Geek Haven: Kickass Games on Kickstarter

In Neal Stephenson’s seminal geek novel Cryptonomicon, a group of hackers, D&Ders, zaibatsu heads and treasure hunters struggle to establish a data haven in the Pacific island of Kinakuta, with the ultimate goal of supporting guerrilla uprisings.

On the surface of it, Kickstarter (and any of its sister crowdfunding platforms) isn’t half so righteous or so revolutionary. However, the similarities are there, like submarine treasure, for those who seek them out. If you’ve spent any time among crowdfunders (or you are one yourself), and you have a working nose, it’ll detect more than a whiff of grassroots anti-establishmentarianism. By cutting out (in theory) money-grubbing, narrow-minded publishers, Kickstarter instills a heroic sense of “sticking it to the man” within the people who pour their money into it. Similarly, Kickstarter is one of the few venues where a wealthy CEO and a munchies-crunching dungeon master can come together in support of a common cause. They might even be able to call each other business partners. Granted, they’d probably sit at astronomically different pledge levels, but they’d be receiving the same status updates and communicating in the same open forum. Although its degree of separation from the capitalist system is debatable, Kickstarter is a true idea haven, particularly for nerds and geeks whose interests are often deemed too divergent from the “mainstream” to be economically feasible.

The Cryptonomicon analogy is particularly apt given that about a year ago, its creator, Neal Stephenson, launched a successful Kickstarter project of his own in the form of CLANG, a physics-based, motion-tracking sword combat system for video gamers. Although CLANG barely hit its funding target, in many ways it epitomizes what Kickstarter can be for both geeks and gamers. The project’s synopsis video is a hilarious piece of entertainment in its own right and its uber-niche audience (the intersection between hardcore Street Fighter fans and LARPers) appear thoroughly involved in a project that would have been painfully unlikely to occur unmolested within the standard publishing model.

Kickstarter is great for gamers. Even when larger publishers “abuse” the system, the end product usually bears a much stronger resemblance to what its fanbase actually wanted than does the always-questionable logic behind mainstream game release. Here are just a few of the current projects vying for a share of your electronic currency:

Coup: With fewer than 48 hours remaining and pledge levels starting at just $15 for this stylish and innovative card game, don’t overcomplicate things. From designer Rikki Tahta, Coup is the perfect Kickstarter impulse buy. Its understated 2012 release wowed critics: an experiment in minimalist game design, an intense bluffing game that includes only 15 cards, but what it does with them…. Now it’s back in a revamped, overproduced version with lavish artwork set in the world of The Resistance (recently played by Wil Wheaton and co.). Coo!

Chasm: Another game that’s in the twilight of its funding life, this one’s a pixel-styled Metroidvania RPG/platformer with a twist: all of its dungeons are procedurally generated, producing a unique experience each time you play. Of course, the Metroidvania genre is founded on the principal of tightly paced and structured levels, so the game has the potential to be a revolution or a regret depending on the execution. Still, it promises to have all the ingredients necessary for a tasty indie release, particularly if some of the stretch goals are met. Roguelike mode? Item crafting? The only problem will be finding the necessary backers….

Realm: Not a fan of platformers? Can’t find “Metroidvania” in the dictionary? This self-described “emotive, visually stunning” point and click adventure game clicks all of the indie gaming buttons that Chasm misses. Looking like a crossover between The Longest Journey and Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom (or Papo & Yo, The Last Guardian, or any other game where the big thing and the small thing have to work together to solve puzzles and nourish friendship), this PC game from the creators of the underpraised The Thing video game is an instant draw with its stylish, evocative visuals. However, the true test will be in the strength of its gameplay, which is still in the conceptual stages. Of course, you could just like looking at pretty things, in which case the Totoro wall clock prominently visible behind the Design Director’s head ought to give you all the confidence you need to make your pledge.

Moby Dick; or, The Card Game: Here’s one for the lit geeks and the blubber lovers out there. Its eye-catching retro woodprints and daguerreotypes, combined with the promise of real old-fashioned book-learnin’, must be some people’s idea of a good time, because the game had an explosive launch and is steady on course to plow an ocean of stretch goals. The style is there, and the concept of playing through one of the classics of American literature is a persuasive one, but if I had to venture a guess, I’d say that we’re looking at 1500+ exasperated high school English teachers working themselves up into a feeding frenzy, a handful of Decemberists fans, and a weird little man named Ishmael.

Welcome to Boon Hill: Are you looking for a game that you could only find on Kickstarter? Have a peek at Welcome to Boon Hill, a 16-bit “graveyard simulator” centered entirely around reading other people’s headstones. Its creator, Matthew Ritter, makes no bones about its wider appeal, repeatedly referencing the game’s oddball nature throughout the campaign. One of the questions in the FAQ even reads, “Does this even count as a game?” If you need to ask that question, then Boon Hill probably isn’t for you. Moody, goal-less, but not entirely aimless, this pixelated tour through the macabre is waiting for your donation. Visit Boon Hill. There’s plenty of room.

Galaxy Defenders*: One of a trio of sci-fi miniatures-based tabletop games currently competing for your pledge money (the others being Deadzone and Robotech RPG Tactics), Galaxy Defenders is the goofy, heavily accented cousin of the three, but it isn’t without its charm. From Italian publisher Ares Games, Galaxy Defenders draws heavy inspiration from the sci-fi classics of the ’80s and ’90s, to the point that most of the backer-exclusive goodies look like they should send steam shooting out of a copyright lawyer’s ears. These include, but are not limited to: plasticized dwarf versions of the xenos from the Predator and Alien franchises, a familiar-looking cyborg policeman, a small but powerful alien-derived firearm (the “Jack Russell”), and a lucky origami figure shaped like a unicorn. Basically, it’s all the fanfiction you wrote in high school melted down and formed into shiny plastic aliens. There are definite translation issues that will need to be hammered out before the game’s release, but in a genre overwhelmed by grimacing baldheaded marines and ugly-as-sin space goblins, it’s nice to see a splash of color every once in a while. The odd reference to Admiral “Hackbar” doesn’t hurt either.

*full disclosure: I am a backer for this project.

That barely scratches the surface of the current, upcoming and recently funded projects Kickstarter has to offer, and already, it’s enough gaming goodness to make your wallet week. Watch this spot for more roundups, reviews and previews as we continue our delve into a true geek haven.