That’s right, it’s time for football (or soccer, for the average American reader and editor). World Cup fever has landed and is now in full swing like the Rio Carnival. It has been a tournament of surprises, with the current World Cup champions knocked out by the second game, along with perennial contenders England (but I’m Scottish, so the less said about Luis Suarez’s two beautiful goals, the better).
There are a number of great Kickstarter campaigns in full force as well, and instead of placing bets on goals scored or corners won, perhaps think about donating some of that cash to these fine projects. We have the amazingly named Catlateral Damage, top-down 2D action-adventure Midora, and 2D puzzle-platformer For My Brother. On top of that, there is also a side-scrolling space shooter known as Temporus, the stealth ninja mastery of Twin Souls, and the 8-bit existential journey of Glitch.
Let’s go for the goal!
Project: Catlateral Damage
Genre: First-Person Feline Simulator
Platforms: PC (Win, Mac, Linux), Ouya
Funding Target: $40,000
In A Nutshell…
On the back of Goat Simulator comes Catlateral Damage, which puts the player directly in the body of a house cat who has been cooped up all day by its owner. The aim of the game for the mischievous feline, as in life, is to knock down objects in the house and cause as much mayhem as possible. Literally as I was writing this sentence, my girlfriend’s cat Brando managed to knock down and smash a picture and its frame. That is how accurate this game is.
Why Flash Your Cash?
If the opening video, featuring the developers as real cats, is not enough to persuade you that this cel-shaded project is worth your coin, why not play the demo? The game is so simple and yet so enjoyable to play, it’s a wonder no one has thought of it before. While the game is in a great state at the moment, the developers wish to add more houses, more cats, trippy catnip sections, and procedurally-generated levels so no two playthroughs are the same.
Rewards?
For $12, gamers climb onto the House Cat tier, and get their paws on a DRM-free version of the game when it is released later this year. The $40 tier of Gamer Cat is basically a humble bundle limited to the first 500 backers. The deal is made up of other games including Goat Simulator, Octodad, The Stanley Parable, Go Home Dinosaurs, and Slam Bolt Scrappers. This is the first time I have seen a bundle reward of this nature on Kickstarter, and for $40 it is a steal!
For pledges of $999 at the top end of the scratching post, you reach the level of Fat Cat. Not only will your own cat be included in the game, you will be listed in the credits along with a picture. There is also the opportunity to have lunch with developer Chris Chung and the fine feline-loving folks at Fire Hose Games. If you do not live in the Boston area, you can choose to have a Skype conversation instead. As well as this, you will receive five extra copies of the game to dish out to your friends.
The top tier of Real Life Cat adds an extra 9 to the last level. For $9,999, as well as receiving the rewards of the Fat Cat tier, including 10 copies of the game, Fire Hose head honcho Eitan Glinert will adopt a real cat from a local animal shelter. He’ll send you pictures of the cat, and you can even visit him in Boston. If 100 people donate this amount of money, he’s going to have his hands full!
Project: Midora
Genre: Top-Down Action-Adventure RPG
Platforms: PC (Win, Mac, Linux) 3DS, Wii U, PS3, PS4, PS Vita, iOS, Android, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Funding Target: $60,000
In A Nutshell…
Midora is a top-down RPG taking inspiration from 90s hits in the genre like Final Fantasy VI and The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past, with the promise of 12 challenging dungeons to overcome, spread out across a vibrant and stylish world map.
Why Flash Your Cash?
If you love The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, then this game is for you. Some die-hard Nintendo fans complained during the original Kickstarter campaign back in January that the game’s graphics look identical to that title. However, development studio Epic Minds has hit those accusations head on.
However some people claim that the graphics are literally from Minish Cap, and that Nintendo will “never allow Midora to be released” because of that. Sure, if you make a passing glance and played Minish Cap years ago, they might look identical. But all of Midora’s graphics are original. There are no “placeholders” lifted from Minish Cap. None of Minish Cap’s, or any assets from other games, have been used at all in the making of Midora’s tiles, sprites, or any of the other graphics. We’ve whipped up a few comparisons to some of the specific claims to show you just how different they are. To reiterate, we’re trying to look like Minish Cap, but in no way have simply reused the game’s graphics. The style and colors used are certainly heavily inspired by the Zelda title, but the actual art is all original. If you’re going to decry Midora for looking like Minish Cap, at least do it truthfully. There’s nothing stolen, there’s no placeholders. Our artist worked hard on the beautiful tiles that we have, so to simply dismiss it as being reused Minish Cap content isn’t giving him the credit he deserves.
