#kickstart ventures

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Teridion raises $20 Million in Series B round from Kickstart Ventures

Teridion raises $20 Million in Series B round from Kickstart Ventures

Teridion, Cloud based networking startup based out of San Francisco has raised $20 Million in Series B round led by Kickstart Ventures, A Philippine based VC Firm owned by Globe Telecom. The round also saw participation from SingTel Innov8, Jerusalem Venture Partners, and Magma Ventures. Founded in 2013, it helps the companies deploy and scale their apps and content in the cloud using the…

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Ending Soon: Dead Synchronicity

Dystopian and post-apocalyptic titles are pretty commonplace in media in any form, and with good reason. It takes a bleak look at what the future could hold for humanity should it ever stray towards the path of self-destruction. A warning letter to future generations to get their act together, if you will. And to stand out in the crowd you'd need to have some something unique to get people to take notice of it. Dead Synchronicity promises the standard trope and more. With a twist unlike any other that's come before it.

Take your typical post-apocalyptic nightmare and you've got the very basic story behind Dead Synchronicity. However, unlike most tales of a dark future this bleak and desolate wasteland isn't caused by wars or is entirely manmade. What causes the downfall of civilization as we know it is a series of natural disasters known as the "Great Wave". And with it a group of people known as the "Dissolved", individuals with powerful cognitive powers that doom them to a quite painful death as they literally melt.

Another side effect of the Great Wave, other than the creation of the Dissolved, is a phenomena known as the "DS Effect". Dead Synchronicity is a term coined to describe the dissolving of time itself. Enter Michael, a man who has no memory of his past. Known affectionately as a "blankhead", these people have no past. And it's up to Michael to find his identity and to help stop Dead Synchronicity. Can he do it in time? Only by playing the full game can you find out.

The look of Dead Synchronicity is one full of sharp angles and dark colors. Perfect for a glance into such a bleak future. The characters take on a harsher appearance using this style and it adds a depth to the already rusty colors in the background locations.

Dead Synchronicity only has four days left on the clock and they could use an extra push to get them over the finish line. They're asking for $45,000 and have managed to grab around $34K so far. They can make it but only with your help. They've promised Windows PC, Mac, Linux, and iOS ports without a stretch goal, which means that most of the major platforms are being supported. If dark and depressing futures are your thing, then you can't go wrong with Dead Synchronicity. It's got the makings of a good point-and-click adventure game.

If you're still on the fence about backing, Fictiorama Studios have released a demo that you can try out before jumping in. They also have a Steam Greenlight campaign going on, so give it an upvote while you're there. For their Kickstarter page, click here.

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Ending Soon: The Book of Unwritten Tales 2

What do you get when you take a gnome mage, an elf princess, a dashing rogue (he actually made me say it), and a...whatever and put them together in a fantasy setting? No, it's not another boring fantasy MMO. Yep, you guessed it. It's another adventure game, courtesy of the good folks at King Art Games, and the Kickstarter campaign is nearing the end of its run. If you haven't checked it out yet, you should point your browser to the sequel to The Book of Unwritten Tales. The original never took itself seriously, and the follow-up looks to continue the trend of breaking the fourth wall.

 The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 takes place about a year after the first game leaves off, with our four heroes having thwarted the nefarious plans of the Shadow Army to gain a legendary artifact that grants wishes or something. The adventures that Wilbur, Nate, Ivo, and Critter had can best be described as a thinly disguised spoof on the Lord of the Rings and similar stories. No, seriously. A freakin' pint-sized squirt is given a ring to take to an archmage. No travel to Mount Doom here, though. The ring brings a message very much reminiscent to a certain scene in the first Star Wars movie. And the pop culture references don't stop there. Oh, no. Puns and bad jokes abound in the universe created by King Art, some obscure but many that will have players either groaning or laughing their posteriors off. I had played the first game in order to see if I'd enjoy the sequel and I actually really loved the little nods to World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Discworld, Indiana Jones and all the other spoofs. Pretty much nothing was sacred. And the fourth wall was often not just broken but smashed. As with any good adventure game that's not set in a Myst-like world where it's just you and the environment, character interaction plays a big part in shaping the world and the four heroes' quest. Some will be returning from the previous games but others will be met for the first time here. Some of the best moments in the first game take place during interactions between the player and others. I particularly enjoyed Nate trying to deal with a rather..."metrosexual" paladin (or so he claimed).  The game has already reached its funding goal by a very respectable margin. And most of the stretch goals have also been unlocked. Among these are optional side quests (RPG fans rejoice), unlockable outfits based on said side quests (fans of playing dress-up rejoice), orchestral recordings (fans of good music rejoice), and a behind-the-scenes documentary (documentary fans rejoice). They are still trying to unlock the final stretch goal, which is what they're lovingly calling a "director's cut" (moar stuffz!). Asleep on the job again?![/caption] The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 still has three days left to pass the final marker, but still has a long way to reach it. Still, everything else offered has been reached and surpassed. Having made nearly $160K it stands to do very well in the indie adventure scene. Especially since the game was already funded before the Kickstarter ran. The campaign was to make it even bigger and more badass than it would have been without crowdfunding. Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms will be supported upon release, which is slated for early 2015. If this has piqued your interest, you should head on over to their project page and pledge.

