Three kick-arse Kickstarters for June 2020

Each month I usually write about one awesome indie Kickstarter campaign that I think could be an excellent game. It’s great to be able to support and promote indie devs. This month I found a game I wanted to spotlight, then another and then a third. I didn’t know which to decide on because I want them all to succeed and be great games in the future! So, I decided that I would promote all three.

Vernal Edge

Kickstarter | Twitter | Demo

Kickstarter ends: 19th June 2020
Platforms: PC
Expected release date: 2022

Vernal is on a mission to find her father and punish him; she’s holding a grudge that she won’t let go of until he is found. Along the way, she meets Chervil, a scientist with a brilliant mind but no memory. As they journey together, their goal evolves as unusual events begin happening around them.

Vernal wields her sword and smashes enemies with ease in this 2D Metroidvania. The demo does a good job of showing the combat and art style of the game but is lacking on the storyline so far. I’m sure we’ll find out more about Vernal’s quest to find her father, and why he deserves punishment, as game development progresses. Overall, I am impressed with the demo and recommend giving it a try if you’re interested in learning more about Vernal Edge.

Clunky Hero

Kickstarter | Wishlist | Twitter | Demo

Indiegogo ends: 16th June 2020
Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux
Expected release date: March 2021

Clunky Hero has been described as “like Hollow Knight, except ridiculous” which I’m assuming is because it’s a 2D platformer Metroidvania. Whatever the reason, this is high praise that I hope they can live up to. Clunky Hero is Rufus, a man whose wife was kidnapped by the Evil One, or he who shall not be named. For some reason, The Evil One also turned her into a duck-face blonde woman who looks into a mirror all day. I’m not sure how Rufus is going to fix that one, but we’ll have to wait to find out.

The art style for Clunky Hero is pretty great. I love the character design, even with his stupid bucket for a helmet, and the backgrounds are lovely. The sound design is shaping up to be awesome, too. Unfortunately, as it stands right now, the combat in the demo was, well… clunky. Rufus can’t run fast enough to evade attacks and doesn’t deal well with directional movement and attacks at the same time. The devs are aware of this though and have assured backers that it will be fixed. I also found the voice acting somewhat grating, but others quite enjoyed it, so you’ll need to give the demo a try to see where you land with that.

I love a good Metroidvania, and I’m hoping this will be a good Metroidvania, so I’m going to be following the progress closely.

Frogsong

Indiegogo | Wishlist | Twitter | Demo

Indiegogo ends: 23rd June 2020
Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux
Expected release date: 2022

Update: The demo is now available to download on Steam.

So, Frogsong isn’t a Kickstarter, but they’re still crowdfunding through Indiegogo, so I’m going to count it. Chorus is a cute little treefrog who wants to be a warrior and improve the world, but unfortunately, tree frogs usually focus on religious studies rather than protecting the world. What’s a treefrog to do? Chorus decides to move to Boreala and train under a great master, but it’s not going to be easy.

Frogsong was announced during Wholesome Direct and is shaping up to be a fun adventure following Chrous the frog on his journey to become a reputable warrior and save the world, or at least his portion of it. The demo gives us a tiny taste of the adventure, as well as an idea of the art style and sound design. So far, Frogsong looks to be a cute and charming game, and I’m looking forward to more updates along the way.

These were my picks for June Kickstarter campaigns, but there are many more that are running, especially Metroidvanias. What have you backed this month, and what games are you watching?