In the illustrations I have seen, Midora’s main character, Snow, looks like a young Korra from Avatar: The Legend of Korra, while her in-game animation is beautiful and smooth.
Rewards?
To get the game, DRM free, as well as all future DLC, simply pledge $10 to reach the initial Hero tier. Add $5 to rise to the Audiophile level, which includes a copy of the game’s soundtrack, as you would expect. A donation of $25 or more will feature all this as well as a digital copy of the Book of Knowledge, which expands on the lore of the Midora, as well as showing off concept art and original illustrations by Giorgos Christopoulos.
At the top range of tiers, there are two limited to one lucky player. The first level of Guardian is for whoever pledges $500 or more, and allows you to design one of the game’s bosses. Double that to $1,000 or more to reach the rank of Architect, which will allow you to design an actual dungeon.
Project: For My Brother
Genre: 2D Puzzle Platformer
Platforms: PC (Win, Mac, Linux)
Funding Target: $150,000
In A Nutshell…
In For My Brother, a teenage girl sacrifices her innocence and humanity in order to acquire the animal instincts and beastly bravery it will take to protect her brother from the evil forces of the world.
Why Flash Your Cash?
Crooked Tree Studios successfully funded their previous game, Throw Trucks With Your Mind, via Kickstarter, so backers can rest assured the developers will deliver what is promised. The studio is tackling a completely new genre, but with enough originality to make it stand out from the slew of 2D platformers currently available. The insular art style is inspired by the post-Roman Hiberno-Saxon art of Great Britain. Crooked Tree has also teamed up with Swedish alt-metal band Machinae Supremacy to provide the soundtrack.
Rewards?
Crooked Tree included an Early Bird option, but every Early Bird pledge is accounted for. If you want a copy of For My Brother, you and everyone else will have to shell out $15. There is also an additional Early Bird tier of $25 that couples For My Brother with Throw Trucks With Your Mind (headset not included). Again, this is limited to the first 200 pledges, otherwise it is $30. Spend a total of $50 and you receive both games, as well as a digital PDF art book and also Machinae Supremacy’s soundtrack.
At the top of the food chain, a pledge of $600 or more, limited to just 20 people, will gift each donor with a one-of-a-kind hand-drawn illustration, as well as a bag full of goodies including a Cat plushie, signed poster, pendant set, and t-shirt. The top pledge level of $1,000 or more has no limit, but its reward is worth the price tag. Each backer will receive a piece of beautiful, laser-cut wood scenery from The Beyond level in the game, as well as all previous gifts.
Project: Temporus
Genre: Side-Scrolling Sci-Fi Platformer/Shooter/Blaster
Platforms: PC (Win, Mac, Linux), Xbox One, PS4, PS Vita
Funding Target: $20,000
In A Nutshell…
Temporus fuses the platforming RPG action of Super Metroid with the side-scrolling space shoot-em-up R-Type. The game takes its title from the fictional planet where the main character, an ore miner, is based. After surviving an attack that decimates Temporus, the character must travel back in time to discover what has happened, and why, battling a host of alien beasts while uncovering his own history.
Why Flash Your Cash?
Eric Ume, the lead developer at Firebelly Studios, is bursting with enthusiasm about the project, which genuinely looks like it could be one of the best MetroidVania titles to come out of Kickstarter, if the alpha footage is to be believed. He has drawn inspiration from the likes of Mega Man and Gradius, yet it is the compelling, rich story pushing the character into the quest that could be the game’s best-selling feature.
Rewards?
To receive the game itself, backers can pledge the reasonable sum of $10. The $25 Art Pack tier offers early beta access and a digital art packet. Add an extra $5 to soothe your ears with the official soundtrack.
