As a big fan of Doshin the Giant, one of the quirkier titles to appear on Nintendo’s 64DD and Gamecube platforms, I literally felt my ears prick up when a member of the RocketNews24 staff uttered its name earlier today. Although we haven’t heard much from the game’s designer, Kazutoshi Iida, in the past few years, his latest crowd-funded indie title Monken is attracting a lot of attention online, with the creator offering investors a ton of freebies as well as the chance to appear in the game itself.
Centring around an anthropomorphic wrecking ball smashing through high-rise buildings to rescue imprisoned humans, Monken is a world apart from Doshin the Giant, but it certainly has a charm all of its own, even at this early stage.
With investment through Campfire, a Japanese crowd funding website similar to Kickstarter, Monken has currently generated just over 2 million yen (US$20,000) from 167 backers. Although the project has already achieved its financial goal, potential contributors still have three more days to join the party, with a host of cool goodies up for grabs.
- Swag and input
Those pledging 500 yen (US$5) or more will be rewarded with their name on the game’s end credits as a message of thanks. With a donation of just 3,000 yen ($30), meanwhile, gamers can enjoy playing Monken while it’s still in development, and can even provide feedback that the team will use to change how the game behaves. Those digging a little deeper and putting forward 10,000 yen will also gain access to a secret Facebook page detailing the game’s development, and receive one of these cool t-shirts.
- Be the game
Perhaps a much greater reward for a monetary contribution, though, is the chance to cameo in the game itself. Those contributing 100,000 – 300,000 yen ($1,000 – 3,000) will be given the chance to appear in the game in cartoon form. So long as you have their permission, you could even contribute the image of a friend or loved one to be reproduced as a character in the game, making an awesome, nerdy gift. I’ll say that again in case anyone who cares is reading: this would make an excellent gift!
- The man with the giant behind him
And if that hasn’t convinced you to part with your hard-earn cash, a look at the team’s resume might. Boasting experience and involvement with games like Lumines, Virtua Fighter, Aquanaut’s Holiday and of course Nintendo’s Doshin the Giant, the team is populated with some real talent. We can’t think of many indie projects underway right now with more bragging rights than one directed by the man who made a God sim about a benevolent yellow giant and an island of warring tribes!
And, come on, who wouldn’t want to be involved in the creation of a game whose lead is a bad-ass wrecking ball with eyes!?
You can check out the game in action in the promotional videos below. Sure, it’s still a little rough around the edges, but this is all work in progress, naturally. And there’s no denying how catchy that vocaloid track in the background is, which we can only hope makes it into the finished game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zDiz_Qq-FI4
Images via Campfire Videos YouTube
[ Read in Japanese ]