Kickstarter Shout-outs!: Cam's Eye View's Kickstarter Editorials.

I have been really excited about this interview with the developers of Yooka-Laylee , the Kickstarter success story from Playtonic Games. Hope you all enjoy reading it! Cam’s Eye View: First off, congratulations on reaching funding in an extremely short amount of time! How did it feel to basically get up, make a sandwich, and to come back to be fully funded? [Gavin Price – Creative director] It was a great moment! I nearly spat the sandwich back out all over the monitor ;) !  We went from being incredibly nervous to ecstatic and humbled by the support the fans have shown us!  It’s a scary feeling putting your hearts and dreams on the line and in to the hands of others, but knowing people want to support us like they have is so uplifting…it’s more than just a game being funded, the success of Yooka-Laylee gives us a great foundation to build upon and create a studio that we want people to cherish for many years to come.  So we have to make Yooka-Laylee incredible, and we have the reso...

One of my favorite Kickstarters to learn about was Rose Portal Games’ Unraveled: Tale of the Shipbreaker’s Daughter . While it looks like an RPG during the Super Nintendo and early PlayStation 1 era, its story and setting are honestly much more interesting than most RPG settings. Instead of some generic fantasy land, the game takes place in a little girl’s imagination in Mumbai’s shipbreaking yards. Rusted ships, an unsettling atmosphere, and a touching story of the girl finding her family makes it unique. I decided to get in contact with the developer and talk to them about the game, Kickstarter, and RPGs. Cam’s Eye View: On the Kickstarter page, you have said that the game is inspired by a documentary about Mumbai’s shipbreaking yards. What exactly about that setting screamed a roleplaying game? Rose Portal Games: We don't really write with having a videogame in mind. Rather, we come up with a story that we believe in and adapt it to the genre. In the case of Unraveled , what spo...

(Update: As of 5/21/15, the Kickstarter has been fully funded!) As 2015 marches forward, I am starting to be a little pickier with what I talk about. Maybe I will make a list of Kickstarters to be on the look for, while having some concerns about them getting funded or not. The concern might be the pace that they’re getting funded, they do not show off enough of a product, maybe people are intimidated by their funding price, or maybe they were launched during a week that a big budget game or a huge Kickstarter project was coming out. Either way, indie developers need to be very prepared for any of these situations to happen or else they are going to have a bad time. Why bring up these concerns? Well, a lot of these concerns are the ones I have for today’s Kickstarter Shout-out, Little Devil Inside . Let’s dive in so you all can learn about this cool Kickstarter. Little Devil Inside puts you in the shoes of an explorer who is hired by a university professor to traverse the land searchi...

It’s always interesting to see where the inspiration for a game will come from. For example, today’s Kickstarter Shout-out is called Unraveled: Tales of the Shipbreaker’s Daughter . This RPG that the developers call a “Show-Don’t-Tell” story is inspired by the documentary “The Wire Nest.” This film is about people who live in the areas where ships are broken down piece by piece. It’s a harsh living environment, since where they live is not exactly safe, and they don’t get paid well. It feels more unique as a setting than just a typical fantasy setting. Now then, let us dive into this tale of heartbreak, family, and imagination; this is my Kickstarter Shout-out to Unraveled: Tales of the Shipbreaker’s Daughter . The story is about a little girl whose family grew up in Mumbai’s Shipbreaking yard. This is where large rusting ships are broken down and salvaged for potentially good parts. It’s very unsafe, due to the risk of death and major injuries, and the air is toxic. The little girl go...

2015 has been an interesting year for Kickstarter. For example, we have had quite a few 3D platformers arrive on Kickstarter with an unfortunately inconsistent amount of success. These were Spooky Poo’s Happy Hell, Clive ‘n’ Wrench, and FreezeME. Sadly, Spooky Poo’s Happy Hell is the only one that has been successfully funded. It’s a bummer, but I have my guess to why some of them didn’t get funded. It was probably because of either bad first impressions, or there wasn’t enough shown to make the game look worthwhile to potential backers. However, I think one reason was because every single potential backer was waiting for the instant Kickstarter hit Yooka-Laylee. This isn’t just another 3D platformer inspired by the great classics of the 90s. This is made by those people who made those classic platformers. I am being serious. Playtonic Games, the developers behind Yooka-Laylee, are all from Rare. Not only that, but you also have the musical talents of the always fantastic David Wise an...

In my many years of playing video games, the genres I seem to tackle the least, in terms of the games I own/play, are the tactical RPG games. If you need some examples of these types of games, you have Final Fantasy Tactics, XCOM, Valkyria Chronicles, and so on. These are turn-based strategy-style games where you control individual units to place them around the battlefield, and take out the other opposing force. In a majority of these types of games, you can also customize your soldiers to your play style. As is the usual challenge in making a game, making something that will stand out among the rest is a hefty feat. Whether it is more focus on story, more action-oriented combat, complex customization, or something new altogether, having a tactical RPG stand out will be a tough hurdle. This Kickstarter Shout-out will be for Grenade Tree Games’ Outland 17. Let’s jump into our revolutionary war uniforms and tackle this Kickstarter game! The setting is basically the Revolutionary War com...