Our regularly revised feature keeps you up to date on the Kickstarter games worth watching, and helps you track projects both before and after they’re funded.
Welcome to the Kickstarter Compendium, a gathering of games and game-related projects that we’ve come across that deserve your attention. The crowd-funding model for video games has resulted in some interesting new game ideas, and new projects are going up on a weekly basis that deserve your attention.
The only problem is keeping track of it all – what’s worth watching, and what are these different projects about? As an ongoing feature, our Kickstarter Compendium is your guide to games seeking funding through Kickstarter. After funding projects are complete, this feature will also track what games (and game-related projects) got funded and what games didn’t, and where possible, offer links to the projects as they are developed.
Games Seeking Funding
Afterland
Developer: Imaginary Games
Fundraising Goal: $32,000
Funds Due By: June 27,2013
Afterland is sure to be popular with casual gamers who are looking for something outside of the mainstream. While it is a social turn-based game, Afterland is unique in that it has card based gameplay with a macabre art-style. Fans of Alice: Madness Returns should definitely take a look. Afterland is planned for release for iOS devices late this summer and for Android this fall.
Armikrog
Developer: Pencil Test Studios, Inc.
Fundraising Goal: $900,000
Funds Due By: June 27,2013
From the creator of Earthworm Jim comes Armikrog, an adventure game that uses Claymation. Armikrog will feature the voice talents of Michael J. Nelson, John Heder, Veronica Belmont, Rob Paulsen, and Scott Kurtz. The hero, Tommynaut, and his blind dog Beak-Beak land on an odd planet and get locked in a fortress named Armikrog. Help the duo escape using point and click gameplay to solve puzzles in this PC, Mac and Linux adventure.
Dungeon of Elements (DoE)
Developer: Frogdice
Fundraising Goal: $20,000
Funds Due By: June 19, 2013
DoE combines RPG elements with classic puzzle gaming in such a way that it’s the perfect gateway to draw casual gamers into a more intense gameplay experience. Basically, imagine Dr. Mario if it were also a dungeon crawler and you have a good idea what to expect out of DoE.
Hex MMO Trading Card Game
Developer: Cryptozoic Entertainment
Fundraising Goal: $300,000
Funds Due By: June 7, 2013
Hex will combine the open world feel and story of a MMORPG with the strategy and collecting aspects of a trading card game. The creators at Cryptozoic Entertainment previously published the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game, and aim to make Hex a successful new installment for the PC and Mac. Players new to collectible card games should not be intimidated to give Hex a try, as Cryptozoic aims to make the game accessible by being free to download.
Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet
Developer: Alasdair Beckett-King
Fundraising Goal: £ 15,000
Funds Due By: June 29, 2013
Follow pirate Nelly in her mission to overtake Baron Widebeard and his bird minions in this point and click adventure for PC/Mac/Linux. With a hand-drawn, colorful world also comes over 45 original characters and almost as many locations to explore. Though The Fowl Fleet is a sequel, it is still accessible to new players. For those who want to know more about Nelly, the first game is free to play.
Our Darker Purpose
Developer: Avidly Wild Games
Fundraising Goal: $40,000
Funds Due By: June 27,2013
If Tim Burton and William Golding collaborated on a game project they would make Our Darker Purpose. This title offers more than just an eerie atmosphere and a Lord of the Flies-like story, though. Our Darker Purpose combines elements of RPGs and adventure titles to bring a unique experience. Play as young Cordy, as she navigates through the Edgewood Home for Lost Children as the students have taken over the school. Find the administrators at the top of the school to discover the secret behind the disappearance of all the adults.
Pixel Press: Draw Your Own Video Game
Developer: Robin @ Roundthird
Fundraising Goal: $100,000
Funds Due By: June 14, 2013
Pixel Press is exactly what its title says. Draw out your design for a level on a printable graph paper sheet, snap a picture with an iOS device, and play your level. Drawing and video games – what’s not to love?
Shadow of the Eternals
Developer: Precursor Games
Fundraising Goal: $1,350,000
Funds Due By: June 19, 2013
From the creators of Eternal Darkness comes Shadow of the Eternals. Spanning over 2,500 years of history, you must navigate through a variety of scenarios in this action adventure title. Playing as Detective Paul Becker, the first episode has you question two survivors of a gang massacre. One is a toughened biker, the other a clean-cut businessman. To uncover the truth, interrogation leads the player to see through the eyes of a handmaiden in Hungary, 1610 AD. The broad scope of Shadow of the Eternals is aided by gorgeous character design and an expansive world.
Skara: The Blade Remains
Developer: 8 Bit Studios
Fundraising Goal: £150,000
Funds Due By: June 29, 2013
Players can battle it out online in Skara using hand-to-hand combat in a fantasy world. Skara is planned for PC, next-gen devices and mobile platforms and draws influences from several different gaming genres. One of the innovative features of Skara is that it will not have a leveling system. This means that new players have a shot at competing against long-time players as the highest skill wins over the best grinder.
The St. Christopher’s School Lockdown
Developer: Laney Berry
Fundraising Goal: £9,000
Funds Due By: July 11, 2013
As an adventure game, each episode of The St. Christopher’s School Lockdown is shown from the perspective of a different student stuck in a lock-in protest in their British prep school. Rather than tedious puzzles like fetch quests and item combinations, this point and click aims to offer more entertaining play.
A Vampyre Story: Year One
Developer: Autumn Moon Entertainment
Fundraising Goal:$200,000
Funds Due By: July 1, 2013
A prequel to the PC game A Vampyre Story, Year One is being developed by a former Lucas Arts employee and looks especially promising in the animated previews. Using full 3D character models and animations, A Vampyre Story: Year One is easy on the eyes. In addition, a mobile game is also a possibility. In this graphic adventure game, you must help Mona find a way out of trouble for Froderick the bat.
[NEXT UP: Peruse the numerous games that have been successfully funded through Kickstarter, and track their progress after funding is complete]