As is the fashion, the top tiers are only available to a small number of donors. The $400 level is limited to 10 players, and comes with a spaceship full of toys and trinkets, as well as an in-game customisable item. Blast that pledge up to $500 or more, limited to five lucky adventurers, and you will receive a large-scale model of the ore miner’s spaceship. The highest level of $1,000 or more is available to only three backers, and will see them contribute ideas to level design, as well as being featured as an in-game character.
Project: Twin Souls
Genre: Third-Person Stealth Ninja
Platforms: PC (Win, Mac, Linux), PS4, Wii U, Xbox One
Funding Target: $70,000
In A Nutshell…
A mysterious girl named Yamiko summons forth a spirit, Aragami, binding their souls and fates together. Aragami must use his shadow powers to defeat the men that hold Yamiko prisoner in order to free her. The development team at Lince Works wish to purify the stealth genre, diluted by such franchises as Splinter Cell or Metal Gear Solid.
Why Flash Your Cash?
The game is gorgeous! The stylish, cel-shaded graphics are reminiscent of Ubisoft’s Red Steel 2 or Gearbox’s Borderlands. The obvious difference here is the third-person perspective, with the robes of the main character, Aragami, fluttering behind him like he is in a John Woo movie. Combine that with some of the special powers of Dishonored, and you cannot help feeling excited for Lince Works’ project. The company has described the game as “the lost child between Tenchu and Portal.
Rewards?
In order to secure a copy of the game, donors will have to cough up $20, since all 200 of the Early Bird copies are gone. As a backer you will receive a credit and an exclusive character skin. Add an extra $10 and you will have access to the private beta test to help the game be the best it can be. Add another $10 to that, and for the grand total of $40 players can enjoy the digital artbook by artist Laura G. Sagol while listening to the soundtrack by TwoFeathers Studio.
The penultimate tier of Legend can be yours for pledges of $500 or more. It is limited to five stealthy souls, and will see the game’s developers create a statue of your likeness within the game itself. You even get to write the history of your stone counterpart. The highest tier of $750, aptly named Immortal, is limited to three donors, and two of those have already been taken. This will gift you not only with a custom character in the game, but also a 3D-printed figurine of that character to keep forever.
Project: Glitch
Genre: 8-bit Existential RPG
Platforms: PC (Win, Mac, Linux), 3DS, Wii U, PS Vita
Funding Target: $10,000 CAD
In A Nutshell…
Glitch is an RPG that seeks to challenge the genre’s conventions. This is achieved through a number of devices, such as the main character, Gus, being aware of the player, breaking the fourth wall by talking directly to you. When the game becomes infected with the titular glitch, then players must work with Gus to explore his world and try to rectify the issue.
Why Flash Your Cash?
Glitch comes across as a quirky take on the RPG genre, with grid-based combat and a whole host of characters who join Gus on his merry adventure. The feature that makes it stand out from the crowdfunding masses is the player-character relationship. Gus asks the player questions, and the player’s answer will define how he reacts in the game. He is, in essence, learning about the player as much as the player is learning about him.
Rewards?
For a mere $10, the first 100 early backers among you will not only receive the game, but also the digital soundtrack and e-book. Those who miss out can still get a copy of the game for $10, but in order to get the complete package, a $15 pledge is required. Add $5 on top of this if your egomania requires that your name appear in the credits. For $50, donors will have access to the beta version, limited to 300 eager players.
At the higher end of the spectrum, pledges of $500 will see you named as a Producer on the project, including an invite to the launch party in Chicago (as usual, you have to get there on your own dime). This is limited to 10 potential producers, while the highest donation level of $1,000 is limited to just five. This elevates your credit to Executive Producer, and offers the same invitations, with the added bonus of playing the alpha version, offering insight and constructive feedback from the initial stages of the game development until it launches.
Until Next Time…
As I return to my well-grooved bum position on my teal sofa to recommence the watching of the World Cup, I hope you have found a project that sings to your soul, lights up your eyes, and makes you want to play it. If you feel it strongly enough, I have faith that you will help these developers out with whatever cash you can spare.