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Currently Kickstarting: Dead Synchronicity (On KickstartVentures)

http://www.kickstartadventure.com/home/currently-kickstarting-dead-synchronicity/

What do you get when you take a mysterious illness, a post-apocalyptic setting, and a dystopian society and mash them all together? You get Dead Synchronicity, the latest in a growing line of end-of-the-world madness. The plot of this traditional point-and-click adventure, though, really does involve the end of the world...well, the end of time at least. But, I'm getting ahead of myself here. If you're a fan of dark near future tales then you should read on as this is a gem not to miss.

I had shared a preview of the game last month, but here's the rundown of the story. The world has fallen into chaos and decay after a series of natural disasters known as "The Great Wave" shook the very foundation of the planet. In order to keep the peace, or so they claim, the people in charge took control of the situation and moved those who weren't welcome in the big cities to what are essentially concentration camps. Complete with barbed wire fences and armed guards. There have been two other aftereffects of the "Great Wave" beyond creating a dystopian society. One is the creation of the "Dissolved", an illness that is supposedly highly contagious and gives people highly cognitive powers. At least until it kills them. The other effect is the phenomenon known as "Dead Synchronicity" (hence the name of the game), the moment that time itself dissolves. "So the player will have to help Michael, a man with no past, recover his identity and decode the events that brought the world to the edge of collapse." And hopefully stop the "DS effect" and find a cure to the illness plaguing the world. The artwork basically screams post-apocalyptic. From the trash-filled camp that Michael finds himself in to (I'm assuming) the surrounding city you can tell that the world has fallen into utter disrepair. Pretty much standard fare for this setting. The characters themselves are drawn with harsh and sharp angles. "From the very beginning we wanted to make a 2D game, as we love the suggestive abstraction 2D exudes. For the characters, we've used a style we think reflects all the shades we wanted to express: expressionist, sharp, a bit tribal... and tough." There is a demo for Dead Synchronicity that you can download and play right away if you're still on the (barbed wire) fence about pledging to the project or not. I was able to play through an extended demo and I was really impressed with the very early workings of the game. The art and sound really brought the world to life and the interactions between Michael and the other members of the camp just show off how poorly the human race has taken to the sudden shift in the world. If you back the project, or at least share the link, the people at Fictiorama Studios promises to give you access to this extended demo instead of the standard one linked above. They currently have 29 days left on the dissolving clock and have so far managed to gather over $6.5K out of their asking amount of $45,000. They've got plenty of time to reach the goal, but could still use any help they can get to cross the finish line. They're already promising Windows, Mac, and iOS builds out of the gate, but a Linux version is planned should an undisclosed stretch goal amount be made. They've also got a Greenlight campaign running on Steam (link below) that should you be inclined to give it an upvote. All links, as usual, are below.

KICKSTARTER: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fictiorama/dead-synchronicity-tct-a-dark-point-and-click-adve WEB SITE: http://www.fictiorama.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/DeadSynchronicity TWITTER: http://twitter.com/deadsynchro STEAM GREENLIGHT: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=237554924 YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/user/fictiorama

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Currently Kickstarting: Forbidden Sanctity (On KickstartVentures)

http://www.kickstartadventure.com/home/currently-kickstarting-forbidden-sanctity/

Sometimes an idea comes around that takes a lot of gaming genres and tosses them in a blender and hits the blend button. Enter Forbidden Sanctity, a mash-up of several semi-related gameplay styles. It's a 3D platformer with the story of an RPG and the exploration and puzzle solving of an adventure game. All told in a fantasy setting and with a unique take on the "good versus evil" formula prevalent in that style of writing. Take a trip to the land of Hitral and meet its fascinating inhabitants.

