated story-driven RPG. At least, those who have an iPhone or iPad will. Currently, the game is only being developed for iOS, which is where the $1,000 Kickstarter goal comes in, somehow.
The developers plan to use the money to “make the game better.” While this sounds great, it’s not terribly specific. It seems like the majority of the money would end up going towards backer rewards and the team’s software upgrades. They do also promise to commission more of the lovely digital-watercolor artwork that fills out the gameworld, but it’s hard to determine how much that would affect the overall experience.
That’s not to imply that the developers are unaware of their limited platform issues. They just aren’t very clear about how they will address them. One of their primary goals is “help us expand” where they plan to “explore adapting Nocked! to other platforms. Android and PC are currently top priorities.”
Paying The Toll
For those of you as well-versed in reading between the lines of Kickstarter campaigns as I am, you’ll recognize this as a fancy way of saying they’ll think about it, without actually committing to anything. In theory, no matter how much money they raise they aren’t obligated to release the game on Android or PC, which I find trouble-some.
Of course, those who have an iOS device can easily look past this, and really they should. The interface and story seem top-notch on their own. The stretch goals even allow backers to unlock new characters and the ability to play as Maid Marian through her own series of adventures.
Nocked! True Tales Of Robin Hood has already surpassed it’s initial funding goal. However, with no guarantee I’ll ever see it on Android or PC it’s hard to get too excited about it securing additional funding.
