Update: Spindle's Kickstarter campaign has concluded with a grand total of €59,091 pledged. The game was already confirmed as coming to Switch.
Here's the update released by the developer:
Done! That was a very exciting 32 days. We've had all the emotions you can have in a Kickstarter campaign. The endless joy on the first day when we collected over 9,000€. The doubts as to whether we will even make it in the days when we couldn't even collect 300€ a day. And then the last two days brought us over the magical limit of 55,000€!
In total, we were able to collect over 59,000€ with your help. That means that we will receive around 53,000€.
The next step is probably the tax advisor. Because of course, we have to pay taxes on this money. But as little as possible!
After so many years and the exhausting Kickstarter, we want to use September to relax. Then further planning can start!
Original Story [Thu 29th Jul, 2021 16:00 BST]: It's easy enough to get on board with games that follow the tried and trusted Zelda formula based on that simple fact alone, but what if we told you there was a Zelda-like that lets you play as both Death and a pig. You're sold already, right?
Spindle is an "old-school Zelda-esque" action-adventure that's hoping to secure a launch on Switch; the small team of developers behind the project have started a Kickstarter campaign to help them through the game's creation. They're looking for 55,000€ in total, which will help push the team over the line and get the game published on Steam and, eventually, Switch too.
As you'd expect from any Zelda-like, the game has you fighting enemies, solving puzzles and exploring dungeons – you can get a good taste of the gameplay in the trailer above, and there's also a free playable demo to check out if you're interested.
"In Spindle, you are the new Death, and together with a pig as a companion, you are in search of the reason why nobody in this world can die anymore. Free the world from chaos before it's too late!
You'll explore classic puzzle dungeons, search for your lost abilities, fight tricky bosses, and best of all: The Pig is playable, too!"
It certainly looks like it has potential, so make sure to check the Kickstarter to learn more about the project's creation and pledge your support if you're a fan.
Before you go, though, feel free to also share your thoughts on this one with us in the comments below.
Comments (44)
PAH kickstarter not on your life will I back another computer game on there. Still waiting on Hazelnut Bastille since 2018......
This looks ok but not amazing enough for me. It has the blandness of many Zelda like games lacking the magic and bedazzle sadly.
@Patendo
Game development takes a long time.
At least Hazelnut Bastille has some transparency into the development process, there are some highly elaborate flow charts that show the extent of the planning behind the game progression.
@RupeeClock oh I get that but I am not backing anymore computer games but you crack on.
These games would look more appealing if they weren’t advertised as something they are not. Zelda is not a genre or game type. Metroid is not a genre or game type. Castlevania is not a genre or game type.
If my statements are false, then why aren’t there “genre” style games that are Mario-esque? Where is the “Final Fantasy-vania” genre? Oh right, because the games that define those genres are properly marketed: 2-D platformer and JRPG, respectively.
Don’t fall for bad marketing, ESPECIALLY from Kickstarter style games. If they have to state that their genre is the name of another game, then it’s not what you will be expecting it to be.
I would never give any of my money to any kickstarter project!
But the pig is playable, get my wallet!
The horseman of aporkalypse
I'll see myself out
@BloodNinja I'm sick of most indie game descriptions as zelda-like, love letter to classic game series.
Yes! A demo! These kinds of games look interesting but there are so many of them, and let's be serious, I love indie games, play a lot of them, but indie games in development have a high potential to burn you. Maybe I don't want to commit to forking over so much. But a demo? Zero risk. Play the demo, enjoy the game, buy the game with confidence. All games need demos.
And I don't have a problem with games being labelled "Zelda-like." Ya'll need to chill.
@dew12333 The pig is playable. An early puzzle in the demo involves the pig being able to access something you can't, and the last thing you unlock is being able to switch between the two.
Demo is short and cute. Story seems like it might be legitimately interesting, but except for playing the pig there isn't anything in the demo that suggests something fresh gameplay wise - but it's smoothly put together.
@elias84631 Exactly. This thing isn’t doing what Zelda did. Why these developers are afraid to stand on their own two feet is beyond me.
@BloodNinja they literally never mentioned Zelda on their kickstarter page. It might be this article's author that decided to call it that.
@labsdex My argument is directed at anybody who uses false marketing.
That's 3 articles in one week where NintendoLife has described another game as Zelda or Metroid.
Lol @BloodNinja beat me to it
As for this game, the graphics are cute but the overworld seems barren.
I just finished the browser demo and yeah I would describe it as Zelda-like. The demo anyway. It's got a simple Zelda-like puzzle dungeon and a very Zelda-like boss battle. It has a more gothic atmosphere.
I hope that by the end of the game Death gets rewarded with some good bacons out of this.
@labsdex They literally did everything except mention Zelda in their description.
"We grew up with the NES and SNES and fell in love with the classics."
"We love the classic 2D top-down Action-Adventure games of the 16bit era and their dungeons: ."
"Each dungeon will have a unique quirk. Of course, you need your newly acquired skills for each boss in order to defeat him."
