Your Turn: Molecat Twist Demo, Trailer

RPS has an issue with Kickstarter projects, as we've mentioned before. We are contacted by very many developers who tell us about their wonderful ideas for games, perhaps even with a concept teaser video, and then ask if we can promote their Kickstarter so they can make it. Well, we're afraid not, because that puts us in the position of asking our readers to give money to a game for which we've not even seen a screenshot. And we're not okay with that. Then there's the more subtle issue with games that do have some content, and then want Kickstarter promotion, when we've no way of knowing that they'll actually make the game. Such a situation occurs with Molecat Twist, from a four-person multi-national indie team who want a bunch of money to finish their game. Except, well, they've a working demo of the game you can play right now. So that's what I'm posting about.

Because it's actually very good. It's a super-difficult puzzle game, in which you must rotate tiled sections of the screen in order to allow your gang of Molecats to proceed. But rather than something as simple as just crafting a path through what would essentially be yet another pipe puzzle, here there's a great deal more going on. The Molecats can pick up items, which are then used if you can successfully direct the to the necessary object, as well as trying to gather as many mushrooms as possible. For instance, the cats won't go into a dark tunnel, so you'll first need to find a torch, then direct them toward a fire to light it, and so on. And it gets more involved from there.

And it's gorgeous. Really beautiful design combined with some lovely sound effects. It has that Lemmings cuteness that makes for a good time. You can find out by playing the sizeable free demo on their site right now.

Now, if they had the sense to make their Kickstarter link on the front page more obvious, and in fact labelled "Kickstarter" at all, it might cause those who enjoy the demo to want to help fund the full game. They might want to think about doing that. (Although goodness knows, $22,000 seems a very high target to be aiming for, bearing in mind they'll get none of it if they fall short.) Have a look at it here.