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PSP2, Switch 2 and Xbox... a brighter portable future? (Updated)

Adventures in Kickstarter; games, retro mags, comics and board games to back

I really should pay more attention to Kickstarter, but its kind of a mental gap in my online travels since the Vita games dried up. However, a raft of interesting games and related projects popped up recently that should definitely grab the retro/modern gamers attention. (Recent sporadic KS coverage here)

First up and going live today is Rayman the Boardgame from Flyos Games, bringing the cheeriness and luminosity of one of gaming's most charming heroes to the table top. Become a legend in the Glade of Dreams! Pick your hero, dodge obstacles, and save the Teensies in an epic adventure for 1 to 4 players!

Rayman Boardgame

Next up is GENERATIONS, a retro gaming mag from the Vita/Switch Player stable featuring deep dives into the history of both iconic titles and the technology behind them. The first issue (two-thirds funded with three weeks to go) is packed with insights from industry legends, including:

  •  An interview with Clock Tower and Steel Battalion creator, Hifumi Kono, by Alicia Haddick
  • An exploration of Pong with Lewis Packwood
  •  A deep dive into the first handheld game console, the Microvision, with Mike Diver
  •  The loneliness of Dragon Quest I by Eithan Rosemberg
  •  The creation of the ESRB ratings board by Rory Norris
  •  Dino Crisis and female empowerment by Rowen Cameron
  •  The importance of L.A. Noire's MotionScan tech by Morgan Ritson
  •  Delving into fear with the developers of Still Wakes the Deep by Andrew J. Dickinson
All presented in a perfect-bound Edge style 132-page magazine, keeping the off-screen reading tradition of gaming alive! 

Generations retro magazine

Another magazine on the way, already funded comes from long-time Vita supporter, Sandeep "2 Old 4 Gaming" Rai, with his latest RPM Issue 4 - The Unofficial Retro PlayStation Magazine, with stacks of info across all eras of PlayStation. 




For something a bit different, here's Brok the Investigator the comic book, already funded but well worth chipping into from CowCat Games, a long-time Vita developer. A comic seems a natural home for the pugilistic detective alligator, setting out his backstory and taking him on new adventures.   


brok investigator comic


And for an actual video game to play, check out The Cursed Legacy, just gone live and nearly funded from French developers GSG Studio. Devlopment is complete and you can buy a Steam version or the physical Mega Drive action explorer, with a similar vibe to Ultracore, packed with frenetic levels, big bosses and mini games. 

Cursed legacy mega drive

Finally, for now, Altered Alma from 2Awesome is a multi-platform Metroidvania that screams character across the cyberpunk world of Neo Barcelona. I get a sense of ScourgeBringer with the death-dealing ballet but stretching across an exiting city packed with adventure, mystery and people to slice with your Quantum Blade. 

altered alma, metroidvania

I'll add some more as they grab my interested, please DM me if you want a vaguely relevant, left-field or fun project mentioned. 

Currently playing on my Vita/PS4/PS5