Top-down shooters are like buses… you wait for ages, and then two come at once. The first one I found when looking for this week’s Kickstart This! candidate was When It Hits The Fan, which evoked memories of Smash TV with its 32-bit arcade style. Its simple style leads to some fast-paced mayhem, and had I not found Eliosi’s Hunt, I may have delved a bit deeper into its campaign. The latter game has a harder sci-fi slant, but its visuals are mind-blowingly beautiful. So let’s find out what Brazilian-based TDZ Games is hoping to achieve with this project.
Project: Eliosi’s Hunt
Genre:Top-Down Sci-Fi Shooter
Platforms: PC (Win/Mac/Linux)
Funding Target: $18,000
What Is It?
Eliosi’s Hunt is a top-down sci-fi shooter in the vein of Alien Swarm or Helldivers, although, oddly, the developers list Crash Bandicoot as an inspiration, as it does contain platforming elements, and a breakneck pace to match.
You take the role of Eliosi, a rookie bounty hunter. The titular hunt sees Eliosi travel to an alien world to seek out his first target, Sieverr, who is hiding out on the swampy planet. However, this simple job becomes a more complicated affair, as Eliosi discovers an illegal lab that stretches down into the planet, where Sieverr has been creating all sorts of horrors for you to fight.
Why Fund It?
Did I mention it is beautiful? Because it is. The Unity Engine shines here, especially with the sci-fi lasers and rockets constantly firing and exploding. The renderings of the creatures and Eliosi himself look like something from Star Wars. Seriously, check out this bust of our hero, one of the many rewards on offer, handcrafted by Making Magic.
The different levels and worlds are also amazingly rendered, and they are a big part of the gameplay. TDZ Games is putting a big focus on speedruns through each level, and has created an online leaderboard so you can compete with other players while still enjoying the single-player experience (although good luck beating Kuaigus!). There is also the promise of a story with themes of determination and persistence, which will be told through some stunning pre-rendered cut scenes.
Best Rewards?
- Digital copy of the game – $10 ($5 early bird limited to 150)
- Digital copy of the game, plus digital soundtrack and your name in the credits – $20 ($15 early bird limited to 400)
- Previous rewards, plus a digital comic book and art book – $25
- Previous rewards, plus printed comic, mousepad, and poster – $45
- Previous rewards, plus t-shirt and mug – $65
- Previous rewards, plus an exclusive bust of Eliosi by Eddie Vieira from Making Magic – $120 (limited to 25)
- Previous rewards, but swapping the Eloisi bust in exchange for a diorama from Making Magic – $175 (limited to 10)
Should these amazing rewards not be enough to entice you, why not try the Eliosi’s Hunt demo on Steam, to see if it rocks your alien world?
Until Next Time…
I’ll close with a success story. Back in July 2014, I wrote a Kickstart This! column featuring an 8-bit existential RPG called Glitch. Although the initial campaign was unsuccessful, the perseverant developers at En House Studios have spent the last two years retooling their passion project, with the result being Glitched. I would have chosen to write about it, but no sooner had I been informed about it than it managed to not only meet its $7,500 target, but smash it four times over. Still, it’s well worth checking out.
