Kickstarter has become a real treasure trove of potentially awesome indie games since Double Fine used the site to crowdfund Broken Age. Now, another gem, called The Realm, has popped up on the site. The project is coming together under Atomhawk Design, and if you think their name doesn't sound like a game developer's, that's because Atomhawk is an art production studio.
Atomhawk isn't entirely new to the gaming industry, having worked on major titles like Mass Effect, Dead Island, DUST 514, DmC Devil May Cry, Sniper 2, Injustice, Killzone 3 and so on... and on. It's an extensive list, but The Realm is their first internal project, not to mention a giant leap from art product into game development. Given their primary focus, however, you can imagine how gorgeous this title might turn out.
Inspired by the likes of Ico, Monkey Island, and Machinarium, The Realm will be a point-and-click adventure starring a young girl and her golem. Sarina and Toru, as the two are named, meet in the wilderness while the girl is on a journey to save her mother. The world itself is set in the far, far future when most of humanity has gone, letting nature take back the earth. The result? A wide range of environments, from the wild and natural landscapes to abandoned cities.
The two must combine their strengths and compensate for one another's weaknesses to tackle a number of puzzles and danger; Toru lends his strength to Sarina, while also learning from the young girl.
Atomhawk hopes to raise £195,000 (that's $297,000) in a month. With 29 days to go, 295 backers have contributed a total of £6,093. Head over to their Kickstarter page if you'd like to contribute. The highest reward tier requires a contribution of £5,000 ($7,619) or more, but includes a trip to Newcastle for a studio tour.
Kickstarter games have really become more interesting as more and more people warm to the idea. It's undeniable that there's a trend now of gamers accepting the concept of non-traditional gamemaking.
Among the Sleep and Risk of Rain are clear examples of creativity and willingness of gamers to support how to come up with them.
The Realm also looks wonderful. Looking forward to seeing these games soon.