Operation Backlog Completion 2026

The Dekker Records: Noir Mystery + Fantasy RPG

 Video games  5 Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Jan 172015
 

I’m no stranger to Kickstarter-backed games. Whether it’s successful projects like A Hat in Time, Cosmic Star Heroine, and Soul Saga, or failed endeavors I still have my eye on like H. P. Lovecraft’s The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, quite a few have caught my attention enough for me to support theme.

And now I’ve found another one–The Dekker Records: Thunder Stone Blues.

The Dekker Records, by All-Father Studios, is an unusual mash-up. While on one hand, it’s a traditional role-playing game in the style of classic JRPGs (though one that pokes fun at the genre, similar to Zeboyd Games’s parodies), it’s also a noir mystery.

In the world of The Dekker Records, adventurers and heroes form traditional JRPG parties and go on quests. Thunder Stones, as well as classic healing magic, are used to resurrect fallen adventurers–until now. The Thunder Stones have stopped working, and even healing can’t be relied upon.

You play Dekker, a private investigator called onto the scene to find out what’s wrong with the Thunder Stones.

Gameplay merges the two genres just like the story does. You’ll explore the world, talk to NPCs, and fight turn-based battles, but you’ll also search for clues to solve the mystery. Dekker can expend “Inspection Points” to check out areas of interest, find evidence, and learn more about what happened. Her Inspection Points are replenished through use of Satisfaction moves in battle.

Satisfaction can be used once a character takes enough damage, along the lines of Final Fantasy’s Limit Breaks. Each character has his or her own Satisfaction attacks.

Now, descriptions and even gameplay videos can only show you so much, which is why I’m delighted All-Father Studios went a step further and provided a demo for The Dekker Records. The demo will give you well over an hour’s worth of gameplay to see if this mystery noir RPG is something you’d be interested in. It sure convinced me!
The Dekker Records has until February 19 to meets its $11,000 funding goal, much of which will go toward art and music assets. Check out the Kickstarter and share your thoughts in the comments below!

Support H. P. Lovecraft’s The Case of Charles Dexter Ward!

 Video games  No Responses »  Tagged with: ,
Oct 202014
 

From video games like Scratches to my own writing, I am a huge fan of H. P. Lovecraft. His writing, together with Silent Hill, are the two things that got me into horror. When it comes to Lovecraft’s stories, their age sometimes shows (and sometimes his own views show more than anyone would like), but other times they are unrivaled at creepiness and cosmic horror.

Today I’m going to talk about H. P. Lovecraft’s The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. Not the story itself, although it’s one of my favorites. I mean the video game.

From Senscape, the maker of Scratches, Asylum, and Serena comes the first-ever official video game adaptation of one of Lovecraft’s stories. That’s right, it’s not just a game with Lovecraftian themes or elements of the Cthulhu mythos, it’s an actual adaptation of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.

Can we just take a moment to reflect on how awesome that is? The developers of great horror adventure games are turning an excellent horror story into an adventure game! They’re also some of the biggest Lovecraft fans around, and I have confidence in them to get it done right. When I first heard about this game, I was ecstatic. I can’t wait until I get a chance to play this game.

But I may never get that chance if its Kickstarter doesn’t succeed. With only 12 days left in the campaign, it hasn’t even hit the halfway point yet. Far from the dream of a series of Lovecraft adventure games if it exceeds its goal, we might be forced to settle for a more limited project (like one without the Lovecraft documentary) or even have to wait until the future, when Senscape is more established.

If you’re a fan of adventure games and The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, check out the campaign and see how fantastic this could be. If you’ve never read the original story, Lovecraft’s works are pretty easy to find. For that matter, you can even find them for free.

Now, join me and support H. P. Lovecraft’s The Case of Charles Dexter Ward! Let’s make this game a reality.

The Great Gaias, Source, and The Eldritch Cases: Dagon – These Kickstarters Could Use Your Help

 Video games  2 Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
May 072014
 

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I support Kickstarter projects–mainly video game projects. I’ve gushed at length about A Hat in Time, and I’ve referenced Asylum when discussing other games, such as Scratches. Well, I’ve backed three more games over the past few days, and since none of the three have met their goal yet–and time is running out–I thought I’d talk about them a little bit.

The Great Gaias

First up is The Great Gaias, a roleplaying game inspired by old classics like Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, and Xenogears. With 60+ hours of gameplay, lots of sidequests, and a strong story, it sounds like it’ll be a great game for fans looking for a return to the old JRPG style.

The Great Gaias will have a turn-based combat system with tactical elements. Boss battles are promised to be dynamic and unique. And if you miss Final Fantasy’s Limit Break system, you’ll enjoy the powerful Deathblows, each of which works uniquely depending on the character. The thirteen playable characters all have their own personal stories, skills, and abilities, and with thirteen classes (clerics, dragoons, rogues, etc.–you know what we’re talking about), there should be a wide variety of parties to try.

I really love turn-based RPGs, and something about this one just caught my attention. Maybe it’s the inspirations it cites or the level of detail given to its description. Whatever it is, I backed it, and I really hope to see it succeed. The problem is (at the time of my writing this) it has only 26 hours left and just over $1500 to go to make its goal.

So if you love those old JRPGs, take a look at The Great Gaias.

Source

I learned about Source when it was confirmed as one of the indie games coming to the PlayStation 4. Now, I don’t have a PS4 (yet), but it’s also coming to the PC (and the Xbox One, but I don’t have one of those, either). As soon as I watched the video for Source, I knew I had to back it.

It’s an exploration-based, metroidvania-style action adventure game, and while that isn’t one of my insta-interested genres, Source looks awesome.

Beauty, mystery, a sense of what-exactly-am-I-looking-at… and that last reaction is entirely intentional, as part of Source’s goal is to create a surreal world that you won’t understand until you explore and experiment. Puzzles, combat, and metamorphosis through death… Source just isn’t quite like anything else.

As I write this, its Kickstarter campaign has 3 days left to go, and it still needs to earn about $33,500. That’s no small amount to get in just a handful of days, so check if its unique sense of wonder captures your attention like it did mine, consider backing it.

The Eldritch Cases: Dagon

The Eldritch Cases: Dagon is described as “a Lovecraft horror adventure.” Do I really need to explain why as a fan of H.P. Lovecraft and adventure games, I jumped on this one as soon as I heard about it?

The game takes place in Innsmouth, where the Esoteric Order of Dagon is secretly in control, along with Dr. Herbert West, the warden of the local asylum. (Yes, this game is a Lovecraft-fest.) Now we’ve got Insmouth, Herbert West, and asylums to add to my excitement. There are two playable characters: Detective Thomas Malone and nurse Rose Babcock. It has classic point-and-click adventure gameplay and promises you might meet “a very old one.”

If there was any doubt left in my mind by the time I got that far down the page, it vanished entirely when I read the game’s atmospheric inspirations, which include Scratches, Dark Corners of the Earth (I’ll play it if I ever get my copy to work), and Silent Hill.

Best of all, Dagon is planned to be the first game in the Eldritch Cases series. A series of Lovecraftian adventure games. This needs to become a reality!

Right now, The Eldritch Cases: Dagon has 8 days left to earn its remaining £10,000. My fellow horror fans, I’m calling on you to help support this game!

So there you have it: The Great Gaias, Source, and The Eldritch Cases: Dagon. Three very different games, all of which appeal to something in me, and I hope to something in you as well. You can learn more about them at their Kickstarter pages, or press me for further comments. I may not be an expert, but I’d be happy to explain in more detail why I hope these games succeed.

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