Every week we take a brief look at all of the Kickstarter video game campaigns that launched in the previous week. This isn’t to say that all of these projects are worth your hard earned cash, but with any luck having all of them in one place will make it easier to educate yourself on the projects you’d like to back, and which ones to run from. You’ll find two types of campaigns listed, “featured” and “the rest“. Featured campaigns are those that contain a significant amount of game information, are from known developers, or are significant in some other way. The rest of the games are usually smaller campaigns that are lacking in information, are from unknowns, have unanswered questions, or have not yet stood out for one reason or another.
[divider]Featured Campaigns :
Game : Ethereon
What it is : Marcus wrote: “There was a time when adventure games were king that unfortunately came to an end in the 90s. At least, it seemed that way until more recently where companies both large and small have reinvigorated the genre. Now it honestly seems like virtual reality is helping to push this further if games like Ethereon are any indication. Ethereon is a virtual reality-based adventure game which pulls from classic adventure games such the Myst series. This Kickstarter campaign by Innervision Games should excite genre fans for that reason alone (provided they have some sort of VR headgear)..”
Keep an eye on it in our calendar
[divider]
Game : Crossing Souls
What it is : Marcus wrote: “Do you love films like The Goonies, Back to the Future, and Weird Science? The 1980s were rife with films which offered likable lead characters getting into incredible adventures and messing with science beyond their control. Crossing Souls is an upcoming game which looks to channel the framework of “kids saving the world” but with its own take on things. In this title, five children are hanging out together when they discover a strange pyramid-shaped object. As kids do, they start messing around with the device. They quickly discover that it has the power to open up different layers of reality such that they can see ancient dinosaurs or Civil War battles.”
Keep an eye on it in our calendar
[divider]
Game : Outsiders : Countdown to Extinction
What it is : Marcus wrote: “I’ll admit this up front: augmented reality (AR) has always seemed a bit silly to me. The basic concept of AR is that by using a camera (on your smartphone, tablet, or even 3DS) you can view things on the screen that aren’t actually there – but they interact with the real world environment. Only recently have crowdfunding campaigns like Icebound opened up my eyes to a much cooler potential for AR. Outsiders: Countdown to Extinction is another AR-based Kickstarter campaign but with a very different style..”
Keep an eye on it in our calendar
[divider]
Game : To Azimuth
What it is : Marcus wrote: “Crowdfunding projects are starting to wind down as we enter the last few months of the year, but some awesome ones are still cropping up. Case in point, To Azimuth by Bracket Games just debuted and looks like an intriguing new narratively-focused title set in the 70s. The storyline follows a trio of siblings who grew up in Alabama. Brothers Nate and Eli took to the Vietnam War and served for three tours of duty before returning home. Nate, sick of Alabama, moved out. Eli remained as sister Susannah attempted to help reorient Eli into a normal, healthy life after returning home. As far as anyone could tell, it appeared that Eli was on his way to recovery when one day he disappears. With no clues, or help, it seems the source of his disappearance may be extraterrestrial in nature.”
Keep an eye on it in our calendar
[divider]
Game : Thimbleweed Park
What it is : Marcus wrote: “Thimbleweed Park is a 2D point and click adventure game with that same old SCUMM interface you may know and love. This offers players a variety of verbs with which to click on before clicking on a screen item. By now, most adventures games have eschewed this sort of control scheme, which makes this just all the more nostalgic. The game itself stars five playable characters ranging from a clown to dead guy (who apparently isn’t so dead after all?). So far, Thimbleweed Park definitely looks the part as far as as 80s adventure games are concerned.”
Keep an eye on it in our calendar
[divider]
Game : Formicarium
What it is : Marcus wrote: “Of course, that’s a task easier said then done when you consider the dangerous micro-landscape insects deal with. With inspirations stated as Dwarf Fortress and Dungeon Keeper, you can expect that the strategic gameplay can be very serious in nature. It’s hard to tell just now how exactly it plays out, though. If super tough games aren’t your thing you don’t have to worry as Formicarium also includes a casual mode. This will allow you to freely explore the environment and its organisms without having to worry much. The art style is unique, with each creature being represented in a sort of geometric reconstruction of their bodies. In all, the game looks bright and lively with things moving around the screen at all times.”
