Welcome back to the Kickstarter Weekly, where we search for gaming related projects on Kickstarter. There’s no theme this week; we just have two games that look incredible. The first is Rain World, a stealth platformer that’s as disturbing as it is adorable. The second is Unsung Heroes: Tale of the Guardians, a strategy RPG that tells a historical story from multiple perspectives.Whether your a fan of platformers or strategy RPGs, we’re sure you’ll be impressed by these two games.
Rain World
Project by: Rain World
Goal: $25,000
Current Funds: $23,918
End: February 13, 2014
The creators of Rain World have designed a character that should by all means look disgusting; however, it is somehow adorable. Who knew that an amalgamation of a slug and cat—a slugcat—would win the hearts of so many backers within the opening days of a Kickstarter? Then again, it’s the internet, and cat memes are everywhere. I’m sure the slugcat will be the next feline sensation.
Don’t think that the game is all hugs and kittens–Rain World is unsettling. If you scroll through the Kickstarter page, you’ll see a gif in which the adorable slugcat is attempting to evade nightmarish predators. He makes a critical error, which results in the predators biting down on the adorable creature and shaking him about, much like how a terrier would kill a rodent. All of this is expertly animated, which exacerbates the disturbing moments.
So the slugcat appears to be among the few of its remaining species, and it must hunt food while evading these nightmarish creatures. In order to avoid becoming a predator’s chew toy, slugcat must use stealth while navigating the alien terrain. In addition, slugcat can use tools such as spears to ward off enemies and hunt prey. The world is bleak, and slugcat and its pups are the only cute creatures. Because of this contrast, I desperately want to help the slugcat survive.
Rain World has been making the rounds on gaming sites, and it’s currently accumulated $23,918 or the $25,000 goal. Considering that it has a great premise, a beautiful art style, and a unique character, I’m sure Rain World will be funded soon.
Unsung Story: Tale of the Guardians
Project by: Playdek
Goal: $600,000
Current Funds: $310,199
End: February 14, 2014
Recently, a group of Bioware veterans released The Banner Saga, a strategy RPG with a beautiful art style. Now, a Square Enix veteran looks to be doing the same. Yasumi Masuno, who worked on respected Square Enix classics such as Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy XII and Vagrant Story, has teamed up with Playdek for another strategy RPG, Unsung Story: Tale of the Guardians. As a fan of Final Fantasy Tactics, I couldn’t be more stoked!
Unsung Story: Tale of the Guardians has a story that sounds similar to the one in Final Fantasy Tactics, except it’s much more expansive. The story will cover a devastating war, and it will be told through multiple perspectives. Interestingly enough, some of the characters’ stories could last as little as a year, and could last for decades. While history has since been written by the winners, this game hopes to allow players to learn about the unsung heroes, who performed the brunt of the work. This looks to be a game in which the lore is integral to the experience.
Masuno and his team at Playdek want to create a spiritual successor to the Tactics series; however, they also want to re-imagine the genre. Unfortunately, the Kickstarter doesn’t go too in-depth in how they propose to do so. That said, Playdek has provided plenty of beautiful artwork to tide backers over, and they’ve recruited talent from SCEA, Square Enix, Rockstar, and other respected companies; they certainly have the talent to create a unique strategy RPG. Unsung Heroes: Tale of the guardians is sure to be high quality, and I can’t wait to see how it re-imagines the strategy RPG.
Other Projects?
Have you seen any interesting projects on Kickstarter that you think deserve mention? Are you a developer who is currently running a Kickstarter campaign? Let us know in the comments section, or send an email to garrett@thekoalition.com.
