That’s right, folks. Kickstart This! is back with a vengeance after some time away while I completed my own Kickstarter project for The Water Rat, which is hopefully coming soon to a film festival near you. Running a campaign and delivering something to a number of backers is a rich and rewarding experience, and I cannot recommend it enough.
It also takes a massive amount of work, dedication, and the kindness of strangers. Around half of our backers are people I have never met, and that in itself is quite humbling. So why not make a game developer’s day and contribute to their campaign?
This edition of Kickstart This! sees us farming in space with Elysian Fields, smacking shuttlecocks in Badminton Warrior, and slicing the undead in Zombie Golf.
Project: Elysian Fields
Developer: NovaDawn Studios
Genre: Galactic Farm Sim
Platform: PC
Funding Target: £4,000
What Is It?
Stardew Valley meets the spherical words of Super Mario Galaxy in this galactic farming sim with a cutesy art style. The planets are known as plorbs (planet orbs), which were formed after all the bigger planets were destroyed. Here on your own personal plorb, you build and grow your farm, and care for your Earthly and alien animals. You can also shoot for the stars and trade your crops, land on new plorbs, and fend off attacks from pirates or rogue drones.
There is also an RPG element to Elysian Fields, where you can complete quests and build friendships in order to unlock new features of the game. And if you fly around in space long enough you might discover treasure plorbs that glow with mysterious symbols.
Why Fund It?
Farming in space didn’t sell it? Well, NovaDawn Studios is a small, two-person outfit, so they could really use your support to push an already polished project to completion. It takes elements from a number of different games and combines them to make something that feels fresh and brand new. The cartoon art style fits perfectly with the game, while the soundtrack mixes old-timey tunes with an epic electronic space score.
Best Rewards?
- £10 – “Take off to Elysian Fields when it’s released and get a full digital copy of the game on PC (or platform of your choice if others become available).”
- £15 – “Chill out to the music of Elysian Fields with a digital copy of the Original Sound Track.”
- £25 – “We’ll send you a postcard and set of 4 Elysian Field’s stickers.”
- £35 – “We’ll send you a postcard, a set of 4 Elysian Field’s stickers and a Kickstarter exclusive pin.”
- £50 – “Wear your support with an Elysian Fields T-Shirt!”
- £90 – “Receive 2 copies of Elysian Fields, 2 copies of the digital OST, and 2 of all the physical rewards.”
Trailer
Project: Badminton Warrior
Developer: Ralph Wong
Genre: 2D Platform / Shooter
Platform: PC (Mac, Windows)
Funding Target: $1,000
What Is It?
I used to play badminton when I was younger. There was even rumours of me playing for the Scottish National Team (these rumours are totally false and made up by me). Which brings us to Badminton Warrior, a 2D action adventure platformer, which found inspiration from Mega Man via the wacky flair of Viewtiful Joe. It gives the well-worn genre a nice spin, with the fabled warrior armed only with his trusty badminton racquet rather than a sword or an arm cannon. Players can use this unique weapon to deflect, smash, and ricochet enemy projectiles back upon themselves or others.
The story likes to have some fun, subverting the tropes of classic storytelling. Our hero Ralph is on a mission to rescue his friend Mindy, who has been kidnapped by a mysterious hooded figure. Before Ralph sets out on an epic quest to rescue his doubles partner, a wise old monk bestows Ralph with an enchanted racquet that his ancestors used to vanquish their ancient enemies.
Why Fund It?
Developer Ralph Wong has put his money firmly where his shuttlecock is and released a free demo for you to try before committing to the Kickstarter campaign. From what I have played, the animation is crisp and smooth with responsive controls that allow you to place the batted projectiles. With 16 levels to play through (plus some bonus ones), Badminton Warrior promises lots of fun racquet combat.
Best Rewards?
- $10 – “A digital copy for mac or pc”
- $50 – “For those who donate $50.00 or more, I will put your name in the end credits. I know other games give backers that for just the cost of the game. However, they make the credits really small. I’d rather have bigger credits with less people.”
- $200 – “For those who want a replica of the enchanted racquet Ral uses in the game, I will make you one with a badminton racquet, spray paint and red strings. Note: racquet will not actually be able to deflect every projectile in the world, only shuttlecocks.”
Trailer
Project: Zombie Golf
Developer: Icebreaker Games
Genre: 3D Crazy Golf
Platform: PC
Funding Target: $20,000
What Is It?
Just when you thought you were done with zombies, Joshua Blair of Icebreaker Games mashes together zombies and crazy golf. Swing your way through the apocalyptic, ruined cityscapes, earning points as you smack balls at the walking dead.
There are four huge levels to use as an undead driving range, each with different levels of difficulty. Future developments will see different types of golf ball that have different effects on their zombie targets. You’ll also be able to link points with multiplier and combo bonuses.
Why Fund It?
The current early iteration of the game perhaps takes itself a little too seriously, but the potential is there to make a fun physics-based golf experience. It needs a lot more zombies for starters. Imagine Days Gone, but instead of riding away from the hordes, you’re whacking golf balls at them. I could do that for days. The environments could do with some fun and/or crazy additions, but the idea is sound, and Joshua has listed a number of improvements that the crowdfunding money will bring. He’s also listed a mobile version, but damn do I want this on Nintendo Switch.
The best part is the campaign ends the day before Halloween. Well played.
Best Rewards?
- $10 – “Get a free copy of the game through Steam”
- $25 – “Get a free bundle of three Icebreaker games to include one copy of Zombie Golf.”
- $1,000 – “Get a zombie made in your likeness and named after you, placed throughout the game.”
- $5,000 – “Get a playable character made in your likeness and named after you.”
Trailer
Until Next Time…
There you have it, three pretty awesome games. Hopefully one tickles your feathered shuttlecock.
Right, enough of the badminton innuendos. If anyone needs me, I’ll be on Twitter finding out what the latest Brexit mess is while begging Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios to reach a deal and bring Tom Holland’s Spider-Man back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