Keep an eye on it in our calendar
[divider]
Game : Americana Dawn
What it is : Marcus wrote: “The RPG genre is full of tons of great games and concepts, but weirdly, not many choose to place themselves in a historical landscape. Americana Dawn is a historical RPG based around the history of America from the 18th century. If the name sounds a bit familiar to you, then perhaps you remember the original 2012 campaign. What’s different between the two is that the first campaign was for a freeware version of the game which was made via many public assets. This new campaign features a full staff devoted to making a polished, purchasable product. Please note that if you did pledge way back when then you’re still on track to receive a copy of the upgraded Americana Dawn.”
Keep an eye on it in our calendar
[divider]
Game : Hollow Knight
What it is : Marcus wrote: “Hollow Knight seems best described as a Metroidvania. By that I mean it is a game where you’ll be exploring through many, many connected rooms and discover neat new skills as you wander about. Of course, you’ll also be sure to come across regular enemies and bosses. The title expects to be a real challenge to players, requiring multiple attempts to finally build up the skills required to proceed. Along the way you may discover hidden rooms, treasures, and other neat stuff isn’t inherently required to proceed. One strange aspect that hasn’t been detailed heavily yet is that of “dream diving,” wherein you enter the mind of a friend or foe. It sounds potentially cool – but we’ve got to hear more about it first..”
Keep an eye on it in our calendar
[divider]
Game : Viktor
What it is : Marcus wrote: “You’ve probably played more than a few video games in your time – but how many have a boar for a protagonist? Viktor is a point and click adventure game where players inhabit the furry body of a wild boar (named Viktor, of course!). Although he doesn’t live in the real world, the game does take place in a semi realistic and strongly parodied version of our own society. Things are a bit more steampunk-ish, though. After being fired from his job, poor Viktor wants to change his luck and aims to become the emperor of Austria-Hungary. The flavor of Viktor seems quite unique – a great plus in the fairly crowded realm of adventure games.”
Keep an eye on it in our calendar
[divider]
Game : Melee: Battlegrounds
What it is : Marcus wrote: “Melee: Battlegrounds offers players complete control over their character. There are no predefined classes meaning you can take on whatever role you see fit whenever. Similarly, weapons are open to all players for use. If you want a two handed axe then go for it! Heck, even throwing rocks at others is fair game. You’ll also find a variety of game modes to choose from. Duel is one on one (or group versus group) and probably best played by players looking to hone their skills. Siege mode, on the other hand, allows tons of people to assault a castle and overtake it. Finally, players can customize the look of their character with different types of armor and clothes which in turn affect stats..”
Keep an eye on it in our calendar
[divider]
Game : Prismata
What it is : Marcus wrote: “Prismata is a lot like a card game mixed with a real time strategy game – or even board game. Now, the game actually plays out in turn-based fashion but there’s a timer on each player (meaning they can’t hum and haw over a move all day). Perhaps the most immediately unique feature though is the fact that there are no predefined decks. At the beginning of every game a pool of units is randomly selected. From there, you use them throughout that game. Beyond this initial burst of randomness there’s nothing else left to chance, meaning its up to you to flex those strategic muscles toward victory..”
Keep an eye on it in our calendar
[divider]
Game : Ashen Rift
What it is : Marcus wrote: “Ashen Rift tells the tale of a bearded man and his dog companion named Bounder. The two are travelling in the American mid-west post a world-changing event ten years ago. Back then a portal opened up on Earth which allowed murderous beings to enter our world and kill everyone they discover. A few humans are still left scattered about, but most have given up hope. Our protagonist still has a spark of hope inside him which is what causes them to seek the rift in person. By finding it, perhaps there is also a way to close finally close the thing and save what’s left of humanity.”
Keep an eye on it in our calendar
[divider]
Game : Devil’s Bluff
What it is : Marcus wrote: “The cast is incredibly wacky, ranging from Frankenstein’s monster to wizards to luchadores. All characters in game are controlled by a real person. As such, Devil’s Bluff is an online multiplayer game exclusively. But if you can get a whole cast of people playing together then it looks like there’s a lot of potential here. Beyond simply searching for clues you can even discuss (via voice chat) with other players about your plans, suspicions, or try to team up. Instead of typical party chat, in this game you’ll only hear audio when close to a player. If you’re in the wrong place you may miss out on plans being hatched between other folks..”