"With Spindle we would like to create a game that follows the essence of the games of the old times: A living world that tells an exciting story, packed with interesting NPCs, stories, and secrets."
There's even a fishing mini-game...
I actually don't have a problem with people "copying" as even Nintendo copied their ideas from others. As long as they do a good job, who cares? And for new game dev's, why not work with a more derivative clone of something everybody likes.
@AvianBlue @BloodNinja Yes, I prefer to use the genre's true designation, "Top-down-adventure-game-featuring-overworld-dungeons-and-item-based-progress." Rolls off the tongue.
You're basically arguing over how language evolves at this point. You might as well try to get people to stop saying "literally" for emphasis.
@Patendo - Imagine Cryamore supporters... Hehehe.... Heh.
But on topic; If it's not Death Jr., then I care not for it.
That is one of the blandest art styles I’ve seen in fkrever
@nimnio
I believe @BloodNinja adequately addressed your argument in his/her initial comment. But if you want to call the game "Top-down-adventure-game-featuring-overworld-dungeons-and-item-based-progress", then that's your prerogative.
Top down adventure game, or dungeon crawler, or action adventure game are more succinct and would suffice.
@AvianBlue And yet despite your preference, literally the entire world will continue to call them Zelda-likes.
@nimnio Taken from the first line of the wiki entry:
"The Legend of Zelda is a high fantasy action-adventure video game franchise created by Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka."
Action-adventure is really easy to say, and more of an indication of what it is. So much for language evolving.
You need to rethink your usage of the word "literal."
I don't need to look, but I can 100% guarantee that the wiki on the Metroid page doesn't call the game a "Metroidvania," either. Oops, that says "action-adventure" as well. Heh.
WIKI NINJA APPROVED
@BloodNinja It's a waste of time to argue against actual usage of words. You're not going to change usage by arguing about it.
"Literally" is a great example. The war against "inappropriate" use of "literally" has already been lost, and the world has moved on, excepting a minority of pedants.
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/literally
https://www.oed.com/viewdictionaryentry/Entry/109061
Even dictionaries record language how it is used, not how a minority feel it should be used. You can't "math and logic" your way out of this by referencing Wikipedia or any other authority, and it's pretty obvious to most of us that "Metriodvania" and "Zelda-like" are here to stay.
@nimnio If it's a waste of time, why are you arguing with me?
@BloodNinja A cabal of BloodNinja fans pay me to argue with you, increasing the number of BloodNinja comments to read.
@nimnio Cool story bruh
The fact that two very different games like Zelda and Metroid are defined as action-adventure demonstrates the need for more specific expressions to describe games more like one than the other. Hoist.
@Patendo 3 years is not a long time, especially since Covid has been around for a good chunk of that. Try waiting 7 years for Koe!!! =0p
I like the way it looks, but I don't do kickstarters unless I know the company and their reputation. I probably would, but too many people have been burnt when all they did was support something in good faith. I feel bad for the honest companies that lose out because of this though.
Looks nice, but have made a rule to only back games with Physicals
@nimnio I was reading your comments about the use of words like metroidvania and Zeldaesque etc.
I too hate these expressions and really hate the fact that we are allowing 'marketing' to introduce fashionable words in order to sell their products. Creating buzz words that will make them more likely to be picked up on google searches or create clicks.
Surely only marketing people see this as a good thing!
Calling it a Zelda-like implies exactly what it is. Calling it a "top down action-adventure" is not going to connect the same dots with people.
Nowadays indie devs are forced to use these terms, and they are forced to list all of their sources of inspiration because otherwise you get the opposite of these comments, which is "why won't you admit it's a Zelda-like?" or "admit your game is inspired by XYZ game"
People love comparing new games to existing games... It's the first thing most people do when they look at a game. They think "what is this game similar to" almost immediately.
Man that screenshot of the fishing... always bugs me when a pixel art style rotates the pixels like those fish, and then you have the fishing wire being non-pixel art too!
@BloodNinja How would you call the genre of a Zelda? A top-down adventure? Never heard that, but it could be.
It looks pretty good, but I'm done with the hype for indies. If the game is good, I'll buy it. Otherwise, I won't.
I’m with ya @BloodNinja. My other pet peeve is games referred to as Rogue-like or -lite (that people love misspelling as Rouge). But if y’all want to call them Castleroids or Zelda-isms, then that’s up to you. Happy gaming
@ItsJustAnotherGamer Because people are waiting for the new zelda and play some cheap zelda like title to not get bored in their patience.
Any game that crutches on another IP to get interest probably ain't worth much. How'd Baldo work out for you guys 🤣
@ItsJustAnotherGamer That's okay. Those games are made as a time filler while you waiting for the zelda botw2. I prefer to play older games or indies that worth it.
@BloodNinja Lol yet everyone fawned over Baldo because it looked like Zelda and Ghibli (which, no, it didn't lol) turned out to be hot garbage.
@nimnio Not often does a Nintendo Life comment make me literally LOL
@HotGoomba Indie game scene in a nutshell
Hope they make it look better. It's hard for me to get into 8 bit looking games. Death's door was great & wasn't anything special graphics wise.
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