Pixel Princess Blitz - Kickstarter roguelike/action RPG for PC, consoles at a later date

[Sean]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lanzegames/pixel-princess-blitz-sandbox-roguelike-action-rpg

This game caught my attention the other day and it gradually impressed me enough to throw some money at it. It's a "roguelike sandbox action RPG" with elements that feel reminiscent of tabletop games. There's a wealth of detail on the Kickstarter page that would be impossible for me to sum up entirely, but I'll try my best to condense it.

PPB's randomized overworld is divided into two basic gameplay elements: resource management and dungeon exploration. You travel on a grid-based map and visit towns, hunt for food, participate in quests, and interact with NPCs, many which are part of one of several different factions. Character interactions are touted to be meaningful and have lingering impact on your relationships with them and their tangentially-related factions. Dungeons seem to be freely explorable and resemble those in Zelda games. Combat is real-time and you can use different weapons. Because it is a roguelike, there is permadeath, so multiple playthroughs are likely to be encouraged.

What captivated me were the adorable pixel art style and the Zelda-like dungeons combined with the tabletop-like event-based overworld. There is quite a lot that is promised in this KS, probably enough to warrant concern as to whether the developers will follow up on all of their claims. However, the lead designer's tone is fairly candid and did a good job selling the game to me. I also think most, if not all of the promises pitched in this project are humble and within reason; there are no physical goods or simultaneous console ports, allowing more attention and funds to be poured into the game itself. If anything, the charming presentation in the trailer and the creator's earnest passion for the game are what make me cross my fingers and hope that they deliver everything they set out to do, rather than scoff at their ambitions.

As of this writing, the project is ending in four days and just recently managed to secure its base goal. It isn't likely that any of the stretch goals will be reached, but thankfully they are separate modes that don't hold the main story's quality at ransom. The priority here clearly lies with the main campaign, which satisfies me. I pledged enough to get into the closed beta, so suffice to say I'm pretty dang excited to give this game a shot a little bit sooner than its target release.