Every week we take a brief look at all of the Kickstarter 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 : Desolate
What it is : Marcus wrote: “A lot of the time video games don’t really focus much on emotion. We see tons of first person shooters with powerful protagonists who wouldn’t really know emotion if it blasted them with a rocket. To me, that makes any games that deal directly with emotion special by default. Elliot Collis’ desolate (stylized with no capitalization) has certainly gotten my attention with its description as an “adventure game influenced by my experiences, emotions, and my acceptance of self growing up.”
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Game : Dinosaur Island
What it is : Marcus wrote: “Dinosaur Island is focused on bringing highly researched AI routines with each dinosaur in the game. Along with that, there will be variable era-appropriate ecosystems on each of the three proposed islands. There are also plans for “eco-challenges” which give players different tasks to complete by controlling and modifying dinosaurs to survive a habitat. Such a level of detail is worthy of applause, although it remains to be seen how many hardcore dinosaur fans will flock to fund it.”
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Game : Warlocks
What it is : Marcus wrote: “Sometimes, video games with vast, weaving narratives are enjoyable to play. Other times, all you want is a fast, frantic brawler for immediate enjoyment.Warlocks falls into the latter camp as an action RPG and brawler hybrid where you play as one of ten unique characters. Each character has their own unique skillset and look. Although you can take onWarlocks alone, it appears that developer One More Level are pushing for multiplayer as the main way to play. You can hit up a game via local or online modes and play with up to four friends.”
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Game : Band Saga
What it is : Marcus wrote: “Roguelikes, roguelikes, roguelikes! It seems that so many video games announced and out today include this gaming buzzword. Band Saga is yet another that defines itself as roguelike, but actually appears to take those conventions to heart. The game focuses on two friends in a band who tour from city to city. While on the road the duo must fight enemies to make it to their next gig. The concept is very creative, a bit weird, and exciting. Each stage, enemy, and item is randomly generated. It’s how this works that is the most interesting aspect. Band Saga utilizes in-game soundtracks to create all these goodies.”
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Game : Code Spells
What it is : Marcus wrote: “So many gaming fans in the world purely consume games without ever taking a look at what goes on to create them. Some test the waters of programming but find it daunting and never look back. CodeSpells is one of the few games that is looking to get players to actually participate in modifying it. With this title people are able to code their own magical spells for use within the game world. According to the pitch, CodeSpells will allow both novice and existing coders to craft spells. This is aided with the visual programming editor Blockly. Non-coders can use this to view how code comes together and interacts with things.”
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Game : Ironcast
What it is : Marcus wrote: “The match 3 genre of puzzle games often gets a lot of flack due to being perceived as “casual.” To some, connecting 3 or more colored blocks on a grid seems too simple. If you’ve ever felt that way, then let me introduce you to Ironcast. This is a turn-based strategy game in an alternate history 19th century London where steampunk mechs battle for control over Victorian England. Sure, why not! Gameplay features a match 3 grid in the center with visuals of both Ironcast vehicles as they wage battle. By linking 3 or more of the same node you are able to cause a variety of effects.”
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Game : The Bible Videogame: David
What it is : Bible based, and other religious themed, videogames have had a rough go in the gaming world. Sure, there’s some out there, but they’ve yet to break into the mainstream, or even into the “hardcore” gaming realm. Developers that have attempted, even via crowdfunding, have usually met with hardship, relentless trolling, and eventual failure. The development team Tornado Twins are hoping to break that curse with The Bible Videogame: David; a side scrolling action platformer with colorful graphics, varied environments, and a lesson or two from the bible. So far it appears as though things are going well for the team, having exceeded the 30% funding barrier with three weeks left to go.
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Game : Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter Reborn
What it is : Marcus wrote: “Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter Reborn brings back the classic formula for a new decade of PC players. Helmed by Yaroslav Kravchenko, the original designer and creator, Digital Dreams Entertainment is taking their first steps to reinvigorate the franchise with new and returning features. Steps to modernize Carnivores include a supposedly massive free-roaming landscape, smarter dinosaur AI, and a variety of types to hunt. The team’s goal is to make sure each dinosaur type has its own temperament and behavior. With this being the case, you’ll have to be aware of how each acts in order to successfully take them down.”
