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Every week we take a brief look at all of the Kickstarter campaigns that launched in the previous week.  This isn’t to say that all of these projects are worth your hard earned cash, but with any luck having all of them in one place will make it easier to educate yourself on the projects you’d like to back, and which ones to run from.  You’ll find two types of campaigns listed, “featured” and “the rest“.  Featured campaigns are those that contain a significant amount of game information, are from known developers, or are significant in some other way.  The rest of the games are usually smaller campaigns that are lacking in information, are from unknowns, have unanswered questions, or have not yet stood out for one reason or another.

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Featured Campaigns :

thatwhichsleepslogoGame : That Which Sleeps

What it is : Marcus wrote: “Looking for a turn-based strategy game with bite? Perhaps That Which Sleeps will be up your alley. This God game takes a very different approach from most of the genre. Instead of being pervasively good, you take on the role of absolute evil. After awakening, it must reclaim its control over the world and all who inhabit it. As a recently-awoken ancient evil you can’t yet utilize all the powers that were once in your possession. Instead, Agents can be sent out to do your bidding. Of course, heroes will do their best to thwart these minions.”

Keep an eye on it in our calendar

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retropixelcastleslogoGame : Retro-Pixel Castles

What it is : Marcus wrote: “Retro-Pixel Castles is a new RTS sort of game that grants you a top down view of the world. However, the degree of control it grants is a bit different.  In this game, you can completely mold the world as you see fit but villagers live by their own rules. The player is able to influence them to do work, but how they choose to solve the problem and assign tasks is up to them. Of course, there’s more that makes Retro-Pixel Castles unique as well. Unlike games where you can eventually become uber-powerful, this one has an end. Each day challenges get tougher and monsters grow stronger. The end goal is not to win but to test how long you can keep your village afloat.?

Keep an eye on it in our calendar

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secretcovelogoGame : The Secret Cove

What it is : Marcus wrote: “There are approximately one bazillion point and click adventure games out there today – so what makes The Secret Cove different? Developer Cheeky Sprite Studios have stated that puzzles in game will not resort to inane wackiness. Instead, puzzles will be “realistic” enough so that they actually make sense. Of course, they’ve also chosen to locate their game in the real world setting of Cornwall. You’ll be able to digitally visit famous areas such as St. Ives Wharf and the Lost Gardens of Heligan. You can get a sample for the visuals of these 100+ locations in the campaign video or associated screenshots.”

Keep an eye on it in our calendar

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battlechefbrigadelogoGame : Battle Chef Brigade

What it is : Marcus wrote: “Cooking is a pretty magical affair for those who can barely even make toast. But what if cooking really did utilize magical abilities? It would be downright awesome, and that’s the kind of world that Battle Chef Brigade inhabits. In Trinket Studios’ proposed game, you’ll compete in a tournament to create the tastiest of dishes for judges. However, chefs must explore and hunt for ingredients before transmuting them via magic.”

Keep an eye on it in our calendar

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mutinylogoGame : Mutiny!

What it is : Marcus wroteMutiny! is a 3D game with top down perspective and a heavy focus on multiplayer, although you can play in single player. Players engage in the chaotic brawl against friends and foes with pirate weaponry (cannons, swords, etc) and apparently even boars and sharks! The cartoony art style is very bright and helps make all this violence look outright silly. Aside from battling players must also keep their ships in tip-top shape so they don’t sink.”

Keep an eye on it in our calendar

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nopineappleleftbehindlogoGame : No Pineapple Left Behind

What it is : Marcus wrote: “In No Pineapple Left Behind, you’re in charge of a school where all the students have been turned into pineapples. These pineapples simply attend class, do all work, and never complain. Although they only receive middling grades they’re much easier to deal with than actual children. Sometimes the tropical fruits will turn back into humans. At that point you can attempt to form them into grade A students – because they’re capable of it – or force them to become pineapples again. It’s up to you!”

Keep an eye on it in our calendar

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graywalkerspurgatorylogoGame : Graywalkers: Purgatory

What it is : Marcus wrote: “So what is Graywalkers: Purgatory? It’s a game in the vein of classics such as Fallout and X-Com. By that they mean it is a top-down strategy game with turn-based battles. Of course, beyond the mechanics, it also looks like the storyline will pull from the likes of Fallout and Wasteland. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where occult creatures (werewolves, vampires) and demons coexist. The coolest aspect of this to me is that they’re not just enemies – you can create a character who is a vampire, werewolf, human, or something else! Each character class has their own skillset as well.”

Keep an eye on it in our calendar

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stardalelogoGame : Stardale

What it is : Marcus wrote: “In many ways, Stardale feels inspired by the likes of Terraria, and to a greater extent, Starbound. Of course much of this is due to the similar visual aesthetic. Stardale hopes to be a more free-form approach by granting players full freedom to do what they want in space. Do you want to fight or form alliances? Hey, what about simply playing a creative mode where you never have to worry about this stuff again? These features are planned and seem like a good idea for non-combative players such as myself.”

Keep an eye on it in our calendar

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bedlamlogoGame : Bedlam

What it is : Marcus wrote: “Ever since the roguelike genre got a big boost recently it has shown no signs of slowing down. The latest in this trend is BEDLAM. Developer Skyshine Games describes it as a post-apocalyptic rogulike RPG with a unique battle system. So far, what they’re showing via the Kickstarter page backs this up. So let’s look into BEDLAM and see what exactly makes it an intriguing new project. Oh, and don’t mistake this project for Bedlam (a FPS currently on Early Access) or the multiple similarly-named titles from yesteryear.”

Keep an eye on it in our calendar

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greengamelogoGame : Green Game

What it is : Julie wrote: “Developed for PC, iOS and web browsers is Green Game is a puzzle/collection game about cleaning up the world, literally. Players start in Europe and participate in multiple environment cleaning activities that will cleanse the area of all pollution and garbage. Players will then hop from location to location, city by city, and country by country, cleaning up the world itself and teaching people about recycling.”

Keep an eye on it in our calendar

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darkfieldvrlogoGame : DarkfieldVR

What it is : DarkfieldVR doesn’t require a ton of setup or explanation; it’s an epic space combat game that’s putting a lot into Oculus Rift support.  As someone that’s been cool on the whole VR craze I’ve gotta admit that DarkfieldVR looks to be doing it right.  Given the lack of compelling movement controls for VR games, having something pilot focused to put you into the action seems perfect.  I’m looking forward to plopping down in my chair, strapping on a virtual helmet, and losing myself in endless waves of space combat.

Keep an eye on it in our calendar

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The Rest of the Campaigns :

Raydra Tournament : A 3rd person arena combat game with a campaign in need of an overhaul; as well as some game screens.

Trancendance: Red Star Saga : A retro style platformer.

Substream : An old-school style rail shooter with some pretty over-the-top looking levels.

Fenerix the knight : A melee combat platformer with some interesting graphics.

Undead Shadows : A first person zombie survival game.

Magic Worlds : A free to play MMO with very little to show at the moment.

Ourthing : This weeks winner for “The Least Amount of Effort Put Into Their Kickstarter.”

Legena: Union Tides : An old-school RPG that’s received some positive buzz.

Space Base : A series of space games from a group of high schoolers.

Mothership : Described by the developers as a “Space Opera Horror Adventure Game.”

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That’s it for last week.  Watch your wallets!

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About the Author

Greg Micek

Greg Micek has been writing on and off about games since the late nineties, always with a focus on indie games. He started DIYGames.com in 2000, which was one of the earliest gaming sites to focus exclusively on indie games.

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