crowd-funding Archives - Page 18 of 21

Hatoful Boyfriend Plush Project

Video games 2 Responses » Tagged with: crowd-funding, hatoful boyfriend

Nov 042015

While I pace back and forth waiting for Holiday Star to arrive on Steam (which should happen sometime this fall), there’s a new Hatoful Boyfriend project to check out: the Hatoful Boyfriend Official Plush Project.

The creator of Hatoful Boyfriend has partnered with ESC-TOY LTD. to make plushies of Shuu, Ryouta, and Okosan, as well as limited quantity Souma Isa and Maid Ryouta plushies. (There’s also a limited number of large Shuu plushies.)

It started yesterday and met its funding goal almost immediately (Souma and Maid Ryouta are already sold out, I’m afraid). You better believe I backed the moment I saw I could get a Shuu plushie. He’s one of my favorite mad scientists, after all. The Kickstarter then hit its first stretch goal, which means they’ll also make a Nageki plushie as an add-on.

At the time I’m writing this, it’s already crossed its second stretch goal.
I’m not much of a toy collector, but I love this. I only hope they don’t underestimate the demand for Hatoful Boyfriend plushies.

If you’re wondering why in the world I’m so excited about these birds, check out my Hatoful Boyfriend review. Tiers $20 and up include a Hatoful Boyfriend Steam code, too.

And if you’re already a fan, let me know in the comments which character you most want to see a plushie of. *crosses fingers for the crimson angel of Judecca*

Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan is an African Fantasy RPG

Video games No Responses » Tagged with: aurion, crowd-funding, rpg

Oct 072015

In a market where video game homogenization is a common fear, it’s always nice to see a game try something new. Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan is one of those games.

To most people, RPGs come from either Japan or the West (a nebulous collection of regions that in practice means “not Japan.”)

Aurion, however, is being developed by an African indie team, Kiro’o Games. It draws upon African legends and lore to create a new RPG setting not often seen.

You play Enzo, the King of Zama whose throne was taken by his brother-in-law. Alongside his new wife, Erine, Enzo must fight to reclaim his kingdom. To do so he’ll summon ancestral energy called the Aurion, and fight enemies in a battle system similar to the Tales series.

The older, 2D Tales games, to be precise.

It addition to 2D combo-based battles, the game features special Aurionic abilities, NPCs and side quests, and my favorite: A WORLD MAP.

Yes, I was already interested, but when I saw the latest update describe a world map like those found in classic Final Fantasy or Chrono Trigger, I could barely contain my glee. I like world maps, I miss them, and I want more RPGs to return to them.

Then I went to the website and downloaded the demo. Check out the first part of my Aurion demo playthrough.

I unintentionally damaged my enjoyment of the demo because I used a mouse and keyboard instead of a controller. Combat would have been much better if I had a controller.

While the dialogue had some grammar issues that should be fixed in the final, polished version and it occasionally felt like Enzo moved slower than he should in an action RPG, I enjoyed the demo overall. NPC interactions are entertaining, the main characters are interesting, and I’m curious about where the plot will go.

Story and characters are my priorities when it comes to an RPG, but I also found the combat enjoyable.

Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan has crossed the halfway point of its €40,000 funding goal, but it only has 12 days to make the rest. Head over to Kickstarter and help this unique action RPG become a reality!

(And yes, I’ll admit the first reason it caught my attention is because “Aurion” is my favorite Tales of Symphonia character’s last name.)

Igarashi’s Castlevania Spiritual Successor Now on Kickstarter

Video games No Responses » Tagged with: bloodstained, crowd-funding

May 112015

Castlevania: Symphonia of the Night producer Koji Igarashi caused a stir among fans last week when he created the “Sword or Whip?” website that seemed to hint at a Castlevania-like game. Today, he unveiled his new project, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is being developed with Inti Creates, and Michiru Yamane will provide the music. It also coins the term Igavania, “a gothic, exploration-focused action platformer.” I’m not sure if this will catch on as a subgenre name the way Metroidvania has, but it does make for a much easier hashtag than the game’s full title.

The main appeal is the gameplay, which focuses on exploration, crafting, and RPG elements. It’s a 2.5D Gothic-style game clearly inspired by Castlevania, although it uses its own lore rather than classic figures such as Dracula. In Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, you play a girl named Miriam who is suffering from a curse that slowly crystallizes her skin. She has been summoned to the hellish castle by Gebel, who survived the curse but has gone insane due to its effects.

I really love the character designs shown so far.

Miriam, the protagonist

Gebel, the antagonist.

Johannes, a support character.
Also the only Alchemist who thought summoning demons was a bad idea.

Although it hasn’t seen the insane success of Yooka-Laylee (the Banjo-Kazooie spiritual successor that destroyed its funding goal almost immediately), Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is already well on its way to being funded. (Update: within two hours since I wrote this, it met its goal.) You should still check out the Kickstarter, though, if not for the backer rewards then to learn about the special backer achievements. New things will be added to the game or as backer rewards when people follow the game on Twitter, create fan art, etc.

The Kickstarter video is also pretty cool.

It’s planned for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, in both digital and retail formats. This is great news for all Castlevania fans, and even those of us who have gotten into the series slowly (I’ve played… one). Spread the word, and then let me know in the comments what your favorite Castlevania game is!

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