This Week in Kickstarter, we've got retro games, controllable smells, and personal cameras with a variety of functions.
Night City Assault
A story-based beat 'em up combining RPG gameplay and mission design with Metroidvania-style exploration.
A sprite based beat 'em up that features RPG progression, an extensive set of combat moves, exploration ala Metroidvania, and a mission-based campaign. It can be played solo or as a two-player co-op. The game also has large levels and missions provided by citizens you run into. There are more than 20 unique enemies and bosses.
Night City Assault offers the freedom to explore levels at your will. Players can level up Roy and Cindy (the main characters) through experience, and the two can learn new moves and abilities. There are collectible "80's nostalgia items" for extra rewards. The game is available PC and Mac with stretch goals for PS4 and Wii U versions.
The flavor of Night City Assault is its strongest selling point, and manages to reprise and even parody the buddy cop movies and beat 'em up games of the NES days without going over the top. I would have liked to see some of the expanded moves, maybe a suplex or some hand to gun moves, as the video mostly shows the same attacks, and in a beat 'em up the combat is everything. The smooth animations really caught my eye and its influences from games like Final Fight and Double Dragon show.
Pixel Vision
A pocket-sized emulator for the dedicated gamer, handmade from solid American walnut.
A project by one man with an eye for exquisite aesthetics, this geek-chic device emulates your past favorites in style. The Pixel Vision is a game system that's handmade, pocket sized, and portable. It's clam shell design, inspired by the GameBoy Advance SP, encases a classic emulating system that reprises the NES, Atatari 2600, Game Boy, and others.
This dapper throwback can store over 10,000 games. Software can be added through a USB port. It comes with eight hours of battery and a custom made soft case for travel. The device has a limited 500 unit run, and it's body is made of solid American walnut and cast acrylic. The device is both scratch resistant and should keep fingerprints away.
This looks more than just good, it looks great! A real conversation piece and lovely way to catch up on some of your retro favorites. I can't speak to how comfortable it would actually be to play, its shape doesn't appear suited for extensive sessions of play. It's wonderful design and even the presentation of the screen shape create something unique and special, that brings a clear competitive edge to other Kickstarters vying for your funding.
Arcadia Quest: Inferno
Lead your Guild of heroes into Inferno, fight the demons and loot the Underworld.
Building upon the basic gameplay of it's predecessor, Arcadia Quest: Inferno sees each player controlling a Guild of three unique heroes completing a campaign with multiple branching paths. Every scenario presents different quests that must be completed to win, along with a number of monsters that will need to be dealt with. The monsters react to the heroes' actions, so no one has to play game master.
Defeating enemies and completing quests earns you coins, which you can use to acquire legendary weapons, armor, magic items, and new abilities. Combining each hero's unique abilities with different upgrades you'll earn through the campaign allows players to create unexpected combos. The game is a standalone box, but is compatible with previous Arcadia Quest boxes. It features 12 scenarios, and a two distinct paths with separate quest lines.
The art style of this game is a major draw for me, and the set up for quests is well made. Particularly, never needing a DM means if you are knee deep in a campaign, you'll never have the unfortunate scenario where the DM is sick and you have to decide if one of you will pull double duty. It's comparability with previous games can potentially expand its value if you already own those. Over all, this game has a solid presentation. It also has a rather extensive list optional accessories if you're the type that likes really filling up your glass cabinet with painted figurines.
YoCam
A versatile, waterproof camera that integrates the functions of several competitors.
Boldly claiming you can "forget about GoPro, DropCam, baby monitors, dash cams and selfie cams", the YoCam aims to be a simple, all in one device. Designed and engineered to be the smallest (and lightest) water proof life camera in the world, YoCam is crafted to meet your everyday needs. It accomplishes this by being powerful, versatile, and affordable.
YoCam records in MoSteady stabilized 2.7K, a 140º wide angle lens, Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi. It also has an IP68 rating (basically you'll never have to worry about water or dust because it'll handle both fine.) It can be submerged, housing-free, 20 feet underwater. It also has an F2.0 aperture for low light conditions. It records in 30 fps, great for action videos, vlogs, or monitoring your daughter....
um....... um..... ok then. (Real talk, the funniest part of this image is that it doesn't even specify if that's his daughter.)
YoCam looks like a worthy buy for someone looking to just record the little moments of their life, like checking their form when working out, or just goofing off at the swimming pool. To be honest, I've never understood the fun of videotaping your friends and yourself at the pool like so many of these personal cameras seem to advertise. Am I supposed to watch it later or something? But maybe that's just what's "hip" and "with it" these days. The YoCam still provides value at its price point, mostly for its weather-proofing. It would undoubtedly be a useful second camera for when I'm doing interviews.
Deserted
A journey into the depths of a ravaged planet, fighting for survival against unknown terrors.
A 3rd person action game that delves deep into a ravaged planet, Deserted features visuals inspired by Out This World, and features light rpg elements. Combat is fast paced, challenging, and designed like the 16 bit era games of old. The game also features a skill tree system and upgradeable weapons.
In the game you'll find vast landscapes, and high spires bringing grand visuals to a world rich in secrets and puzzles. Players will shape the narrative as they progress through the planet, and uncover their place in the universe. There is also co-op gameplay, and players can customize their appearance.
Deserted has a killer presentation, its dark, yet bloomed visuals create an atmosphere that's beautiful, yet unnerving. I don't know how I feel about having co-op in this game, as the "point" seems to be about the isolation of exploring this planet, but playing the game might show there is more going on than being an isometric Metroid. The perspective leaves something to be desired in some shots. Deserted has the unholy angle where a staircase looks like a ladder because the angle makes it difficult to determine the depth of the steps. I also noticed when there weren't just walking past stuff for the trailer, the player spammed the dash button, which could mean the player character is uncomfortably slow. Still the chance to explore this strange world, and all while solving puzzles and experiencing the narrative, could make this a really stellar game.
Pura Scents
A customization nightlight/air freshener.
If you're home needs a customized look, and smell, the Pura Scents is a tool that might suit your needs. Featuring multiple scents, and the option for two fragrances per dispenser, users can freshen up their apartment or house from whatever the hell your roommate did in the bathroom. The light inside can display practically any color, and users can customize its color, brightness,
The device features a rotating plug to fit in any outlet, and can even be charged via USB. The device is designed to (through updates) work with other products like Nest, IFTTT, and others, with updates coming through the cloud. The dispenser can be scheduled for certain times, and fir specific fragrances. It can even be turned on right before you get home via WiFi, and can auto sleep if no one is home.
I think the Pura Scents would be a fantastic option for an office environment. While homes could use it too, I think the specifics of this device, the precise controlling of the environments' look and smell, are tailored to the office and business markets. If we actually had offices here (TechRaptor's HQ is just a re-purposed lemonade stand) I could see a utility in the Pura Scents for meeting people, or even in a sales pitch. Even for the consumer end, having the choice between two scents, and altering the color of the room a little bit, just by fiddling with an app on my phone is a pretty neat prospect that would make a nice Christmas gift.
Disclaimer: The author (Bryan Heraghty) does not back any Kickstarter projects he writes about, nor are any of these inclusions sponsoring TechRaptor. These projects are included solely because the author thinks they are interesting.
What are your thoughts on some of the Kickstarters we saw this week? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below! If you have a game or technology Kickstarter you think deserves attention, you can either comment below, email TechRaptor, or tweet @techraptr or @greyhoodedbryan your suggestion!
