A Kick for Kickstarters: Battle Axe Lazr
It’s easy to tell when Kickstarter season arrives, but this winter has been one of the most robust in years. My “A Kick for Kickstarters” post about PlatinumGames’ The Wonderful 101: Remastered campaign was the first I’ve written in over two months, thanks to a dearth of interesting projects for a lengthy stretch of time. When I go long enough without making a new post in this ongoing feature, I start thinking about how I may never post one again given the diminishing popularity of video game crowdfunding, despite how something else will eventually come along. But I’m now posting two within 24 hours, something I haven’t done since mid-2014.
First is Battle Axe, an arcade-style top-down adventure game primarily inspired by Gauntlet, which also takes cues from other classic games with hard fantasy settings like the Golden Axe games, Knights of the Round, and Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara. Like those titles, this game allows for solo or co-op play, with each player having different characters to select from. It takes place within a land known as Mercia, which has long been within the grips of a powerful sorceress known as Etheldred. Previous heroes have come up short in their quest to defeat her, but this new trio consisting of pirate Rooney, fighter Fae, and mage Iolo is the best shot they have given who will be controlling them.
The most immediately appealing aspect of Battle Axe is the beautiful sprite work and art style, courtesy of artist and designer Henk Nieborg, who’s also organizing this crowdfunding campaign. He previously contributed sprite work to games like Shantae: Risky’s Revenge, Contra 4, and Shakedown: Hawaii, and clearly brought his expertise here. The backgrounds are pretty and detailed, and the same applies to the character animations and special effects. There’s a reason why so much of the game is shown in the pitch trailer and animated GIFs on the page. This isn’t the only appealing factor, as Manami Matsumae, who contributed music to several Mega Man games, Shovel Knight, and Mighty No. 9 (the last two of which were also crowdfunded) is contributing to this game’s soundtrack.
Nieborg is asking for $52,073 to fund the project for the initial goal of this campaign, of which it’s made over $36,000 as of this writing, with 20 days remaining. It looks slow compared to, say, The Wonderful 101 campaign, but it’s set to make the initial goal by the time it concludes. The good pledging tiers are helping, including those for physical copies on PS4 and Switch, and a physical soundtrack. There are no stretch goals, perhaps a sign that the team has the project’s scope mapped out and plans to stick with it. If all goes well, Nieborg plans to release the game in January 2021 for PS4, XB1, Switch, and Steam, but don’t be surprised if there are delays.
Lazr is what developer Garrick Campsey is calling a “cyberpunk clothformer.” More specifically, it’s a cyberpunk platformer dependent on player skills and unique game physics where the player maneuvers around and plays with objects that appear as if they’re made of cloth. The game is promised to have hundreds of levels where the player can plow through obstacles exacerbated by fire and weather effects, all while navigating with cloth-style ladders and climbing materials in addition to more basic platforming. Campsey claims he was inspired to create this after completing a demo through a challenge from a fellow programmer, the video for which went viral on Twitter. But he needs to secure the funds to do it.
The game’s cyberpunk aesthetics draw inspiration from popular classic franchises like Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Blade Runner, and Judge Dredd, though not all of them are seen in the screenshots and GIFs on the Kickstarter page. Its looks bring to mind several other 2D pixel-based games that occur within this kind of setting; but given how that doesn’t describe too many projects, there’s nothing wrong with it. The music, composed by ///Underwires, will be a fusion of chiptune and synthwave, which can be heard in the trailer.
Like Battle Axe above, funding for Lazr appears to be slow after looking at The Wonderful 101: Remastered’s campaign, but it’s actually not doing badly. Campsey asked for $10,000 to fund the project’s remaining development, and it’s raised over $5,000 with 18 days remaining in the campaign as of this writing. That’s not a big amount, but there’s a good chance publisher Top Hat Studios is providing some funding. There are stretch goals for features like more Holopets, full-voice acting for main antagonist Voth, and enhanced music and sound effects at $11,000, $12,000, and $15,000, respectively, but it’s unlikely to make most of them by the time the campaign concludes. The focus now will be on reaching the initial goal, which it can reach with a rush of funding in the final days if it’s not well advertised before then.
Lazr is scheduled release for PS4, Vita (!!), XB1, Switch, and PC/Mac/Linux in November this year, assuming it’s funded. Again, this is a crowdfunded project, so don’t be surprised if there are delays afterward. In the meantime, a demo version is available to try out.
We’re fully within the biggest crowdfunding season in a while. Don’t be surprised if I make yet another “A Kick for Kickstarters” post in the next week, but I’ll make sure to space it out from this one.
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Geoff
News Editor | Geoff is some nerd who writes for a blog and thinks he's knowledgeable. He write a lot about video games, but is capable of writing about other subjects, too. Twitter
