People are disappearing and it’s up to freelance journalist Eggert Kirby to investigate why. In a plot that sounds like it could have come from Douglas Adams pen, your character “befriends a nicotine addicted cat and unravels a plot involving time-travel, yakuza, and interdimensional coffee.”
It’s an adventure game but it doesn’t resemble any I’ve ever played.
According to Lioness’ Kickstarter description, it’s a non-linear adventure which doesn’t simply offer up binary conversation decisions to determine multiple endings. Instead the plot “can be navigated by meeting new people, solving problems, and exploring unique urban environments.”
Developers Zak Ayles and Phillip Lanzbom aim to release the game in seven episodes and, interestingly, despite having more than doubled the target funds of the campaign, there are no plans to expand the scope of the game. They say that “We have no intention of taking our foot off the gas, and encourage you all to continue sharing this project with as many others as possible. However, there are no plans for project expanding stretch goals.
“We disagree with the idea that there’s any direct correlation between quality and scope in a project like this. When you force a game or film past its own scope and design it just begins to cannibalize its own narrative and vision by stretching it until it breaks. We’ve seen this become the case just recently, and have no intention of making a similar mistake.”
In one respect, no stretch goals is a bold move; when Kickstarters reach their target it’s often the stretch goals that keep funds coming in. However, if the team have budgeted right then there is no reason to believe they would need extra funds. While there isn’t necessarily a problem with stretch goals, it’s good to see a developer refuse to alter their game in light of them surpassing a target on Kickstarter.
Monaco’s developed Adam Schatz put it well, saying “To me, you should decide if the game is incomplete without those features. If the game is missing a finger, add a finger, if the game is not missing a finger, don’t add one. That’s sort of my take on Kickstarters.”
You can read more about the Kickstarter over here.