Back to Back: indie RPGs to fund

Buckle your safety belts and unscrew the caps on your flasks, folks–Back to Back has returned and it’s running at full speed!

Since we last peeked in on the world of indie RPG crowdfunding, ChemCaper, Kim, and Project Resurgence each ended at or above their funding goals, while only Hero’s Song failed. An impressive success rate!

So, with that in mind: what’s new?

Children of Zodiarcs – this 3D sRPG with “collectible cards and craftable dice” has now surpassed $110,000 in funding from an initial $34,422 goal; 3 days remain for it to rack up yet more funding.

City of the Shroud – a 3D sRPG “where battles unfold in real-time.” That phrase is a little ambiguous, so let me explain what that actually means: this is an sRPG on a grid, but the battle is real-time. Units have a stamina meter that slowly refills over time, and when it’s full you can act with them. To attack, you input attack combinations through button inputs in fighting-game style; each attack costs stamina, so there’s a balancing act that takes place there. City of the Shroud has a free demo, so you can give it a try and see if its particular mechanics click for you. City of the Shroud has raised about $11,000 out of $45,000 thus far, with 15 days yet to go.

Consortium: The Tower – this planned second entry in the Consortium trilogy has now raised about $109,000–a respectable sum, but far short of the lofty $309,510 funding goal the developers set for themselves. There are only 3 days left for them to raise the remaining $200,000.

Dual Gear – described as a (sigh) “turn-based action game,” Dual Gear is a strategy RPG in the Valkyria Chronicles vein, where characters take turns moving (and shooting, and getting shot at) in real-time. In this one, however, you’re commanding giant mechs instead of affable quasi-WW2 soldiers. Dual Gear has a free demo that you can check out. It’s raised about $8,800 so far, with a $60,000 funding goal and roughly a month left in which to hit it.

Knights and Bikes – a co-op action RPG with a lovely, charming papercraft visual style. This has already raised close to $96,000, but has not yet hit its $142,577 goal. There are 15 more days for it to do so.

RPGolf – an open world golf RPG. My understanding is that you make shots in an attempt to sink your golf ball into the cup, then explore and fight monsters while walking to the ball in between shots. Leveling up your character will improve both your traditional RPG abilities and your golf abilities. It’s a bizarre enough idea that I’d be sad to see it not come to fruition. RPGolf has so far raised about $1,100 toward its $20,000 funding goal with a month left to go.

Shadows of Adam – this 2D jRPG with quality SNES-style pixel art has now raised about $14,700 out of a $20,000 funding goal. There are a little less than 3 days on the clock for it to make up the difference. Shadows of Adam has a free demo which you can play right here.

Zarya and the Cursed Skull – a 3D action-adventure game (or at least, that’s the vibe I’m getting from it). The puzzles, the top-down perspective, the hearts–it just screams “old-school Zelda” to me. This has raised about $250 out of $7,186, with 22 days to go.