Crowdfunding is stabilizing its reputation as a great way for indie developers to reach out to the community and find support, but success is in no way guaranteed. But developers are putting a lot of effort into their campaigns, and, once again, reporting on the progress of the projects highlighted previously is a happy affair.
Of the eight games highlighted in the May edition, six have successfully reached their targets, while SKYJACKER had its campaign relaunched and has until July 23rd to reach its target. Legend of the Time Star did not reach its target though.
"Goooo SKYJACKER!"
Hopefully the success can be kept up, and developers are keen to bring their ideas to fruition, so all that's needed is for us to keep the support coming. Which is why it's important to remember that Kickstarter isn't the only site where developers can try to gather support, and why we're highlighting a game on Indiegogo in this edition.
If you're unfamiliar with the process of these crowdfunding sites you can read on, but otherwise you can safely skip to the games.
”Is my support needed?”
You might be cautious about supporting projects, and that's not without reason. You have no guarantees that your investment is going to result in a game you will enjoy, after all. But in reality, it's not much different from buying a game as you normally would. There are no guarantees there either, and many of the projects allow you to receive a copy of the game as a reward if your pledge is large enough.
But how do you know there will be a finished product? Again, there's no guarantee that a project you pledge money to will succeed, but most developers will know what kind of funds they need to finish their game or will be able to snag additional funding from other sources. There's a target sum of money they want the community to meet, but if the target isn't met, no supporter will be charged anything. In other words, your money isn't going anywhere if the developer can't actually secure enough funds to finish their project.
But what about when that target has been met? Is there any point in funding projects beyond their target? Absolutely! The target that is set for the project is a minimum target; the amount that needs to be reached in order for the developer to keep the promises that have been made with that target in mind. But every project that has managed to go over has provided additional value to the community, by making the game bigger or developing it for more platforms, for example. So your money isn't wasted just because the target has already been met.
Meet the projects
And here come the games, starting with a game listed on Indiegogo:
Coma: A Mind Adventure (Windows, Mac)
Pledge required to receive the game: $10
Funding ends: July 16th
Coma: A mind adventure revolves around a man who is in a deep coma, and the game takes place inside his head. It's a puzzle game played from the first person perspective, where you control the weather in the environments.
The game is designed with a mature story at its heart - you explore the mind of the protagonist, but with the occasional outside influence as well, where hearing a doctor or a family member visiting you can alter the environment.
Paper Sorcerer (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)
Pledge required to receive the game: $3
Funding ends: July 9th
Paper Sorcerer is a turn-based RPG where you play an evil sorcerer who previously tried to conquer the kingdom, but who was locked inside a book by four heroes in the process. Now you're trying to escape your paper prison, which will test your strategic mettle rather than your ability to grind, not to mention your ability to solve puzzles.
The puzzles are inspired by old-school adventure games and their environmental interactions, but rather than trying to find that one key which can open a chest, there will be several ways to solve the puzzle, each with different consequences.
Z. (Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Facebook, physical)
Pledge required to receive the game: $15
Funding ends: July 15th
Z. is a card game inspired by Magic: The Gathering, but with a zombie flavoring. It comes in both digital and physical form, and the digital versions feature cross-platform play between all of the different platforms. There's a single player campaign with live action cut-scenes, and a few multiplayer options on offer. You can play cooperatively with a friend, but you can also play asynchronously against eachother, where each player take their turn when they have the time.
Z. aims to be more accessible than Magic: The Gathering, for example by having more relatable cards (a ”Twisted Ankle” card will be easy to relate to, for example). The game also include a few surprises for Kickstarter pledgers, such as a playable Tim Schafer and Ron Gilbert.
Is that it?
As always, there are a few extra games you can visit below, and there's a whole range of games outside of these that are deserving of your attention. It's just a matter of digging for them in the right places.
