It’s not uncommon for Kickstarter projects to face delays on their road to completion. Uncommon is a project that gets delayed, but still manages to keep its backers happy. One Dreamer is certainly working towards the later category.
Gareth Ffoulkes raised AU$ 25,400 on Kickstarter in 2015 to create his 2D psychological pixel art experience. The campaign hit all the right notes for successful funding. It featured a demo with interesting art and gameplay mechanics over a promising narrative. One Dreamer tells the story of an indie game dev named Frank who begins dabbling in lucid dreaming to inspire his work.
Adding a bit of confidence to the project, the team shipped physical backer rewards shortly after the end of the campaign. Can we just take a moment to appreciate how unusual it is for backers to get their rewards so promptly? Most developers wait until after the game has shipped before backers see anything. Judging by the latest update, One Dreamer is only going to continue to exceed expectations.
Added Depth For Deeper Gameplay
In the most recent Kickstarter update, Ffoulkes wastes no time in showing off Frank’s improved movement. Unsatisfied with the limited left or right movement of the demo, Ffoulkes and his team tweaked the system to allow Frank full movement in all directions in respect to his 2D world. This allows players to move further into scenes and even turn to face objects they wish to interact with.
Taking The Stairs
It’s a seemingly minor addition that actually adds the option for more problem solving and investigative aspects as Frank navigates areas. Suddenly the 2D world feels more 3D, but without losing it’s pixel art charm. It’s great to see a project push beyond the promises of its campaign without changing the experience.
The game’s foundations (core, scripts, and editor tools) are nearly done. This paves the way for additional assets in the new year. If One Dreamer wasn’t already on your radar it may be time to take a look. It’s always nice to see developers who actually make their backers feel good about funding them.
