Kickstarter is a haven for video game projects that traditional publishers wouldn't go anywhere near. It's an opportunity for developers to go straight to gamers and give players what they want. And what is it they want, you ask?
Guns. Blood. Gore. Explosions. And procedurally generated environments, of course.
That's STRAFE in a nutshell, a new shooter currently seeking funding on Kickstarter that looks and plays like it came straight out of 1996. You know, 1996, a time when gamers were just getting warmed up on first-person shooters with titles like Quake and Doom. Back then, games were marketed by calling into question the skill and masculinity of players, and parents across America were terrified of the kind of influence these violent games might have.
The trailer for STRAFE then is all of that and so much more. It's a shot of pure '90s nostalgia injected straight into your bloodstream, and even tosses in an Indiana Jones facemelt for good measure.
Every word on the game's Kickstarter page is dripping with reverence for the bygone era. In fact, it seems like developer Pixel Titans never left the '90s. For Christ's sake look at the game's website. It's like a beautiful, blood-soaked time machine. That's part of what makes the entire project so much fun. Old-school graphics. Lightning-fast gameplay. Blood. Lots of blood. A cheesy, sci-fi plot that is just an excuse to kill truckloads of demons. Looks like a good time.
You can back the project now. Pixel Titans is seeking $185,096 (ha) to see the game to completion, which will include the creation of the procedural level generator function and a persistent gib system that won't bog the game down. Pledging $25 snags you a copy of the game, but it is the top-tier backer reward that is really worth talking about.
For the low, low price of $10,000, you can have STRAFE's lead programmer show up to your doorstep, kneel and kiss your ring. You also will receive a STRAFE-branded wooden casket and a tombstone shaped like a CRT monitor, so you can go to hell in style. That's a steal if you ask me. STRAFE will be seeking funding until Feb. 19.
