By Angelina Tang
The rise of independent work and self-employment after the pandemic has led to a fun rise in independent video game producers and Kickstarters. Not to say Kickstarters weren’t popular and successful before the pandemic, but recently, I’ve seen a bunch of ads for up and coming projects. Here are a few lovely projects to follow and support!
Boba Quest by Viridian Studios
Animal Crossing meets bubble tea in this “Multiplayer Cafe Battle Royale.” In this game, you run a bubble tea cafe serving cute little animal villagers. You can compete with other players to fight mobs, collect ingredients, craft recipes, and create custom recipes to serve. You can also play multiplayer and run a shop with a friend!
The Kickstarter is coming up soon, but they’ve put out a number of ads on social media, so keep your eyes peeled!
PuffPals: Island Skies by Fluffnest
There is something charming about farming and animals, particularly cute little plushie animals! Fluffnest is a company that has been producing plush animals called PuffPals, in addition to posters and stickers of the animals. They’re now making a “life simulator” game with the animals! Explore biomes on floating islands, meet the PuffPal animals who inhabit the islands as your neighbors, and create a farm. You can customize your avatar, unlock pets, and decorate your island.
The Kickstarter is already over and the game is on version 1.3 of alpha testing, so all that’s left to do is keep track of game updates and wait! You can check out the PuffPals products and plushies while you’re at it. The game will ultimately be available on PC, Mobile, and Nintendo Switch.
Way to the Woods by Anthony Tan
A Deer and a Fawn are left in an abandoned world. In this third-person puzzle adventure game, you’ll guide them through a beautiful world “seeped in oil” as they try to make their way back home. The duology of light and dark will be explored in this tale, and although it is apparently supposed to be short, its visuals and themes make it a soothing game to look forward to. The soundtrack is also by aivi and surasshu, the composers for the music of Steven Universe.
This game is listed on Steam as upcoming, and you can keep yourself posted on the developer’s website, waytothewoodsgame.com!
AfterLove EP by Pikselnesia
If you like art and music, this game is a peaceful little creation for you. Set in the Indonesian city of Jakarta, a young musician named Rama is struggling to come to terms with the passing of his girlfriend. Through a visual novel-style and hand-drawn graphics, explore Rama’s relationship with music and being a part of a band as he “learns to love again.” The art is super cute, the gameplay bears rhythm game elements, and the backgrounds all give a lovely little eastern city feel. The game is story-driven, as your choices of who to talk to and what decisions Rama makes will steer the story. As such, multiple endings can be achieved, if you’re a fan of those kinds of games.
AfterLove EP is the last work of game dev Mohammad Fahmi, who passed away in March 2022. His company, Pikselnesia, is devoted to finishing the work and bringing it to life. It’s listed on Steam as upcoming and planning to be released Q3 of 2024. You can download the demo today!