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Game : Celestial Tear – Demon’s Revenge
What it is : Nathaniel wrote: “Celestial Tear: Demon’s Revenge has a noticeable and detailed artstyle in-game that you notice right away. Taking the top-down RPG and rethinking the art style without nixing the 16-bit aesthetic we all love so dearly has had some great results, and if the rest of the game follows this trend, it will be the game to watch for old-school JRPG fans all over. Exploration and combat are all about the different angles from which you can approach a situation as you play through the game as 12 characters with intertwining stories and varied abilities in combat. Every playable character has a unique quirk that makes the time-based RPG combat strategic and deep.”
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Game : Judged
What it is : Marcus wrote: “Judged, an upcoming court simulation title. It seeks to take players from the beginnings of a judge in traffic court all the way to a (hopefully) eventual State Supreme Court position. This is all played out via point and click/puzzle mechanics. Interestingly, the developer has taken the stance of randomly generated cases as opposed to specifically tailoring a few. In this way he doesn’t have to worry about the game being too short. However, it could also be quite hard to implement randomization in a way that makes sense – particularly in a logic-focused game.”
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Game : Cube and Me
What it is : Marcus wrote: “Cube and Me is a game with three distinct parts: home life, dungeoneering, and battle. Home life is where the simulation parts come on. Players take care of their cube buddy by feeding, cleaning, and playing to increase its stats. You’ll want your cube to be strong as it explores dungeons. In dungeons players might encounter a whole host of things. There are valuable treasures as well as traps in each. SinceCube and Me is procedurally generated that means every dungeon run will be different from the last.”
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Game : Poncho
What it is : Marcus wrote: “The apocalypse has occurred and all humans are gone. Not everything has disappeared as a result, though. Robots which were created by people still remain on the Earth as “living” beings. Without purpose in their lives, they simply form tribes and co-exist. And yet, one robot decides to go on an adventure to find its maker. This journey sets the stage for Poncho as a 2D puzzle platformer. Don’t let that incredibly common genre trapping turn you away just yet! You see, the biggest difference about this from most titles is that you can actually move forwards and backwards through the onscreen scene. If you consider most 2D games as moving along the X and Y planes (think about graphs from math class), then Poncho allows for movement on the Z axis too.”
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Game : Six Miles Under
What it is : Marcus wrote: ” In Six Miles Under, a nuclear apocalypse occurred which led survivors to seek shelter underground. In this underground city a man named Preston Trencher has been enforcing law and order on behalf of the Family. However, some must have plotted against him as one day he is suddenly shot in an ambush. Preston needs to know the truth – and enact his revenge in the process. As such, Six Miles Under is a 2D beat ‘em up with a host of combat options. Although much of what that means hasn’t been detailed yet, Loony Bin Studios have mentioned a diverse counter system, weapons, environmental hazards, and more as part of their “dynamic fight system.”
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Game : Pathologic
What it is : Marcus wrote: “Have you heard of the game Pathologic before? In the West, the game isn’t massively well known, though there is a devoted following for it. This is in part because the 2005 game was never officially released in Western territories (outside of a more recent GOG.com version). In either case, the experience deserves a wider audience which is why a remake of Pathologic is immensely exciting. This new version of Pathologic will still retain the elements that made the game such a stand out product initially.
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Game : Creepy Castle
What it is : Julie wrote: “Retro graphics never fail to win over the hearts of gamers but Creepy Castleintroduces a modern twist that could set it apart in the RPG adventure genre.Creepy Castle includes several playable scenarios – each with a different (and mighty adventurous) protagonist, evil doer – or group of them, a variety of dueling abilities, and hours upon hours of gameplay. Each scenario in Creepy Castleis planned to be very individualistic in its design but will merge together to benefit a much larger, grander story altogether.”
