Kickstarter Roundup #1: Weekly Dose of Indie Games

Having gone through a successful Kickstarter campaign for CasinoRPG in early 2013, we know how hard it is to get noticed and scrap all the way to your goal, especially if your name isn't Tim Schafer. So, we've decided to help spread the word about our fellow indie game developers and post a weekly roundup of our favorite games we've stumbled across lately.

Scraps

Build a combat vehicle from parts. Components have real functions, and realistic physics support your horrible design decisions.

I'm the guy that only played Halo to see what hilarious results I could force from Warthog's physics system. Combine that with multiplayer combat and Minecraft for vehicles and you have a game I could only dream about. That is, until I stumbled across this Kickstarter. I just can't wait to build the most ridiculous vehicle (the term should be used lightly) possible and see how I can bend this physics system. You've got a little over a week to get in on this one.

Grow

Transform on-the-fly into unique characters and battle it out in this online, team-based brawler.

This game just feels right, similar to what I felt when I first saw Castle Story. It has that subtle Nintendo feel, while still providing a unique set of gameplay mechanics. They describe it as Pokemon meets Team Fortress, which sounds pretty amazing to me. My favorite thing about Grow is how it doesn't try to take itself too seriously, it just tries to have fun. This is easier said than done, but in my option, we don't see enough games going down that path these days, so be sure to check this one out within the final few weeks of its campaign.

Tiny Trek

Discover a ever expanding universe in this endless Space exploration game. Featuring procedurally generated everything!

Tiny Trek had me at the opening scene with the 8-bit audio and visuals. This space exploration game makes me long for a simpler time where I could plop down on the couch, Gameboy in hand, and teleport to an alternate universe. In this case, you actually are going to an alternate universe that puts you in control of your own Star Trek style adventure, and it looks simply fantastic. This one has already met its goal, but you've still got a few weeks to get in on the ground floor.

Hand of Fate

Hand of Fate brings card gaming to video game life. An infinitely replayable series of quests; build your deck, then try to defeat it!

Hand of Fate takes a very interesting approach to collectible card games by replacing some of the luck factors with the skill of real-time combat. I always get excited about games that are genre blending (just take a look at the games we make), and this game is right up that alley. If you are a fan of action RPG or card games, it is definitely worth checking out, but don't wait too long as there are only a few days left.

Astrobase Command

A sandbox base-building RPG in a low-tech science fiction universe. Explore the stars with the computing power of the Atari Age!

It seems like everyday we see 10 new space games on Kickstarter, especially ones that want to be Minecraft for space. Astrobase Command stood out because it puts its focus on the characters in some unique ways by using some very interesting UI mechanics (you know how much I love great UI). While you can have a lot of fun building your space station, you are really building it for the survival of your people (who you will get to know in great detail) rather than for the sake of painstakingly recreating the Starship Enterprise for the sake of YouTube views. You've got a little over a week and they could use your help!

Mansion Lord

Mansion Lord turns the traditional "whodunnit" murder mystery into an RPG/business sim game with a pixel art style.

I won't lie, when I first saw this game I didn't think much of it. The presentation looks like a simple pixel-art side-scroller, which is not usually the type of game I get excited about. Boy was I wrong! If you actually take the time to watch the video, you'll see that this really has a quite fun and unique concept with a very nostalgic art style. I'm a big fan of games that make you think, so a combination of business sim and murder mystery is certainly compelling. Eight days left!

Novus AEterno

The LARGEST STRATEGY GAME ever built!! Negotiate, Trade, Dominate, Deceive in a Persistent Universe with thousands of players.

The concept behind this game is something I, and I'm sure many others, have dreamed about since first being introduced to the world of video games. There have been many different types of attempts at this dream of a truly open, persistent universe, but as you could image, this is an incredibly difficult goal to reach. Novus AEterno takes a strategic approach, and as an avid RTS fan, I certainly approve. They've got quite a ways to go on funding with a little over a week left, so go check out their campaign! Update: They relaunched the campaign, so there are now 46 days left as of December 11.

View Kickstarter Roundup #2