Yet another grown-man is facing consequences for his actions. YouTube personality, JonTron has had his minor speaking-role cut from the upcoming platformer, Yooka-Laylee. The game’s developer, Playtonic made this decision after Mr. Tron (real name Jon Jafari) shared his far-right views with the public. A…
Joanna Mueller
516 Articles
Joanna Mueller is a lifelong gamer who used to insist on having the Super Mario Bros manual read to her as a bedtime story. Now she's reading Fortnite books to her own kiddo while finally making use of her degree to write about games as Cliqist's EIC.
Joanna Mueller
2 Min Read
While some gamers bemoan political messages in the medium, others don’t think subtle messages are enough. Sometimes you have to break into full on satire to get your point across. It’s in this spirit that Make-Believe Games has launched their newest Kickstarter campaign for President…
Joanna Mueller
2 Min Read
Delays are an accepted if not expected part of game development. Sometimes things happen beyond a developers control and it makes the project take longer. As developer, Cardboard Utopia, discovered with their tactical JRPG, Children of Zodiarcs, delays can happen even under the best circumstances….
Joanna Mueller
1 Min Read
Metroidvania-style games aren’t usually noted for their deep and expansive storytelling. That’s not a dig at the genre, this style of gameplay favors fast-paced exploration, not meandering plot points. Still, for those of us who appreciate a deep narrative, the format can be a little…
Joanna Mueller
1 Min Read
While they remain tight-lipped about release dates, developer Gun Media is all about giving the fans what they want. Hardcore horror fans themselves, the team has been adamant about creating the best possible slasher movie experience in the upcoming Friday The 13th: The Game. A…
Joanna Mueller
1 Min Read
Earlier this month the Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night forums were abuzz with news that Koji Igarashi’s newest side-scrolling platfomer was coming to Nintendo Switch. Initially the team wouldn’t comment on the reveal, but a recent Kickstarter update has confirmed the news. Bloodstained has dropped…
Joanna Mueller
2 Min Read
SXSW Gaming just wrapped up their latest expo. In addition to the usual industry fanfare, this year indie game developers got a chance at the spotlight. SXSW Gaming introduced their first Pitch Competition. This inaugural event gave devs the unique opportunity to pitch their projects to a…
Joanna Mueller
2 Min Read
In December of 2011, a young development team went to Kickstarter to fund their new project. Jazza Studios raised $21,740 to develop their massive story-based, choice-driven RPG, Ortus. The game combined all the best of classic RPGs into one playable experience. Six years later, the developers…
Joanna Mueller
2 Min Read
Holy crap you guys. There have been a ton of visual novels trying to woo potential backers over on Kickstarter this week. Most of us aren’t able to throw money at any old thing that catches our fancy. As such, here’s a rundown of which visual…
Joanna Mueller
1 Min Read
Since the days of Dungeons and Dragons, RPG’s have relied on the tried and true method of number based tactics. Want to storm the castle and save the princess? Better hope you roll high enough on your badass stat. Typically these numbers are buried in…
Joanna Mueller
1 Min Read
Look, we get it. Most of you who read Cliqist do so because you want an inside look at crowdfunded indie game development. Maybe some of you even have aspirations of joining the ranks of one of your favorite indie studios someday. For the indie…
Joanna Mueller
5 Min Read
[Update: I just got word from Russ that Take This has received a check from FirstGiving for the funds raised on Indiegogo. This will help Take This and the AFK Room Program survive 2017. They have still not received an official response from Indiegogo.] In 2013,…
Joanna Mueller
1 Min Read
Learning games (or edutainment) are always pushing for new ways to motivate reluctant learners. Let’s face it, if you weren’t reluctant you’d just crack a book instead of loading up a game. In an effort to create a more intrinsic interest in the subject matter,…
Joanna Mueller
1 Min Read
When Driven Arts was able to relaunch and fund a scaled-down campaign for Days of War it seemed like their struggle for visibility in the WW2 shooter market was behind them. With a new campaign and a focus on early access, they easily surpassed their $20,000…
Joanna Mueller
2 Min Read
Crowdfunding is rife with projects that, for one reason or another, won’t get funded. A personal pet peeve is developers who launch a campaign to raise money for a project they haven’t fully worked out. Even when the idea is good, it’s still missing so much that most…
Joanna Mueller
1 Min Read
Ice-Pick Lodge raised $333,127 on Kickstarter to remake the 2005 story-driven survival adventure title, Pathologic. Originally released to critical acclaim in Russia, the game went on to gain an international fanbase despite some serious flaws. With a fall release on the horizon, Ice-Pick has opened up the…