Developers usually have tons of trouble funding their own games. We started Game Protocol to change that, but in the meanwhile, let’s take a look at past projects that were fortunate enough to get funded and that have succeeded.
Kingdom Come made it their goal to provide a more realistic take on a middle age setting RPG. But I mean super realistic. All the way down to a hunger and fatigue tracker. This first person player makes sure that every last aspect of your characters decisions will factor to in to how the NPCs perceive you. Even your clothes will wither down overtime but beware because the way you present yourself will affect whether you impress the nobles. They didn’t miss a single detail. Oh, and the graphics are unbelievable.
The game is a historically accurate medieval life simulator. You fight against the Hungarians, the Turks, bandits and whatever else people fought in the middle ages. The game has a plot based around politics; the kings of each country are trying to conquer Bohemia. By the end of the game you’ll start gaining real-life satisfaction from killing feeble bandits. Yeah, this game was definitely a banger.
They weren’t playing any games when they made this game-- they had a 70 million dollar budget. And that budget went to very good use. The game is just stunning. Every environment is so elaborately designed and it shows. You can notice things so simple as the weather changing in hyper realistic detail. The graphics were absolutely ground-breaking. There’s tons to explore and you can interact with any and everything. Much like Kingdom Come, there’s a strong element of realism and you may start to develop a real emotional bond with Ryo (the protagonist) as you get deeper into the plot.
Initially, Ryo sets out on a quest to avenge his father after he’s murdered in front of his own eyes. That’s all I will reveal about the plot, but Shenmue is one of the most plot-rich games I’ve ever pondered. In fact, that’s why it was such a revolutionary game in the world of RPGs (or at least one of the main reasons). Shenmue is a skilled martial arts fighter born from the Virtual Fighter age. You can train Ryo in the dojo on a daily basis in order to learn new moves and get stronger. By practicing moves repeatedly, Ryo begins to master them making them more effective and powerful in battle. It’s really awesome and rewarding.
Shenmue truly paved the way for the future of RPGs and there’s Shenmue 3 releasing in 2019.
Obsidian Entertainment hit the ball out of the park with the previews and hype for this game. 3 years prior to the release, Pillars of Eternity launched a Kickstarter page to fund their project. In less than a day, the game raised over a million dollars, surpassing its Kickstarter goal. By the end of their campaign, they had raised just over 4 million dollars. This game was set for success and their fans were eager for a new RPG.
Three years later, all Obsidian had left to do is deliver a great product, and it had a massive budget to do so. Thankfully, they did and they were praised for it. Many would rate this the best medieval setting RPG since Baldur’s Gate (similar visual style).
Pillars of Eternity is an extremely immersive single-player RPG that hooks you from the second you begin. One of my co-workers actually took a vacation because he started playing this game and had to finish it. It is story-driven with an incredibly elaborate and intriguing plot. Pillars of Eternity is an epic action-filled quest set in a fantasy world. You complete quests, kill people and try to remove a curse that turned you into a “watcher”. What more can you ask for.
