Kickstarter Picks - November Edition - Article
by Jared Katz , posted on 08 November 2013 / 3,671 Views
Developer: Asthree Works
Total Amount/Goal: 52,200$/70,000$
Days Left: 23
Lowest Amount for Game: 12$
Release Date: December 2014
Next Stretch Goal: Achievements 85k
Launch Platforms: Windows/Mac/Linux
Paradise Lost: First Contact (PL:FC) is a Metroidvania game that focuses on action and stealth elements and is being developed by Asthree Works, a newly formed indie team in Spain. The game follows the story of Subject W, an alien life form that looks like the offspring of a plant and an octopus. After falling to our planet inside a meteorite and taken to a secret lab by an unknown organization, Subject W’s chance for freedom arrives when a security breach allows it to escape its prison (a glass jar). Its goal is now to find out about this organization and to learn why it was keeping it prisoner.
The game follows the usual Metroidvania formula of blocking off areas until special skills/abilities are learned to allow access. Unlike most, however, you have a RPG element of choosing what skills to evolve in Subject W’s evolution. The game in many ways reminds me of Mark of the Ninja, with Subject W often hiding in vents and having abilities to distract/confuse enemies rather than taking them head on. The game has the classic Metroid styled map, with hidden items throughout the world, including photographs and hidden rooms to find. PL:FC is right now aiming to release in December of 2014.
Developer: The Brotherhood Games
Total Amount/Goal: 45,600$/100,000$
Days Left: 29
Lowest Amount for Game: 19$
Release Date: August 2014
Launch Platforms: Windows
STASIS is a point-and-click sci-fi horror adventure game being developed by The Brotherhood Games. The game is set in the distant future and follows John Maracheck on the desolate spaceship Groomlake, which is currently in a decaying orbit around Neptune. Once a mining ship, it is now used by the Cayne Corperation for humane medical research and advancements, but in reality the ship is home to appalling experiments and banned research. Waking up in pain, John must look for his missing wife and daughter, all the while the Groomlake begins its final trip into the methane-filled clouds of Neptune.
The game, unlike most horror titles, doesn’t rely on action sequences, but on a point-and-click interface that is used to interact with John’s surroundings for information gathering and puzzle solving. The game’s item storage system - QSD (Quantum Storage Device) - is used to combine multiple items, change their functionality and allow John to complete complex tasks when needed. The developer says that multiple puzzles will span out through multiple rooms to even whole floors. Visually the game certainly looks eye-pleasing with its 2D Isometric visuals, and rooms tend to be very detailed. STASIS is right now aiming to release in August of 2014
Developer: Infinite Fall
Total Amount/Goal: 140,200$/50,000$
Days Left: 14
Lowest Amount for Game: 15$
Release Date: January 2015
Launch Platforms: Windows and Mac
Night in The Woods (NiTW) is a 2D, story-focused adventure/exploration game, which is being developed by Infinate Fall (a team composed of Alec Holowka, creator of IGF award-winning Aquaria, and animator Scott Benson). The game follows the story of Mae, a college dropout who returns back to her decaying mining town of Possum Springs. Yet after coming back everything feels different; her old friends have taken their own paths and she begins to feel changes within herself allowing her to see the side of her town she never saw before. “The world is changing, things are ending, and the future is uncertain. Up behind the park at the edge of town, back in the trees by the old mine - there's something in the woods. And it could mean no future at all.”
Along with Mae, the game also follows her interactions with her four friends Bea, Gregg, Angus and Germ. During the game you can hang out with your “crew of loser friends” along with playing your Bass and breaking things like most 20 year olds do. You can explore the town by running and jumping, finding new areas as your powers increase or just experience the big crazy world as the plot unfolds. The biggest selling point is the 2D art created by Scott Benson, which just looks incredible, especially when it’s night in the game. As of right now only so many gameplay details have been released, though, and Night in The Woods is aiming for a 2015 release.
Developer: Flying Carpets Games
Total Amount/Goal: 11,600$/15,000$ (CAD)
Days Left: 20
Lowest Amount for Game: 9$ (CAD)
Release Date: December 2014
Next Stretch Goal: New Castle Maze Area 20k
Launch Platforms: Windows/Max/Linux
The Girl and the Robot (TGatR) is third person action/adventure game being developed by Flying Carpets Games. The story follows a young girl who has been trapped by an evil queen inside a castle built from ancient arcane technology. After escaping her cell the girl finds a malfunctioning robot knight which she frees from the queen’s control. Now the two must uncover the mysteries inside and about the castle to escape from it alive. The game's art style is very reminiscent of Studio Ghilbi work (Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, etc.).
Gameplay often uses puzzles that force you to split up the robot and the girl who each have their own fortes. The robot is able to deal with other robot knights in combat, along with being a weight for certain puzzles. On the other hand the girl can get through high passages and into tighter places. The game will have you switching back and forth between the two of them when the situation arises. TGatR’s music, like its art, has been influenced by Studio Ghilibi, but also by Shadow of the Colossus and Team ICO. The Girl and the Robot is right now aiming to release in December of 2014.
Developer: Studio Fawn
Total Amount/Goal: 13,200$/40,000$
Days Left: 32
Lowest Amount for Game: 10$
Release Date: December 2015
Launch Platforms: Windows/Mac/Linux
Bloom: Memories is an action/adventure RPG being developed by Studio Fawn. In the world of Bloom, corruption has spread across the land. The Guardians were unable to stop it and many lives have been lost. This corruption came in the form of the Eternals, which are better known as former humans. These soulless machines of metal take down all who oppose them. One day a woman managed to escape from the land of the Eternals, and with the help of the Guardians her child was able to escape her fate, though broken and weak. This is where Bloom starts.
In Bloom you can play and beat the game without ever having to fight, as there are three main playing styles: talking, stealth and fighting. Because of your weak birth, fighting head on is very hard and can often cost you your life, but by killing enemies you will start to gain a new found strength. Your primary ability is controlling energies which can be used both in offense and defense. Your secondary abilities varying from summoning a distraction to using vines to stop a rampaging monster. Because of the dangers of direct combat, stealth is a good alternative, allowing you to get by enemies unnoticed or to get the drop on an enemy. The final option which makes this game unique is talking to both allies and enemies; by making enemies into friends you can learn secrets and gain new powers. But a big factor is the shifting moods of the enemy, which if unnoticed can cause unexpected problems or can be used to your advantage. Bloom: Memories is right now aiming to release in December of 2015.
Essay Pro