Imagine waking up in an unfamiliar world. New languages, people, and minds surround you. But lurking beneath it all is something dark and terrible, and you discover that only you can stop it. NYKRA, live on Kickstarter, will show you this world—and many others.
NYKRA is a sidescrolling platforming adventure game where you explore large planets and uncover the mysteries within them. Playing as Keu, accompanied by a hyperdrone known as Eo, you are instructed by “The Seven Beings” to find The Darkness and, ultimately, snuff it out. They’d take care of it themselves, but they can’t detect it. It’s always some excuse with unfathomable, otherworldly creators, huh?
The gameplay is your standard 2D platforming fare. You’ve got jumping, puzzles, looting, and a nigh-infinite amount of space and rooms for it. There is one unique gimmick though: Keu’s hyperdrone Eo, which serves as her main weapon, can transform on the fly. Players can alter various parts for different effects. For instance, you could maximize its aperture to fire a single, slow-charging megashot. Or you can rapid-fire weaker, but highly accurate shots. The loot you find can of course upgrade your friendly murderbot, so be sure to stuff your pockets until they tear at the seams.
The story involves Keu’s quest to uncover the mysterious “Darkness.” To do that, she must find several keys—scattered throughout seven planets—and unlock a holding cell called Evokreathe, where said Darkness sleeps. The campaign mentions a moral choice system that will affect the outcome of the game, as well.
As you can see from these screenshots, NYKRA has some exceptional art design. If nothing else, players who love exploration will likely have much to gawk at as they explore the universe. Just don’t gawk too long; after all, there are some horrible manifestations hiding about, and you wouldn’t want them to get the drop on you.
If you’re interested (and have lots of disposable income), the campaign has a pretty unique reward tier. Basically, there’s a level in the game called the Moriiem, with 343 Storage Pods. If you pledge $88, you’ll be able to choose what goes in one of them. The developers assure that there are no limits here. Should make for an interesting experiment once the game releases.
Seriously though, I really like the art direction in this game. Hoping the team gets to put it together.