Greetings and welcome to the world of crowdfunding.

If you are new to crowdfunding and aren’t entirely sure of what I’m talking about, then scroll to the bottom of this page where you’ll find an explanation of this new and exciting phenomenon.

The table below lists all of the “classic” adventure games I have identified at Kickstarter and Indiegogo along with their status. If you should find any that I missed, or find an adventure game at another crowdfunding site, please send me the info so I can include it (bobw at justadventure dot com).

Note, this table only contains those campaigns that have succeeded or are still active. But just because the funding drive falls short doesn’t mean that the project is dead. Many times the project will either try again (HM Spiffing) or just go it alone with a smaller goal (making just Chapter 1 rather than the whole game, as 7^th Guest III did).

If you would like to see us follow other types of games such as FPS or RPG, you’re more than welcome to assemble additional tables for them. Just send the completed tables to me at bobw at justadventure dot com and I’ll make sure they are included. Oh, and thank you for volunteering :-).

First, a moment of silence for those campaigns that did not make it. They’ve been removed from the table.

You will notice that the table has gone through a metamorphosis. Hopefully, this new format will be friendlier to use. I was also able to catch up and include all of the games from Indiegogo. Since this is their first time in the table, they will be mentioned here.

Please leave a comment to tell me what you think and what could be done to make the table even more useful.

Also in the news, scroll to the very bottom of the table and note the very first game called High Strangeness. They claim to be the very first game of any genre to have a successful Kickstarter campaign, and they just released the completed game this month on Steam. So just be patient with the project you backed. It will get there eventually.

Herald – “Herald is an interactive period drama about colonialism. A choice-driven, 3D point and click adventure game for PC, Mac and Linux.”

Plugged – Point-and-click adventure using Unreal Engine 4 and Oculus Rift. It has multiple endings based on the player’s decisions. The bad news is that it would take a miracle for the campaign to succeed. The good news is that the game is already finished with four endings. The campaign was just to finance an additional four endings, bringing the total to eight. You will notice that the release date is only two months away.

a•part•ment – “Nick Connor just got dumped by Madison, his girlfriend of four years. Enter his life in the wake of their breakup and explore his memories of their relationship. a•part•ment is a narrative-driven adventure game that will be released for PC, Mac, and Linux in Spring 2016 on Steam and DRM-free. 

a•part•ment is an intimate look at Nick’s state of mind as he picks through the wreckage of his relationship with Madison. Join him as he seeks self-consolation in the apartment they once shared. Venture outside to visit his neighbors: a displaced loner, a lost daughter, a grieving widow, an uncertain newlywed. Enter their apartments — their lives, their relationships, their innermost thoughts — as they seek their own resolutions.”

The Gates of Charon – “Delve into an adventure based on Greek Mythology and Death. Where the ability to see right from wrong is blurred. 

‘The Gates of Charon’ will be an Episodic Adventure split across 5 different ‘Chapters’ the game will also evolve as you, and you have the ability to influence each ‘Path’ by how you play the game.”

Tokyo Dark – “There is an urban legend in Japan that, deep below the sewers of Tokyo, there is a door. All who enter are lost forever…

Tokyo Dark is a 2D point & click adventure game. A twisting detective story featuring a multitude of choices, non-linear puzzle-solving, and a deep branching narrative exploring the darker underbelly of Tokyo.”

The Mysterious Island of Secrets – “A survival adventure game about a plane crash, mysterious island and the mother nature´s power to control the whole Island!”

The Mystery of Oak Island – “Have you ever heard of the Oak Island Mystery?

It is the fantastic, TRUE story about the legendary hunt for an infamous treasure of unimaginable value supposedly hidden somewhere deep under the surface of Oak Island, Canada. 

The legend surrounding Oak Island started in 1795 when three men discovered a mysterious stone containing hieroglyphs and indications of a fabulous treasure. An incredible, centuries-long treasure hunt began. But all they found were dead ends, elaborate traps, insanity or even their own demise. To date, six treasure hunters have died on Oak Island due to unexplained circumstances. 

The Mystery of Oak Island is a thrilling point & click adventure game for PC, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android with a dark, gripping storyline that is based on the REAL, legendary treasure hunt on Oak Island – Nova Scotia, Canada. Our aim is to provide an intriguing story with challenging puzzles.”

