Wicked Crush – Crowd Funding Pick

Missing a couple weeks of this column, there was one game that left an impression when browsing through projects weeks ago; and that game is, Wicked Crush. As I write this, the project has only 10 days to go but is below the funding still at only $3,500 of the $15,000 they are asking for. This is unfortunate because though the game seems overly simplistic at first, the concept is more interactive and community driven than what first glance may present.

First of all, all of the 2D characters and enemies are hand drawn, frame by frame using Flash, Photoshop and a Wacom Tablet. At the early stages of development the plan is to allow the player to customize the character’s gender, skin, hair, and equipment color. However, anything beyond that is still not promised because everything is done by hand.

What grabbed me the most about this project was its idea that the community builds the dungeons. Players will be able to create a dungeon for others to play. When you enter your game, the dungeon will be randomly generated based on a user’s creation. If you die, the creator of the level acquires extra points above what they would receive if you passed it the first time.

The dungeon editor function alone makes this game something I could see a large community get involved in, provided they have the resources to truly do what they envision.

While creating a level, you can zoom in and out using either the mouse wheel or the left and right trigger if you are using a controller.  After the level is complete, everything will be textured and turned into polygons automatically.

Dungeon Editor Screen from Wicked Crush Tumblr

The initial plan is for Wicked Crush to be put on Steam, and later receive Mac and Linux support.

I listed this game as the Crowd Funding Project of the Week not because of its huge fan base and large amount of financial support. I mention it because this game had left an impression on me long enough that when I came back to this column this was the first game that came to my mind. Sure there are lots of other great projects out there, that I have not (yet) mentioned but this one deserves some credit. I am curious to see how this project will end up, and hope to see more.

For $10 you can receive a copy of Wicked Crush, provided they receive their $15,000 goal.

This Kickstarter project is also part of the Kicking It Forward movement, which means 5% of their proceeds will go towards other projects.

You can check out the development Tumblr here.