Lobodestroyo, an Indie Rare-esque Platformer

[Tani Coyote]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUOVRHqlbRY

Lobodestroyo Kickstarter

Hello fellow platformer enthusiasts. It has come to my attention that there’s an indie platforming title in development that has only a few days to go before its limit is up, and so here I am doing my part to spread the word!

Lobodestroyo is described by its dev team as:

 

Lobo is an action platformer with an emphasis on item collection and exploration. Taking on the role of Mutt, a naive and unlikely hero, players will run, flip, and dropkick across 9 unique, interconnected worlds.

Inspired by the boss battles of MegaMan players take on a league of sinister villains in a themed game world. By defeating and unmasking each of these villanos, Mutt gains new abilities and powers. Doing his best impression of Metroid’s Samus Aran, Mutt uses these newfound abilities to retread through previously explored territory to unlock new areas and secrets. All worlds are found and unlocked from the game’s overworld which holds it’s own challenges and secrets for players to discover a la Banjo-Kazooie.

Lobo is basically meant to be a spiritual successor to the games of the Rare era and a back-to-basics platformer. It has raised 10k in the last 4 days, but needs a little over 10k more to reach its goal. The video I linked is an unofficial ad by the game’s composer Gooseworx, complete with some beta screenshots and some music samples. From the visible concept art, all sorts of worlds are visible, one of the ones most notable to me being a Disneyland parody that is on fire.

The premise is that the main character Mutt is a member of a wolf tribe under a hero by the name of Lobodestroyo, with the tribe working to keep the peace in the region by locking up some of the most dangerous criminals. The game’s events follow the defeat of Lobodestroyo and the apparent destruction of the wolf tribe, forcing Mutt to take up the mantle of the fallen hero and work to restore peace to the region by defeating all the game’s antagonists, the Villanos, who have escaped imprisonment.

Lobo is also working closely with the indie Mario Kart-inspired racer Super World Karts. Those who back both projects receive Mutt as an exclusive DLC in the racer.

For backers, perks range from having one's name put in the game as a texture to obtaining secret areas that are unavailable to others. Also of note are efforts to get celebrities such as JonTron to lend their voice to the game, something that will be helped along enormously by the funding. If it reaches its goal, it intends to release on Wii U, PC, Mac, and Ouya; stretch goals would allow it to be developed for PS4 and Xbox One.

I cannot donate money myself, lacking a credit card, but I figured I could at least spread the word. Anyone else think this could be a fun little title should it reach its goal?

[MegasonicZX]

Looks great, loving the emergence of classic platforming lately (though I might have to kill him for that remark on unleashed, jk) and I hope this gets funded, I might fund  a bit later when I get the chance.

[Nepenthe]

This is a game after my heart. It literally looks like a reskinned Banjo Kazooie or something. The character design, the music, the exploration-based levels; it's all there. My current dilemma right now is basically deciding between a $25 or $50 donation. Thanks a bunch for sharing this.

[RK64]

Wow, now that looks quite interesting . That guy seems like a really cool dude being so excited about the project, and the fact that the music and world looks something ripped right out of Banjo is great too. I hope the game gets funded so it can a be an wonderful game .

Would back it myself...but don't have a credit card .

[Arcade Racer CC14]

A podcast interview with the game's developers where they talk a bit more in detail about the project.

 

Really interested in seeing this become a reality on Wii U. The type of gameplay, character, and humor are definitely right up my alley and a game of this nature has been sorely missed for a while. Plus, the developers are really passionate about it, which is always nice. Don't have any money to spare myself, but I'll be spreading the word where I can.

[Chooch]

Coming to Wii U is nice but coming to PS4 and Xbox One would be even better. At the very least I just hope the game makes its initial funding goal 'cause I really wanna play it.

[Winston]

>JonTron might be one of the bosses.

 

Well that's good enough for me to start giving my money, here I don't need this, just take it.

[gala]

This game looks really cool, I hope that it reaches it's target. I unfortunatly would not get to play it, as I do not have a gaming PC to play it on, nor do I plan to get a PS4 or XBone

[Tani Coyote]

While I'm here, a thought occurs. If they don't reach their funding goal... would they be able to simply start again at no penalty? I'd presume they'd lose the accumulated donations, but theoretically people could just re-donate, yes?

It is going to be a tight call with the funding, so I'm curious how Kickstarter's policies work. This project's biggest problem is lack of exposure, I think (compare to No. 9, which made a ton of money because quite simply it had Mega Man's creator associated with it). But as the word spreads, it'd be possible for another campaign to be more successful as it'll have more time and more default backers.

With regards to the Banjo Kazooie comments: I don't think the composer was kidding when he said this is probably as close as one will get to Banjo 3.

[Nepenthe]

Just gave them $25, although I'm not all that positive it's gonna reach the goal. Still, every little bit helps I guess.

 

Granted, they say very specifically in one of the blog posts that if the game does not get funded, it will simply not be able to get done in the state we know it as. They would be interested in continuing down the line with a smaller scale project, but the Lobodestroyo they're presenting will not be the one we see released if this doesn't make its goal. I imagine that's due to whatever Kickstarter policies enact with projects that don't meet their goals.

[Tani Coyote]

Well that's a bummer, even if they got the funding on another try?
 

Can I retry my project if funding is unsuccessful?

Yes. You can always try again and relaunch with a new goal, whenever you're ready. You’ll need to set your project up from scratch, but it can be essentially identical if you choose.

