Their Finest Tower: Rogue Wizards
Kickstarted from former Blizzard/Might & Magic devs
You'd never find a wizard living in a bungalow. They love a good tower and, in the modern world, are most likely to be found cackling in their swanky penthouse apartments. In Rogue Wizards, you'll be helping your chosen spellcaster to crawl through randomly generated dungeons, gather loot, master magic, and construct a towering sanctuary with a town around it. Project lead Colin Day has worked at Westwood and Electronic Arts, as well as on Diablo 3 and Hellgate: London. Designer Clay Retzer also has stacks of experience, including Heroes of Might and Magic 1 & 2 and MechWarrior Mercenaries. The game is seeking funding at the usual place.
Thirteen days to go and just over half of the $70,000 goal has been pledged. I'm surprised it hasn't shot through its target already - the pitch is solid and well presented, and there's a strong pedigree in the team. Here are the basics.
In your quest you'll explore randomly generated dungeons, collect treasures, master magic, avoid traps, solve puzzles, and of course cleanse the dungeons of all the evil minions within. Every dungeon is unique, no two locations will ever be the same.
It's not all dungeon-crawl. Feel at home in your very own Wizard Tower where you can enhance and customize the way you play by building a thriving town, brewing your own reagents, crafting or buying your own gear, powering up your magic, and recruiting help.
Graphically, I'm reminded of Shattered Planet, which was a fine roguelite and might have lasted longer on my hard drive if it had the RPG depth that Rogue Wizards seems to offer. There's a town to build, allies to recruit, and randomised items and dungeons to discover. Towns can be expanded into new territory, and new equipment can be crafted and enchanted. I even enjoy the cutesy graphics, clean and colourful as they are.
The one sticking point is that release won't be until 2016, although I've heard it said that good things come to those who wait.