As mentioned above, Forbidden Sanctity is a mix of a number of gaming styles. At its core, the game is third-person platforming experience. Add in a party management and experience system that is the staple of any good RPG, along with real-time combat mechanics prevalent in Western RPGs. And, of course, any good adventure game needs a gripping story and clever puzzles. And all three genres are ripe with world exploration. There are also three races in the game, each with their own unique set of abilities that can be used to get around obstacles and to further the story along. I'll cover those later. The story takes place in a land called "Hitral". According to legend, three races inhabited the land: "The Hemites were led by King Thedin and they were great warriors." "The Skarcos were nicknamed 'children of the sky' as they were born with body features unnatural to the Hemites." "The third tribe was called the Groutus. They were were smaller than both of the other tribes." The Hemites might as well be considered the humans in this setting. They live on the land and have since time began. The Skarcos have developed flaps of skin on their arms that let them glide through the air like bats. At first, they lived on the land, but after an event called "The Great Judgement" they took to the skies. The Groutus have an affinity for digging through the earth and are more technologically advanced than the other two tribes. Like the others, they used to live on the land, but the same event drove them below.By this point, you're probably asking yourself what this "Great Judgement" was. In a nutshell, it was a sundering of the three tribes. The leader of the Skarcos was manipulated by an evil being called Lodren to war with the Groutus, and thus shattering an artifact called the "Medallion of Peace". This item, when whole, helped to banish the darkness that threatened the land.

This medallion was broken up into three pieces and one piece was taken by each tribe as they went their separate ways. "As each tribe split and went their own way, a piece of the medallion was kept by each leader. Each leader then appointed a family to become Sages. These Sages were then labeled as 'protectors of the peace', charged with only one duty, to protect the Peace Medallion Shard." Unfortunately, it turns out that the longer they are apart the less potent the power of the artifact. The evil is slowly encroaching upon the land once again.Enter the protagonists in this epic tale of reuniting the three tribes and vanquishing the evil. The main character is a Hemite named Malachi. "[H]e keeps a positive outlook on life, even if there is no positive thing to be found. His temper can be raised easily and he has an incredibly protective nature due to his past family experiences. He is the leader and protector of the party." He's under the impression that the other two tribes are a myth and aren't real, but he still goes on the quest as he soon discovers that the legends are true. The other two revealed characters are a Groutus female named Mabyn and a Skarcos male named Jabin. One thing that I want to point out at this time is that Forbidden Sanctity is being developed primarily for the Wii-U, but there will also be a release for Windows PC. Based on what Eli Brewer told me, there are no plans for other ports unless there's enough support from backers. As of the time of this writing, they managed to make just over a thousand dollars worth of their $27,500 goal. With 27 days left to go, they can still make it, but not without more support.

KICKSTARTER: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1018049635/forbidden-sanctity FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/treefallstudios  TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/treefallgames GREENLIGHT: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=213053821

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Phoenix Online Publishing Announced

Today Phoenix Online Studios announced a new division for indie games. Going by the name Phoenix Online Publishing, this part of the company is now their publishing arm and will support any titles that it brings under its wings. The company has recently brought in Scott Steinberg to be the general manager of this division and they already have a number of games lined up for release.

The focus of the publishing division is to bring indie titles with a focus on storytelling and run the gamut of gaming genres. From adventures to RPGs to even action and strategy titles with a gripping narrative, they promise to deliver on their slogan that "every game has a story".

In the press release, Scott sums up the goal of this arm of the company. "Every game, and game developer, has a story waiting to be told… stories which it’s our distinct pleasure to help creators tell by partnering with leading indies to successfully launch games across all genres and platforms globally. By shining the spotlight on independent game developers, and providing the full range of business management, marketing, and promotions services they need to support their creative vision, we’re proud to provide studios a lasting foundation for success, and bring players the deeper, richer, and more engaging game experiences that they crave.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6Ac6xzV8dc

The initial batch of titles to be released under the banner of Phoenix Online Publishing include a number of crowdfunded adventure games. Included in this list is Pinkerton Road's Moebius, Infamous Quest's Quest for Infamy, The Lost Door: Collector's Edition, and Lost Civilization. With more down the line.

For those of you who do not know who Phoenix Online is, they are the developers of the free-to-play King's Quest fan game The Silver Lining, as well as the developers of the successfully funded Kickstarter FBI thriller Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller. They are also working on developing the Pinkerton Road games Moebius and Gabriel Knight remakes.

For more information on these titles, and the full announcement by Katie Hallahan, click here.