Kickstarter Roundup 10-11-13

Where-in I pick through Kickstarter for the projects that most catch my fancy.

Hyper Light Drifter

WHAT IT IS: Gorgeous 2D Action RPG with lovingly pixelated sprite graphics and captivating artwork with a real style of its own.

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: People's fondness for pixelated gaming is not a secret, and it seems any indie effort is as likely to sport blocky graphics as it is "HD." Those jagged edges invoke feelings of nostalgia for the games of yesteryear, and in many cases go a long way in demonstrating what kind of game you are about to play. But sometimes a game is more than that, a real statement of beauty like Sword & Sworcery was. Hyper Light Drifter is one of those games.

WHAT YOU SHOULD GET: $40. Digital versions of the game, manual, soundtrack, and artbook. You also get some other digital bonuses (like a new "sprite.") and a second key for the game, so you can actually take advantage of all those additional platforms from the stretch goals.

RELEVANT LINKS: @HeartMachineZ | www.heart-machine.com | Facebook Page

Akiba Anime Art Magazine

WHAT IT IS: A new magazine straight from Japan, featuring many talented Japanese artists and articles about Otaku culture.

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: Japan is putting its foot into the Kickstarter ring with successful projects like Little Witch Academia and the enormously popular Mighty No. 9. By continuing to support Japanese efforts, that means we'll get to see even more of it! Besides, Akiba is a book full of lovely Japanese art, printed with a special wide gamut process that results in much brighter images than with traditional CMYK.

WHAT YOU SHOULD GET: $18 Otaku. A copy of the magazine and all of the various stretch goals that have accrued over the campaign.

RELEVANT LINKS: jhlab.jp

Game Cave Vol. 1

WHAT IT IS: A loveletter to the gaming magazines of decades gone by, rife with exciting layouts, new artwork, and a sense of humor.

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: One of the big things I really miss about magazines is the design of them. When you view an article online, you get all the text, all the photos, and even video clips you never could have back then, but never the lovingly defined spreads, crammed to the gills with artwork, screenshots exploding from detailed backgrounds, and maybe a line of crooked text or two. It's nice to see that again.

WHAT YOU SHOULD GET: $30 Physical Book Tier. A physical copy of the magazine—I mean come on, that's the whole point, right?—plus an art print and all the digital goods.

RELEVANT LINKS:  @sketchcraft | www.sketchcraft.com | Facebook

Dawning Star: Fate of Eos

WHAT IT IS: A reboot of the fan-favorite sci-fi RPG, rebuilt from the ground up using the excellent FATE Core system.

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: FATE is a great system, as can be attested by its modestly successful Kickstarter. So if you want to take the game to task in a far-flung future of aliens and spaceships, then Dawning Star is a good place to find it. With a flexible setting that can be tailored from pulp to space opera to interstellar intrigue with ease, and a healthy fanbase from previous editions, it's hard to go wrong.

WHAT YOU SHOULD GET: $35 EOS Defense Force. A physical copy of the game and all the digital goodies.

RELEVANT LINKS:  @DawningStarRPG | www.dawningstar.com | Facebook

Destiny Fails Us

WHAT IT IS: An “Otome” Visual Novel, a Choose Your Own Adventure-esque game featuring a female protagonist and lots of potential male suitors.

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: While the game's use of 3D anime-style models isn't as nice as traditionally rendered art, the look serves its needs, and what you have is a fun-looking take on the date-sim. I'm especially fond of your character's cellphone that you actually check for messages throughout the game.

WHAT YOU SHOULD GET: $10 Digital Download Pack. A download copy of the game and the usual digital extras.

RELEVANT LINKS: www.destinyfailsus.com | Facebook

Kickstarter Roundup 09-18-13

Since I spend way too much time browsing Kickstarter anyway, I've decided to share a weekly (semi-weekly?) roundup of notable finds on the world's biggest crowdfunding site.

Belle of the Ball

WHAT IT IS: A card game where players become party hosts, each trying their best to put on the most talked-about get-together by carefully managing the guests they invite…or snub.

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: With Daniel Solis as both Game Designer and Graphic Designer for the project, you know it’s a game that will play as good as it looks. He also designs all his games “in the open” on his blog, so it’s nice to support a designer who shares so much for free. (And I do mean so much, I swear Daniel tilts his head a little too far and game ideas come pouring out…possibly from his hair, though this is a mystery.)

WHAT YOU SHOULD GET: $25 House Party. The Belle of the Ball Kickstarter is light on exclusive extras, so there’s not a lot to choose from besides a copy of the game. Still, if you’re interested in reprints of some of Dice Hate Me’s (the publisher for the BotB) other offerings, there’s plenty of higher tiers that will oblige your interest.

RELEVANT LINKS: @DanielSolis | www.danielsolis.com, @DiceHatMe | www.dicehatemegames.com

Calcula’s LVL UP!

WHAT IT IS: A collected volume of Fred Perry’s online Final Fantasy XI “doujin” comic, LVL UP!

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: If you’re a fan of the artist’s previous works, like Gold Digger, then you probably don’t need any convincing. But LVL Up itself is a charming comic with a lot of heart, and any fan of Final Fantasy XI should get quite a few smiles out of it. Perry will not be publishing the book through normal distribution channels, so this will be your only chance to get your greedy Galka gloves on a print copy.

WHAT YOU SHOULD GET: $50 LVL THREE Support. The doujin signed and with a sketch of the eponymous Calcula on the dust jacket. Can you say no to Calcula? Can you?

RELEVANT LINKS: www.gd-tangent.com

Icebound: A Visual Novel

WHAT IT IS: A visual novel set in a steampunk/dark-fantasy world in a frozen age.

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: Visual novels can’t seem to get a fair shake in the American market, and Kickstarter hasn’t been much kinder (unless you count Megatokyo…). Somewhere between text adventure and novel, VNs imbue good stories with just enough visuals, music, and choices to make them fun to play. Icebound features beautiful backdrops, a nice premise, and a few mini-game bells and whistles to break up the walls of text that are the trademark of the genre. It’s as good an entry as any to what can be a really compelling medium for storytelling, and the more people aware of visual novels, the better.

WHAT YOU SHOULD GET: $25 Citizen. A copy of the game, the soundtrack, some wallpapers, and your name in the credits.

RELEVANT LINKS:  @vnwriter | www.fastermind.net

Pixel Star - 01

WHAT IT IS: A retro-inspired space-shooter with groovy 8-bit tunes and aesthetics

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: While there’s nothing about the mechanics or aesthetics you probably haven’t seen before—especially if you have as much of a penchant for exploring such things on iOS as I do—the Jetpack Joyride meets Space Invaders: Infinity Gene 8-bit beat fest that is Pixel Star - 01 offers a competent-looking take on the casual retro game with a compelling design sense, all by a 16-year-old aspiring programmer.

WHAT YOU SHOULD GET:  $5 PC, Mac, iOS, or Android version. The pledge list is unfortunately a muddled collection of different packages, with each not being terribly clear of what it offers, but $5 gets you the game and supports a kid making his dreams come true.