After Pokemon Go became an instant phenomenon, I was honestly expecting to read about a slew of upcoming augment reality games. But Magicland is the first I have seen, and while it could be accused of riffing on Niantic’s catch ‘em all game, it has more in common with other, more divisive titles like Spore and No Man’s Sky. It may be a little rough around the edges, but any game that might enthrall kids and get them outside playing could be a good thing.
Let’s go exploring!
Project: Magicland
Developer: EnjoyGo Inc
Genre: AR Magical Adventure
Platforms: Mobile (iOS, Android)
Funding Target: $3,000 CAD
What Is It?
Magicland doesn’t use augmented reality in the traditional sense. Unlike the thousands of memes showing Pokemon sitting on grandmothers or surviving being run over by cars on the road, this game does not show our world with the characters layered over them. Rather, it uses your device screen, either phone or tablet, as a window into an animated world of magic, but you walk through it as you walk through the physical world. The story behind Magicland is that primal creatures are absorbing too much magical energy, causing issues with the flow of magic itself. Players have to defeat these creatures, and can also capture them and combine them to form new animals. There are eight different magical environments to visit, including a forest, desert, and snowy tundra.
Why Fund It?
Magicland is the impressive work of one man, Jerod Fehr, through his EnjoyGo Inc label. What I have found, during my years of exploring and supporting Kickstarter campaigns, is that one-man-bands often do not pitch or sell their project as well as they might if they were part of a team, so you need to dig a little to see why this game could be pretty cool. The simplistic art style is definitely aimed at children, and I could see it captivating groups of children running around exploring different magical realms. The game makes use of a day and night cycle, so different animals come out at different times of the day. But $3000 is not a huge amount to give someone with a clear visual an attempt to try and make it work.
Best Rewards?
- Digital copy of the game – $10 CAD
- Digital copy of the game plus beta access and digital soundtrack – $25 CAD
- Previous rewards, plus Magicland t-shirt – $50 CAD
- Previous rewards, plus Kickstarter-exclusive starting creature – $75 CAD
- Previous rewards, plus an in-game monument dedicated to you, located wherever in the world you want – $100 CAD
- Previous rewards, plus a limited edition Magicland ring – $150 CAD
Until Next Time…
There is a raw energy in Magicland’s premise, and hopefully it will be fully fleshed out into something more, well, magical in the future. I don’t necessarily think I would play it, but I think kids would get a kick out of it.
Up next in our recent flurry of Kickstart This! selections, we’ll stay put in the polite nation of Canada to get our hands on the ARC Continuum!
