Back to Back: indie RPGs to fund
Welcome back to Back to Back, would-be backers!
Looking back at the campaigns that ended since our last Back to Back, only You Are a Dark God: Desolation Road was adequately backed, while Fantasy Dimension, Mooncrest, The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Groves, Wind and Tide, and World Cubed were sent back to the drawing board.
But hark–what now hacks its way through the undergrowth in search of visibility and the life-giving, monetary essence of crowdfunding?
Battle Chasers: Nightwar – a polished-looking 3D jRPG with traditional jRPG battles and real-time isometric dungeon exploration. Being developed by some AAA expats who worked on Darksiders and Darksiders II. It’s raised about $161,500 so far out of its $500,000 goal, with 31 days still left. I’d be shocked if this one didn’t hit and exceed its goal.
CivCraft: Legends of Ellaria – this 3D hybrid RTS / first-person action RPG has now accrued $27,000, more than doubling its $12,500 funding goal, with another 4 days remaining.
Crossfate – an anime-style, sci-fi RPG with visual novel cut scenes, giant robots, and real-time 3D mecha combat. ‘Nuff said. Cross Fate has raised $2,600 out of its $90,000 funding goal, with 21 days left on the clock.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 – a sequel to Larian’s wildly successful Divinity: Original Sin (if you don’t know what that is already, it may be that you’ve been living under a rock). This one’s raised over $1.3 million already with 21 days left in the campaign.
Exoplanet: First Contact – a 3D, over-the-shoulder, sci-fi action RPG set on (you guessed it) an alien planet. This one has kind of a “wild west” vibe to it. Exoplanet is 123% funded, with 3 more days to gather more.
A House of Many Doors – a 2D exploration-heavy RPG inspired by Sunless Sea, A House of Many Doors takes place in a vast “parasite dimension” with elements of endless worlds wrapped up into itself. All in all, I think this looks agreeably weird and surreal. There’s a pre-alpha demo here. A House of Many Doors has already exceeded its minimal $6,158 funding goal by about $4,000, with 23 days remaining for it to accrue more.
Omnis – The Erias Line – a sci-fi jRPG being built in Unity that trades in the clarity of good-versus-evil for moral ambiguity and “the darker, grittier themes and settings of western fantasy, sci-fi and new-weird fiction,” with lots of little decisions over the course of the game that influence how character relationships develop. There’s a free 3-hour demo available for you to try out here. Omnis has 14 days left, and the vast majority of its $28,997 goal left to raise.
Overfall – a strategy RPG / roguelike-like hybrid, with hero permadeath, procedural world generation, and a cutesy graphic style that reminds me more than a little of Hero Academy. Combat is hex-based, encounters are branching, and exploration takes place upon the high seas. Overfall has raised over $37,000 of its $65,000 goal, with 10 days left to make up the difference.
Pauldron: Shield of the King – this RPG with multiple timelines, procedurally generated quests and row-and-column combat in the Suikoden style is now in its final hours, and getting close to 200% funded.
Trial By Viking – a 3D side-scrolling Metroidvania featuring vikings. This one has about $4,650 raised, a $7,000 funding goal, and 9 days left to go.
Note: while I know about “The Dwarves,” it uses a licensed IP, and therefore does not meet the definition of “indie” that I use for this site. More info: http://sinisterdesign.net/what-makes-a-game-indie-a-universal-definition/
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