It sounds like they're free to try again with no penalties, though they'd just have to start from scratch. Presumably the reputation would still be intact, so the 60 day limit is more of a formality than anything.

 

It'd be a real shame if it didn't make it. Between the music and concepts it really looks like a good project. It has the right mix of nostalgic elements while also doing something fresh and new.

[Marcello]

Wow, this looks really good. If I could, I'd donate. I really hope the game makes it.

[Conando]

So it will come to Wii U by default if it's funded? Shiet. Wish I had the money to donate.

[JezMM]

Honestly the character designs and style aren't really appealing to me that much, so on the basis that I've backed way too many games lately, I'll have to give this one a miss, which is a shame because more projects like A Hat in Time is no bad thing.  But I just can't spare the cash for fruitful "I kind of want it sure!" stuff at this time of year.

[Tani Coyote]

So it will come to Wii U by default if it's funded? Shiet. Wish I had the money to donate.

Looking over the blog, the Wii U is going to be one of the default platforms. They have a special deal with Ouya that funds will be matched per dollar, in exchange for keeping it Ouya exclusive for a limited time. After that, it would go to PC, Mac, and Wii U.

The Wii U was originally not part of the plan but it looks like so many Nintendo fans supported it that they decided to make the Wii U one of the default consoles.

[Conando]

Well, Nintendo supports Unity and helps devs who want to get their game on Wii U. So I'm honestly surprised more kickstarters don't go to Nintendo after the PC release.

[Nepenthe]

Decided to check up on this game again and it's mostly good news. The game's Kickstarter only needs $640 to complete it's goal within 32 hours. There must've been a giant push somewhere out there, because it needed a good $10,000 not too long ago. Here's hoping they make it.

[Tani Coyote]

Down to 630 now... time to flex my PR muscles and share this wherever it'd be relevant!

I'll probably just give my Dad a call and ask if I can use his card to donate a little. He owes me for all the green I've been bringing him, anyway.

I'm really optimistic! It's cutting it close but it's all very possible if just a few more people donate. It'd be a shame if it didn't make the mark.

[Tani Coyote]

Double posting to report that it has reached the goal! I feel sorry for the PS4 and XBO users but hey, maybe this will help the Wii U out a bit by adding a great-looking retro title to the lineup.

Backers are getting the game in December 2014. As Ouya's double funds program seems to require six months of exclusiveness, that means we'll probably see the game for Wii U, PC and Mac come July or August 2014.

...this is making me want to throw in a quick 15-25 dollars though just so I don't have to wait.

[Marcello]

PS4 looks doable in the remaining time. Less than 2000$ needed. XBO might, too, but I wouldn't bet on it. I was already surprised the original goal was reached.

 

 

Backers are getting the game in December 2014. As Ouya's double funds program seems to require six months of exclusiveness, that means we'll probably see the game for Wii U, PC and Mac come July or August 2014.

What's this double funds program? The developers get twice the money or something?

[Chooch]

Oh man, I was worried that this game might not get funded. I'm happy it made it past the initial funding goal.

 

If it makes it to PS4 I'll be even happier.

[Nepenthe]

What's this double funds program? The developers get twice the money or something?

 

I believe the double fund program is that Ouya will double your initial Kickstarter fund in exchange for limited exclusivity. So basically, this game is actually looking at a budget of around $74,000 right now.

[Tani Coyote]

Kickstarter takes a fee of 15% from the sum generated on its website, but overall, yes, what Nepenthe said. This game is looking at a fairly sizable budget overall, at least definitely enough I think the final product we'll see next year is going to be miles ahead of the barebones version we've seen. It looks like they've got a lot of the basic layout and stuff already done, so now it's just a case of really building a quality product.

I hope they land JonTron as a voice in the game; even if he's likely to ask for a sizable fee, I can only presume he'd plug it on his channel and thus generate tons of sales.

Meanwhile I'll probably arrange a small donation today just so I can get the game early... 6 months is too long for me to wait! I'm just amazed 9 people donated 1k... some folks REALLY wanted a spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie, clearly!

[Marcello]

I believe the double fund program is that Ouya will double your initial Kickstarter fund in exchange for limited exclusivity. So basically, this game is actually looking at a budget of around $74,000 right now.

 

 

Kickstarter takes a fee of 15% from the sum generated on its website, but overall, yes, what Nepenthe said. This game is looking at a fairly sizable budget overall, at least definitely enough I think the final product we'll see next year is going to be miles ahead of the barebones version we've seen. It looks like they've got a lot of the basic layout and stuff already done, so now it's just a case of really building a quality product.

I hope they land JonTron as a voice in the game; even if he's likely to ask for a sizable fee, I can only presume he'd plug it on his channel and thus generate tons of sales.

Meanwhile I'll probably arrange a small donation today just so I can get the game early... 6 months is too long for me to wait! I'm just amazed 9 people donated 1k... some folks REALLY wanted a spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie, clearly!

 

Oh, wow, that's really cool of Ouya. I'm surprised about it, though. I thought it was an independentally made console that ended up bombing. How can they afford that?

[Winston]

I hope they land JonTron as a voice in the game; even if he's likely to ask for a sizable fee, I can only presume he'd plug it on his channel and thus generate tons of sales.

It probably wouldn't be that hard to win Jon over, especially with how they're describing the game.