Back to Back: indie RPGs to check out

Hello, gentle readers! The time has come to once again take a look at the world of indie RPG crowdfunding.

Of the games whose campaigns have ended since we covered them last time, Bob’s Game, Chronicles of the Rift, Heart Forth Alicia, and Popup Dungeon all hit their funding goals. Courier and Forward to the Sky were not so lucky.

So what’s new on the funding horizon?

• Beloved Rapture – a 2D jRPG being created in RPG Maker. The Kickstarter page claims that this game is going to present us with a “sensually-charged” journey. I admit, I’m not 100% sure how I feel about that; but if that sounds like your sort of thing, you have 24 days left to help this one raise about $1,800.

• Celestial Tear: Demon’s Revenge – a jRPG we actually covered back in 2012, but it’s looking a lot slicker and more polished in its current incarnation. There are 6 days remaining for this one to hit its $30,000 funding goal.

• Deadrock Divide – a sandbox RPG set in outer space, with nice, stylish visuals and turn-based, squad-level tactical combat in the X-Com style. Hm. You know, now that I’ve typed those words out, I gotta say, I have absolutely no idea why this game isn’t funded yet. There are 18 days left and a little less than $40,000 to raise to make Deadrock Divide happen.

• Endless Fantasy The Goddess Story – an RPG Maker jRPG. I’m not seeing too much new here other than the weirdly personal origin story behind the game. I’m a little impressed that they had the balls to use FF8’s “Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec” in their Kickstarter trailer; hopefully they don’t get Square-Enix crawling down their throats. This one has 6 days left to raise about $11,500 Canadian.

• Omori – I posted about this horror-themed surreal jRPG in the last Back to Back. It still looks fantastic. Omori is now 500% funded; 3 days remain.

• Shiness – a jRPG with furries in the 3D Final Fantasy style. I posted about this one last time, too–it has now reached and surpassed its funding goal with 5 days left to go.

• Witchmarsh – a side-scrolling action RPG set in 1920s Massachusetts, where you create and manage a team of investigators in a story-driven supernatural mystery. I think it’s kind of funny that American RPG developers are constantly setting their RPGs in variations on medieval Europe, and now here is a British team setting theirs in gothic America. This one has surpassed its £50,000 funding goal, with 13 days left to go.

One more game: I just barely missed the boat on posting about Exile Saga, an action RPG being created in RPG Maker. The devs were mostly using the default RPG Maker graphics, which IMO really aren’t well-suited to an action RPG. This one had raised about 25% of its funding goal when it ended.