As much as I spend covering (and throwing money at) Kickstarter campaigns for board and miniature games, for whatever reason I don’t really use the platform much for video games these days. I know a lot of my fellow gamers are weary of Kickstarter as well, possibly due to a certain multi-million dollar starship game.
For that reason, I tend to avoid covering too many crowdfunding campaigns here, but I recently found five promising games I’d like to bring to your attention. Hopefully you find at least one of them that piques your interest enough to back or follow it, as this is the first entry in our new Crowdfunding Recap column.
Here’s the latest recap on promising crowdfunded games:
The Waylanders
Developer: Gato Salvaje Studios
Platform: Windows PC
Funding Goal: $150,000 (54% Funded)
End Date: November 16th
Release Date: June 2020
The Waylanders by Gato Salvaje Studios is a party-based, isometric RPG inspired by Celtic mythology. The locations are based on real locations in Galicia and Ireland, and the story will have you swapping between two time periods with two completely different parties of followers. Character building and progression consists of 4 races, 6 basic classes, 30 advanced classes, over 700 skills, 8 companions with 4 reincarnations, and 15 types of weapons. One of the main combat mechanics involves “combining” followers to create special formations that serve a different purpose in combat. For example, the Phalanx can be used to block a chokepoint to protect your squishy ranged characters from melee enemies.
Sadly, with only 9 days left to raise around $70k, it looks like The Waylanders probably won’t reach its funding goal. The developers have made it clear that the game will come out regardless of the campaign’s success, but the extra money would allow them to add more features. The minimum pledge required to get a copy of the game is $30.
Realms Beyond: Ashes of the Fallen
Developer: Ceres Games
Platform: Windows PC
Funding Goal: $114,000 (83% Funded)
End Date: November 15th
Release Date: February 2020
Our next game, Realms Beyond: Ashes of the Fallen by Ceres Games, is another sprawling isometric party-based CRPG. While The Waylanders is real-time with tactical pause, Realms Beyond is purely turn-based and uses the SRD 3.5e ruleset as licensed by Wizard of the Coast’s Open Game License program. Build a party of 6 characters from 7 different races and 8 classes before setting out for adventure in a massive fantasy world that is still recovering from a cataclysmic event that reshaped the continents.
Realms Beyond has a little over a week left to gather the final $20k needed to hit its funding goal, which is cutting it a bit close, but still totally doable. The minimum pledge required to grab your copy is $29.
Midnight Wave
Developer: Walthall Studios
Platform: Windows PC, Mac
Funding Goal: $47,337 (13% Funded)
End Date: November 21st
Release Date: December 2019
Midnight Wave by Walthall Studios is a blend of turn-based strategy and 2D platform fighter. The game revolves around a group of rebels fighting megacorporations in a anime-inspired, neon-lit Cyberpunk dystopia. Characters are moved around on grid-based maps similar to Fire Emblem, but when someone attacks, the action switches to a 2D fighting system devoid of any RNG nonsense.
Sadly, the game isn’t doing so hot on Kickstarter, with only 13% of it’s funding reached since the game launched several weeks ago. The minimum pledge required to get a copy of Midnight Wave is $15.
Hazelnut Bastille
Developer: Aloft Studio
Platform: Windows PC, Mac, Linux, PS4 (Stretch Goal) and Switch (Stretch Goal)
Funding Goal: $65,000 (98% Funded)
End Date: November 29th
Release Date: October 2020
Hazelnut Bastille by Aloft Studio is an adorable, retro-inspired top-down action-RPG that is heavily influenced by older Zelda games. You play as a mysterious young adventurer in a new land that was once ruled by an ancient and long-dead civilization. As you’d expect from it’s inspiration, Hazelnut Bastille is littered with ruins to discover and explore, each of which are infested with traps, puzzles, and monsters. The developers managed to get Hiroki Kikuta to compose the game’s soundtrack. You can find a link to a demo on the Kickstarter page that contains about 2 hours of content.
Hazelnut Bastille is so close to it’s funding goal that it could very reach it before this article goes live. The minimum pledge required to get a copy is $15.
Monster Sanctuary
Developer: Moi Rai Games
Platform: Windows PC, Switch (Stretch Goal)
Funding Goal: $22,914 (335% Funded)
End Date: November 22nd
Release Date: October 2020
Finally, we come to Monster Sanctuary by Moi Rai Games, a mix of monster taming RPG and 2D Metroidvania. You’ll collect, train, and battle with a large cast of magical critters like in your typical Pokémon-style monster tamer, but the big twist is how exploration is handled. Many of the monsters you’ll collect have movement-based abilities designed to help you navigate the game’s 2D world and discover the many hidden secrets it contains. Like the previous game, Monster Sanctuary has a playable demo.
Monster Sanctuary has already reached its funding goal and is currently smashing stretch goals. The minimum pledge required for a copy is $17.
Which, if any, of these campaigns will you guys be pledging to?