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Game : Sanctum Polis – Rest Eternal Memory
What it is : Julie wrote: “Sanctum Polis is technically a menu-based RPG, concentrating on the dialogue and environmentally interactive elements. The gameplay is divided into daytime and nighttime activities, restricting players to explore dreams only during the evenings. With a combination of dream exploration, lots of sneaking, and socializing around campus, Caxton will piece together the truth behind the odd disappearances and conspiracies of Solaris Notre University.”
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Game : Paradigm
What it is : “Paradigm is a classic style adventure game with some very slick, but still oldschool, graphics, and a control scheme that will feel pleasantly familiar to anyone versed in the genre. Players step into the shoes of Paradigm, an eastern bloc mutant just trying to find his way, and a little love, in a post apocalyptic world. There’s a bad hairpiece wearing sloth for a villain, a beatboxing eggplant, a pug that’s straight off the Sunset Strip, and a guy with a traffic cone for a head. It’s that strange.”
[divider]The Rest of the Campaigns :
Energy Crisis – Monster Truck Derby : A tower defense game featuring monster trucks with a $220,000 Kickstarter.
Apparent Horizon : A co-op space sim shooter with a familiar sounding title.
Wonky Seasons : An adorably cartoonish MMO targeted at all ages that still needs some work, and a new Kickstarter campaign.
Letrouve : A tile matching game that tasks you with matching sets rather than just a single tile, challenging and addicting.
Loop : A very chill looking puzzle game that looks like it could end up being very addicting.
Tumbleweed Express : A tower defense and railshooter hybrid that puts you on the back of a train traveling in a steampunk world.
Gulliver’s Odyssey : An interesting survival horror game with set pieces from all over the place.
A-Maze-Zing : A ball rolling maze puzzler with a funding video that includes a ton of gameplay.
PiL : A very low-fi arena combat game that isn’t named after John Lydon’s classic band.
The Scoundrels Guild : An epid Skyrim looking RPG that promises robust dialogue, crafting, and combat mechanics.
Bugspeed Collider : A retro looking platform bralwer that features a bug with a black belt whose ready to fight.
Sharks for Arms : A side scroller with one of the best titles I’ve ever seen.
Frost : A multiplayer survival game that takes place in a frigid wasteland.
Reassembly : A spaceship building game that features some colorfully over-the-top combat.
Kingdom Republic SPQR : A new RPG from Johnathan Lackovic, creator of the very enjoyable Kingdom Caligula.
Spider Blaster : A top down shooter with a few screenshots but no gameplay footage, and very little game info.
Croydon, and the Book of the Forgotten : A game for blind gamers that contains very little info on it’s campaign page.
Dana : An open world RPG with some impressive concept artwork that doesn’t appear to jive with the artistic ability shown throughout the rest of the campaign.
Expected Time of Arrival : A first person RPG with a unique 50’s small town setting; but seriously lacking in-game assets.
ShadowLight : A side scrolling 3D platformer with a couple demos available for prospective backers.
Untold Universe : An open world voxel sandbox MMO with some impressive looking in-game tech.
Warring : A game that aims to show the seriousness of fighting in the world we live in; with a campaign that gives very little gameplay detail.
Taken : A 3D maze game that’s a reboot of an earlier Kickstarter campaign; this latest campaign actually features less information than the first.
Super Pretentious Underground Dungeon : A retro looking roguelike platformer that appears to be more satire than game.
Junk The Food : An educational kids game about food that features some cute cell shaded graphics.
The Core Inc. : A first person RTS where you control a planet from the inside; too bad there’s nothing to show.
The Legendary Maze : A first person dungeon crawler/maze game with some pretty disturbing artwork.
Dark Empire : A colonial era turn based RPG that James from IndieLove compares to Baldur’s Gate and Planescape: Torment.
The Lone Wolf’s Lament : No pitch video, gameplay, screenshots, concept art; but a ton of writing in a single huge paragraph.
[divider]That’s it for last week. Watch your wallets!
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