Perception – “Perception is a first-person narrative horror adventure that tells the story of Cassie, a blind heroine who uses her extraordinary hearing and razor-sharp wits to unravel the mysteries of an abandoned estate that haunts her dreams. 

While Cassie doesn’t have an arsenal of weapons, she does have her wit, her cane and her smart phone. Armed with these tools, she finds clues to unravel history as she navigates her way through the home via echolocation. But the house and its deadly Presence go to great lengths to prevent her from deciphering its secrets. 

And yet, they won’t let her leave either. Surviving this deadly game of cat and mouse with the Presence is especially perilous when your only way of seeing is by means of sound, and so you must carefully weigh the risk of making too much noise against the possibility of being discovered by the terrifying Presence.

Once spotted, your only hope is to run, hide, and pray that it doesn’t find you. Cassie uses ambient sounds of the house as well, such as taking advantage of when the grandfather clock rings, or when a loud pipe whistles. She can throw objects and use items like alarms to create “sound bombs” to distract her enemies.”

The Eyes of Ara – “Become enthralled in an elaborate puzzle aventure in a stunning 3D environment. Explore a dusty old castle, riddled with secret vaults and hidden rooms. Solve elaborate puzzles, crack cunning codes, and collect cryptic devices to unravel the mystery of The Eyes of Ara!

For years the Old castle has remained quiet and undisturbed, and yet still the townspeople recall old stories of strange experiments, violent storms, and the eerie glow of ghostly lights dancing in the mist. Recently something inside the castle has awakened…”

Key to the Table

Articles/Reviews – Links to any articles and reviews at JustAdventure. Note, a star () in this field indicates that I think this game is worthy of special attention. It is a personal pick.

What is crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding is a relatively new resource which helps independent developers raise funds for their projects. Developers launch a funding drive, people who like the project pledge money towards it, and if enough money is pledged then the project takes off. The two sites which fund the most game development are Kickstarter and Indiegogo.

Game development has become a very complex and expensive endeavor. To create a top-notch professional game requires programmers, artists, musicians, actors, engineers who understand the nuances of shader algorithms and particle physics, and so on. Where do independent developers get those kinds of resources?

Historically, they would go to a publisher who would give them an advance (a loan based upon expected sales). But there were several problems with this paradigm.

First, they would have to convince the publisher that their game would be popular. Then the publisher would impose a deadline for the developer to deliver within, whether they thought it was finished or not. And frequently the publisher would retain legal rights to the game.

Crowdfunding gets around these problems by eliminating the middleman and going directly to the players. If the players want the game, they will put up the money to develop it. Any deadline is self-imposed by the developer so they can release it only when they are satisfied with it.  And the developer retains all rights to the game.

The players also win. They get to decide which games get published, and not some faceless executive. Also, by pledging early they can get exclusive bonuses such as signed artwork, tee-shirts and even inclusion in the game itself. But mostly, they win by getting better quality games which are not released until they are truly finished.

There are difficulties as well. The publisher normally takes care of advertising and promotion. With crowdfunding it’s totally up to the developer to get the word out. They may have the greatest game idea since tic-tac-toe, but if nobody knows about it then nobody will pledge towards it.

There is also no guarantee that the developer will actually complete the game. There has been the occasional scam where the developer just took the money and ran, but fortunately these are rare. So you will want to decide just how trustworthy the developer is before pledging, and not just how honest they are, but do they have the ability to actually finish what they start.

What happens when a really cool looking game doesn’t make their goal? Find the game’s website or facebook page.  Many times a project will continue, just without the help of Kickstarter.

What happens when you find out about a great game, but missed the campaign? Find the game’s website. Most developers allow backers to come late to the game via PayPal, although the rewards may be limited (i.e., you can still get the tee-shirt, but the signed posters are no longer available).

What if the game is finished and already released?  Check to see if it’s available in the JustAdventure Store.  If not, go to the game’s website for details. You may be able to purchase it through Steam, Humble Bundle, GOG or however the developer decides to distribute it. You would just lose out on the exclusive backer goodies.

Getting involved in a crowdfunding campaign can be a lot of fun. Check it out. WARNING: Kickstarter campaigns can be even more addicting than eBay auctions!