The Video Game Kickstarter Report – Week of November 30

Songmasters, the Music Wars – $20k. 2 days left.
Shadowgate – $137k. Finished.
FORCED – $59k. 1 day left.
Sir, You Are Being Hunted – £85k. 2 days left.
Spud’s Quest – £6k. Finished.
Sportsfriends – $60k ($150k goal). 10 days left.
Pier Solar – $159k. 4 days left.
Rainfall: The Soujourn – $15k. 5days left.
Elite – £626k (£1.25 million goal). 35 days left.
Kaiju Combat – $29k ($100k goal). 21 days left.
Fist of Awesome – £5k. 11 days left.
Retro Game Crunch – $27k ($60k goal). 12 days left.
Project Godus – £180k (£450k goal). 21 days left.
Dizzy Returns – £20k (£350k goal). 20 days left.
LA Game Space – $168k ($250k goal). 7 days left.

We have quite the eclectic group of new kickstarters this week. First, we have an indie RPG sequel in the form of Barkley 2. Barkley, Shut Up and Jam Gaiden was a free RPGMaker game that perhaps holds the record for the most ridiculous RPG of all time. In the sequel, it looks like they’re going more for Dual Stick Shooter/RPG gameplay than the turn-based JRPG gameplay of the first game. Looks very Shadowrun inspired. Barkley 2 reached its goal of $35k in the first day or two and is currently sitting at $48k funding with 28 days left to go.

Next, we have Aero 3D Bird Flight Game. This is an iPad game where you control an albatross while you learn about the principles behind flight. It has a nice cell-shaded look to it but probably the most notable thing about this kickstarter is that they are working with Bill Nye (of Bill Nye the Science Guy) fame. It only has $8k funding so far with a $100k goal so it seems unlikely to succeed but we have seen surprise comebacks before in the kickstarter scene so who knows? It has 27 days left to go.

Next up is Forsaken Fortress, a post-apocalyptic zombie Shooter/RPG. Build and defend a base from zombies and explore the surrounding area. It looks like it could turn into a very fun game from the gameplay footage they’re showing but it only has $18k raised of their $100k goal. I think it’s very interesting that in contrast, Dead State, a game with a similar premise (albeit with slower paced gameplay) managed to raise $332k for their project – it just goes to show how important it is to build a community of fans before starting your kickstarter.

Thorvalla is a new RPG from the producer of Planescape: Torment with a Norse + Dragon setting. Although they give some details about the setting & their plans for the game, there isn’t much in the way of actual game assets being shown. It’s obvious that they’re banking on the reputation of the people involved but with only $43k raised with a goal of $1 million, this one seems very unlikely to be funded.

Here’s a kickstarter that has caused some ire among some people – Pathfinder Online. Earlier this year, they did a kickstarter for a tech demo for the MMORPG and now they’re doing a kickstarter for the actual game. Needless to say, their double dipping for the same game combined with the fact that they’re receiving funding elsewhere has some people up in arms believing that it’s a misuse of the crowdfunding system. They’re only up to $158k raised of their $1,000,000 goal but they have 45 days left and Pathfinder is one of the most popular tabletop RPGs out there so this one could go either way.

Let’s finish off with a fun little indie project. Tiny Barbarian DX is an Action/Adventure game with a cute pixel aesthetic, fast paced gameplay, and a sense of humor. It’s running on a modified form of the engine used for Astroman (a decent Action/Adventure XBLIG) but looks like a much better game. It’s up to $7k of their $12k goal with 18 days left to go.