Back to Back: Indie RPGs to fund

After a long absence, Back to Back has returned, prompted by a resurgence of emails about new indie RPG Kickstarter projects!

Of those games we glimpsed when we last peered into the depths of the crowdfunding well, Hollow Knight, Infinite Legacy, Wayward Terran Frontier, and Yes, Your Grace each made their goals; Americana Dawn, Cube and Me, Lord of the Dark Castle, Sellswords, and Story of the Eternity One fell short.

Since then, a few new projects have cropped up:

Edge of Eternity – a 3D jRPG from “Midgar Studio” featuring an active time battle system, there isn’t much mystery as to where this title draws its influences from. Still, the devs tell me that they have “some western influences like a non-linear story and a branching scenario, open worlds and an original weapons evolution system.” Thanks to a swanky trailer and a playable pre-alpha demo (Windows / Mac / Linux), Edge of Eternity is already 150% funded with 29 days left to go.

Himeko Sutori – previously covered here, Himeko Sutori is a large scale squad-level strategy RPG that aims to feature over 100 unique playable characters. It’s currently struggling a bit on Kickstarter, with $1,078 raised out of its $15,000 goal. 11 days remain to make up the difference.

Infernax – a 2D side-scrolling action RPG with a decidedly tongue-in-cheek Castlevania sheen to it. It’s fully funded, though given that it was only seeking $10, that’s not saying much. There’s 28 days left if you feel like throwing money at it.

Tahira: Echoes of the Astral Empire – previously covered here, Tahira is an isometric turn-based tactical RPG with gorgeous, stylized, cel-shaded character animations that call to mind nothing so much as The Banner Saga. It is seeking $68,000 Aud, and with 27 days left on the clock, it’s about 25% of the way there with $16,845 raised.

Underworld Ascendant – a team of veteran RPG developers, including some of the original team that worked on Ultima: Underworld, is taking a crack at reviving that legendary game that first began the whole free-roaming, first-person, 3D action RPG thing. It has 13 days left, and has raised $488,267 out of the $600,000 it’s seeking.

WarRab: Veteran – presumably short for “war rabbit,” WarRab is a 2D jRPG / platformer featuring–you guessed it–an anthropomorphic rabbit named Flappy who also happens to be a soldier of some kind. The developer states that development is already 99% complete, and his request for a mere $200 is 90% of the way to being met with 18 days remaining. There is a free demo available here to check out if you need more convincing.

Windwalkers – a 3D action RPG with co-op multiplayer based on the 2004 French novel La Horde du Contrevent (and being developed in concert with a film adaptation). It’s not immediately clear to me what sort of actual RPG mechanics this has, but the setting certainly seems unusual, with the characters being forever traveling into incredibly strong, buffeting winds. It’s raised $64,453 Cad of its $330,000 Cad goal with 13 days left on the clock.

EDIT: Bah, I always forget one! I would be remiss not to mention Legends of Pixelia, an action roguelike-like with combat mechanics reminiscent of classic 2D brawlers. (More on the game here.) Legends of Pixelia needs another $2,300 or so to hit its funding goal; it has 29 days left to do so.