Keep an eye on it in our calendar
[divider]
Game : SellSwords
What it is : Julie wrote: “SellSwords is a 2D action RPG metroidvania platform game with interchangeable characters in randomly generated dungeons developed by Brazillian indie studio Flying Squirrel Studios. Four brave warriors from the land of Kaliria all come with sad stories and a misfit nature. Once their beloved kingdom is clouded in darkness, their fate is decided and all four team together to save it. The majority of their journey will be spent crawling through randomly generated dungeons, fighting various dungeon hoodlums, and gathering jewels and loot. Players can use said loot to craft up equipment according to the various crafting recipes they uncover.”
Keep an eye on it in our calendar
[divider]The Rest of the Campaigns :
Defenders of the Klaus : A Christmas themed game with some nice looking graphics.
Wizard’s Day : An oldschool 3D platformer that has a lot of potential.
Sketch Tales : Our very own Ahmad Khan has already written about this one a fair amount.
Urizen A Legend a Three : A side scrolling platformer with a somewhat confusing campaign.
Hark’s Epic: The Search for Some Body : Lowest of the low-fi graphics, some cute cut-scenes, and not much else to show.
Flash : A horror game showing off a number of screenshots, lots of footage, but very little in the way of details.
One Final Breath : A horror game with lots of YouTube videos to share, but very little in the way of funding.
The Scoundrels Guild : The second go at funding this expansive RPG / thief sim.
SKIES : A massive MMO with an equally massive funding goal.
Buck & Miles : An school platformer that uses the always popular “…love letter to…” phrasing. Some beautiful artwork though!
Salvation Z Reborn : A Cryengine shooter with a video showing lots of footage, a page with various bits of detail; but it still seems lacking for some reason.
Regicide : An old-school top down turn based RPG
Open World RPG : No video, not enough detail, no screenshots, and a cover image stolen from GTA V.
Infinite Legacy : An open world RPG with no funding video or any real screenshots.
Story of the Eternity One : An open world RPG that’s trying to get $50k with plenty of text, but a funding video that only features visual novel type gameplay.
Waking Up Eric Claud : A 2D platformer with an interesting story hook.
Toxophilite: Shadow Archer : A sizable campaign page, but only a single screenshot?
Mr. Elephant: Home Days : Another game looking to cash in on the “so absurd and buggy that its hilarious” trend.
Ricochettt : Starts the call for funding off by stating how similar it is to Superhot, but never discusses how its different.
Truth Bringer’s: Toll of Deception : Strange and confusing; that’s all that can be said.
Yuurn Jorgensen’s Epic Adventure : This might be the winner for this weeks “Least amount of effort put into a Kickstarter” award.
Fenerix – The knight : A campaign relaunch after the initial one failed last week.
The World : Nevermind what I said about Tuurn, this is actually the winner for the least amount of effort put into a Kickstarter.
Johnny Rocketfingers 3 : Relaunch of an interesting adventure game campaign that failed earlier in the week. Brought the goal down from nearly $400k to a still-too-high $88k.
Civil Architect : Alwats fun to see people steal images for their cover image.
Resurrection : A zombie shooter.
Bitten : A horror survival shooter that seems cool, but the campaign lacks any real detail.
Babylon Inc. : A twin stick shooter with a corporate thriller twist.
Civil War : The Reckoning : It’s unusual to see a campaign so completely lacking in detail that actually has game footage to show.
Synonymy 2.0 Int’l : A word game about finding words that are similar in meaning to one another. What’s that called again?
Mystic World Nana : A top down SNES style RPG with no funding video.
Profit Colony : This may or may not be a great game, but the fact that there’s nothing shown, not even concept art, and it was still chosen as a Kickstarter Staff Pick has convinced me that the designation means nothing.
[divider]That’s it for last weeks Kickstarter campaigns. Watch your wallets!
How sad nothing caught my attention this week 🙁