The Crowdfunded Games of Indonesia

The Crowdfunded Games of Indonesia

by Ahmad Khan

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t’s possible that most of North-America doesn’t exactly equate Indonesia with crowdfunded indie games, let alone videogames.  The good news is that Indonesia is starting to enter the market of indie games, and we’re seeing them show up on crowdfunding platforms more often.  If you’re interested in videogames that fuse elements of Japanese and western game elements with Indonesian themes then you should keep an eye on these projects.

[divider]

DreadOut

Status : Released

If you’re fan of old-school survival horror games like Fatal Frame / Project zero, and early installments of Silent Hill series then you will like DreadOut. It borrows heavily from these aforementioned games, for better or for worse; even down to the PS2 era graphics.

Where it shines, however, is its lore and audio effects. DreadOut has some of the most disturbing sound effects I have encountered in any recent horror game.  Without spoiling much I can tell you that you’ll be stopping cautiously to frantically look around to see where that creaking sound is coming from. DreadOut has another interesting aspect; players get a crash course in Indonesian supernatural legends, from the human-faced pig monster to the ghost girl, its quiet a treat for horror fans.

[divider]

Target Acquired

Status : Under Development

In Target Acquired, the main character is a feline police officer name Yura tasked with safeguarding the city from Cammy, a notorious thief of a robot. The developers at TouchTen describe their endless side-scrolling runner game as a combination of Temple Run and Mega Man. Fans of platform games will rejoice to learn that music and sound effects for Target Acquired will be none other than Manami Matsumae, the creator of countless classic game soundtracks. According to her own words Miss. Matsumae is excited to work with an Indonesian game company for the first time. Mega Man and side-scroller fans should keep an eye on this one.

[divider]

Celestian Tales: Old North

Status : Under Development

At first look Celestian Tales: Old North might look like another Final Fantasy 6 clone made in Rpgmaker, something that one sees too often on Kickstarter. A closer look will reveal that Celestian Tales may end up being one of the best retro JRPG’s to ever show up on any crowdfunding platform.  For starters the team behind the project is using the Unity engine, and it shows in the smoother sprite animations that are displayed on their preview page. It also has some of the best hand-drawn artwork I’ve seen in a crowdfunding campaign; this applies to both the character and background art in particular. Fans of early Final Fantasy games should keep an eye on this gem when it releases.

[divider]

Pale Blue

Status : Under Development

Pale Blue is a 2D side-scrolling action and stealth game that was funded earlier this year. It tells the story from the antagonist’s point of view, tasking players with playing as a villainous young girl with evil powers inspired by the villains of various works, including Power Rangers and Ultraman. Along with a novel storyline, Pale Blue features gorgeous graphics and some of the most fluid sprite animations i’ve ever seen on Kickstarter. Fans of side-scrollers, be sure to keep an eye on this project.

[divider]

Did I miss any crowdfunded games from Indonesian developers?  Call them out in the comments below and I’ll be sure to update the article!

[author image=”http://cliqist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/ahmad.jpg” ]Ahmad Khan grew up playing video games. A fan of RPGs and Post-Apocalypse games, Khan instantly fell in love with crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and IndieGogo that made games like Wasteland 2 and Project Eternity a reality. He also ended up being sort of a whistle blower for suspicious crowd funding project, believing that the venue of crowdfunding should be reserved for the honest and the passionate, not for the dishonest and dubious.  You can stalk Ahmad on both Twitter and Facebook if you feel so inclined.[/author]