Rain World Has Slugcats, Kickstarter
Project Rain World launched its Kickstarter today, racking in almost 60% funding in its first 24 hours. The two-man development team has earned $15,000 in pledges towards their $25,000 base-funding goal which will help them produce the “complete realization” of their three-year passion project. Along with general development costs, the Kickstarter funds will help the team hire a skilled C++ contractor, pay for licenses and other fees, and buy zero jet-skis.
In Rain World, players will control a hungry Slugcat, a droopy alien life-form complemented by slick “physics based animation” that looks impressively fluid even in the game’s alpha stage. Touted as survival-platformer, players will scrounge for resources while hungry predators relentlessly give chase. And what’s a Rain World without rain? Deadly, “bone-crushing” rain adds yet another threat to the savage environment.
The creatures of Rain World are animated with a combination of code and traditional animation. This makes them soft and bendable, and responsive to their surroundings.
Like its creatures, Rain World oozes with personality, from its washed-out 16-bit art-style to its grim chiptune score. The game is more than its aesthetic however, and the developers seem set on delivering to players the best possible experience. Rain World will offer both co-operative and competitive gameplay, and the developers intend to flesh out an open-ended, consequential narrative.
The talent behind the game is graphic designer Joar Jakobsson and sound designer James Primate. Jakobsson is the artist and programmer responsible for the (adorable?) Slugcats, while Primate is producing the haunting chiptune soundtrack and game ambiance.
Set for release on PC and Mac, Kickstarter backers who pledge $25 or more will get early access to the game, estimated for August of this year. For everyone else, Rain World will hopefully be arriving by the end of the year. There is also a Steam Greenlight page for those so inclined. Even more information can be found on their devlog (spanning over 70 pages) here
