That Punk Rock Kid: Catacomb Kids Shows Off Some More
Soupy Twist
A couple of weeks back I theorised that anyone watching the Catacomb Kids Kickstarter video would be won over within 55 seconds. Some people claimed otherwise, explaining that it took upwards of two minutes before they were feeding ten pound notes into their DVD drive. The project's now comfortably funded, and extremely refreshingly developer FourbitFriday have said that they aren't looking for specific stretch goals. Instead they've said that as more extra money comes in, it'll just allow them to make a better game, hire more people, and make it over a slightly longer period. That's a model that SO many projects could do with adopting. And now there's some new footage to make you say, "Oh blimey".
It sure looks like any number of other roguelites, but again, it's just a few seconds before you realise why it isn't.
If it can really realise things like this - if it really is as malleable and adaptable as it looks - this could be amazing. If it turns out it's just those few rock things, then boy will I feel foolish. But it really does seem to be the ethos of the game. A desire to take the concept of crafting, but realise it as a sort of pixelated MacGyver, experimenting with objects in the world, rather than icons in a menu screen. The latest update adds:
"Want to make some stew? Find a pool of water, a way to boil it, and throw some ingredients in to cook. Need to repair your sword? Perhaps that lava over there would make a good forge, and the nearby crushing trap a good hammer. No grinding for resources to collect 10 more beetle snouts. Just be attentive and maybe a little crazy, and the possibilities will reveal themselves from within the game's mechanics."
Those backing at the $16 level should get an alpha version of the game by the end of the year, while access to just the finished product will be $10. The Kickstarter is over in a day and a half, and the man behind the game, Tyriq Plummer, plans a streamed Ending Event from tomorrow (Weds) at 4pm PST (midnight by Her Majesty's clock).