The rise of the crowdfunding platform is good for both developers and gamers alike, as we see video games come to fruition that would not see the light of day without it.

With users pledging towards projects they believe in with money to help fund them (usually in exchange for copies of the game at launch, as well as other various bonuses) we've seen the birth of some fantastic games that we otherwise would never have had the luxury of playing.

Titles such as Shovel Knight, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, Shadowrun Returns, Yooka-Laylee, Mighty No. 9, Shenmue 3 and That Dragon, Cancer likely never would have been developed without the platform, already proving that Kickstarter can provide us with some true treasures.

With so many good-looking projects seeking funding this month, we thought we'd take a look at some of the games that absolutely need to be funded.

Dujanah (by Jack King-Spooner)

£5,139 of £6,000 goal funded (at time of writing)

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Jack King-Spooner has already proven himself worthy of success on Kickstarter with his prior brilliant freeware titles (such as 'Will You Ever Return' and 'Sluggish Morss'), but Dujanah aspires to be his best work yet.

Set in a fictional Islamic-majority country with an occupying military force, you play as female protagonist 'Dujanah', who 'has grievances with the intervening forces'. You also have a robotic mechanised vehicle that you can enter. As you do.

Primarily an interactive narrative focusing on exploration and dialogue, the game features King-Spooner's wonderfully unique hand-crafted claymation art style, which successfully manages to blend together intriguing and borderline creepy environments and characters.

The game aims to show Islamic culture in a perspective that has not yet been seen in video games, which could give us a very interesting, unique setting. Featuring an in-game arcade, Dujanah will also feature other smaller, playable games - effectively bringing you several games for the price of one!

With just a few days left on the game's Kickstarter at the time of writing, it is currently falling slightly short of its respectfully low goal. Pledging £7 will nab you a copy of the game on release, whereas higher pledges will garner you additional goodies (such as the game's soundtrack, exclusive in-game animations or a real-life miniature of the game's protagonist).

(Full disclosure: myself and the developer follow each other on Twitter, and I have pledged towards the game).

Wandersong (by Greg Lobanov)

$13,955 of $18,000 goal funded (at time of writing)

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Greg Lobanov (known simply as 'Banov' online) has seen success before on the indie game circuit, with classic free games Assassin Blue and Dubloon pulling in tens of thousands of downloads. However, even these classics pale in comparison to Wandersong's potential.

One of the most charming games to ever grace a crowdfunding platform, the game is a side-scroller that has you play as a bard traveling the world and using his wonderful singing talents to connect people and solve puzzles.

Featuring some truly beautiful, colourful environments, its unique game mechanic allows you to change the direction of the wind, traverse atop of clouds, summon birds and move objects with your singing. The game is unlike any I've ever seen before, and focuses heavily on its narrative and interacting with the world and the people within it.

With six days remaining at the time of writing, the game has a little way to go until it reaches its goal. Pledging $12 (around £8) will earn you a copy of the game when it's released, whereas higher pledges will get you additional rewards such as the game's soundtrack, a personalised NPC, or even a personalised song.

(Full disclosure: myself and the developer follow each other on Twitter, and I have pledged towards the game).

Visage (by SadSquare Studio)

$59,084 of $35,000 goal funded (at time of writing)

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Visage's developers are a new group, but trailers for their crowdfunded game have already had an impact on gaming media, thanks to its highly-detailed and promising trailers.

The gameplay and visuals are very obviously inspired by that of the cancelled Silent Hills' game's demo, P.T., with the game set in a huge house with creepy, gloomy corridors. Designed as a psychological horror game, Visage aims to be a well-written scary game that truly terrifies you with tension and realistic atmospheres instead of cheap jump-scares.

Supplying you with no weapons, the game features mostly 'point-and-click' horror game functions like that of Phantasmagoria and Penumbra. Effectively, this is another promising game that looks to take Silent Hills' place in giving us the horror game we were looking for.

With still more than 25 days remaining, Visage has already smashed its target, but stretch goals have been implemented to further extend the game. Pledging $15 (around £10) with get you a copy of the game on its release, whereas higher pledges will earn you rewards such as t-shirts, posters and the use of your face on in-game portraits.

Battalion 1944 (by Bulkhead Interactive)

£224,338 of £100,000 goal funded (at time of writing)

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The folk at Bulkhead Interactive grew up playing multiplayer WWII first-person-shooters like Medal of Honor and Call of Duty 2, and they're determined to bring back the sub-genre.

Created by a team of ex-AAA developers, ex-modders and freelance artists, Battallion 1944 is a wonderful looking modern game that brings you back to the golden age of shooters. With authentic sounds, weapons and environments, the game will feature multiple game modes and competitive maps based on real-world locations, with a progressive system that removes the advantage system of modern shooters and focuses solely on raw skill.

Oh, and customisable weapons with personalised engravings is an incredibly charming touch.

With more than two weeks until the end of the project's crowdfunding efforts, Battalion 1944 has already surpassed its goal, but additional money will help improve development. Pledging £13 will net you a copy of the game on release, but higher pledges will earn you rewards such as the soundtrack, in-game medals, t-shirts and personalised dog tags.

Knights and Bikes (by Foam Sword)

£63,478 of £100,000 goal funded (at time of writing)

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The people behind Knights and Bikes are basically a dream-team - made up of developers that previously worked on such games as Tearaway, LittleBigPlanet and Ratchet and Clank, Knights & Bikes brings over all of the charm of those and more.

Inspired by The Goonies, Earthbound and Secret of Mana, Knights & Bikes has a very Media Molecule x Double Fine feel to it. A co-op (or single player) adventure game about childhood, the game has a beautiful hand-drawn 3D world and some gorgeously designed characters and creatures.

Partially an exploration game and partially an action-RPG, this game will see you play as Nessa and Demelza on their quest to discover the secrets of a doomed island. Recently announced to be coming to the PS4 as well as PC, this game looks about as charming as a game can possibly get.

With more than two weeks left to reach its goal, Knights and Bikes is certainly on par to do so. Pledging £12 will get you a copy of the game on PC upon release, whereas higher pledges will net you rewards such as the soundtrack, exclusive costumes, t-shirts and custom-designed flash drives.

Planet Nomads (by Craneballs)

£83,106 of £70,000 goal funded (at time of writing)

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Craneballs have already been developing professional mobile games for years, but now they're using their talents to create a huge, ambitious PC game.

Best described as a combination of Minecraft and No Man's Sky, the game's art style and general gameplay will certainly remind you of the latter, yet-to-be released exploration game.

Much like No Man's Sky, Planet Nomads is a sci-fi sandbox game with procedurally generated planets - though unlike the aforementioned upcoming game, Planet Nomads blends in creation and survival gameplay elements. The primary gameplay has you building useful creations such as bases and vehicles, with your primary aim being to build a spaceship capable of taking you home.

With a few days remaining, the game has already successfully been funded, though it does have some (admittedly rather ambitious) stretch goals. Pledging £14 will earn you a copy of the game when released (as well as some other bonuses), and higher pledges will net you rewards such as the game's soundtrack, exclusive in-game items and personalised in-game hologram messages.


As a brief footnote, it should be made clear that The Mirror takes no responsibility for these projects. Pledging towards a Kickstarter project is not a guarantee that the project will successfully release, even if it reaches its funding goal and your pledge has been taken.