crowd-funding Archives - Page 19 of 22

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!

Don’t Forget the Clive ‘N’ Wrench Kickstarter

Video Games 1 Response » Tagged with: 3D platformer, clive n wrench, crowd-funding

Mar 042015

If you enjoyed my post on upcoming 3D platformers, you were probably interested in my subsequent 3D platformer posts as well.

One of the games I discussed, Clive ‘N’ Wrench (called Clive and the Stones of the Ancient Bunnies at the time) didn’t have its Kickstarter going at the time I wrote about it, but it does now.

Clive and Wrench themselves have undergone a bit of a change since we last saw them, with their character models changed slightly to make them look friendlier. We’ve also learned some new details about the world structure, such as the giant celestial clock that serves as the hub world, with doors to 10 worlds in different eras.

The game has 18 more days to make its £25,000 goal, so head on over to the Kickstarter page to learn more about it and maybe even help it out.

Meanwhile, I still don’t know anything about the eventual Fiona Frightening Kickstarter, but you can now listen to the theme song. It’s pretty awesome and has a definite Nightmare Before Christmas vibe.

What do you think about these two 3D platformers?

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