Last weekend I was invited out to Otakon, one of the largest anime conventions in the west going 20 years strong, to take a look at a playable version of a video game called Crisis Heart Brawlers: Clash at Otakon. A production by a budding development company of independents going by Studio Nasu, helmed by a man by the name of Dave Lister. While the game is still in its earlier stages of development, it caught my interest for a couple of reasons.
A side scrolling brawler, it’s the first game to ever be set at an anime convention in the United States. Now games have certainly made a few nods to the gaming and geek culture that helped turn it into an industry, but this is the first time to my knowledge that a game has been set entirely at any kind of convention. I’m no stranger to Otakon, and even from the early playable stages you could see the background artists really did their work in detailing those oh so familiar Baltimore Downtown locations into full 3D realization.
The other interesting thing? This is a game that truly wouldn’t have happened without Kickstarter.
When the Kickstarter was announced last year, the game made 160% of its funding goal. We’ve discussed Kickstarter projects on this site before, such as Shadowrun Returns, and it’s far too easy to get a bit cynical, even fearful when the word “Kickstarter” pops up in the wake of projects that have died on their feet, or turned out to be scams for the sake of making easy money. Even when a project is successful backers may find themselves faced with a bunch of broken promises, the inherent danger of treating a crowd sourcing website like a commercial one such as ebay or Amazon.
Crisis Heart Brawlers sits on the opposite end of the spectrum. It’s a game, and a project, that goes out of its way to fulfill its promises to the fans. In a few conversations with the development team it was clear how appreciative they were to the people that helped them fund their project. The night I arrived at Otakon they held a party exclusively for anyone who spent $35 or more for their game. It wasn’t just some minor thank you, shake the developer’s hand and leave. It was an event piggy backing off the convention with food and space graciously donated by the venue. There were DJs, mascots, backers had access to some big name voice actors (Including Christina Vee of Mahou Shojo Magica Madoka fame, Kyle Hebert the voice of Gurren Lagann’s Kamina and Todd Haberkorn whose credits include Soul Eater and Rosario to Vampire), and a playable version of the game that demo’d two stages.
Stopping by any of the Crisis Heart booths during the convention, all you had to do was mention you backed the project and the devs were more than happy to hand over a bit of swag to show their thanks.
But it wasn’t just giving away some free stuff and throwing a party that impressed me. It’s not like actually fulfilling your promises to a Kickstarter backer is a novel idea. What is great is the fact they went the extra mile in fulfilling those promises, however what really got to me was the team’s humbleness. In talking to anyone involved with the project, from the voice actors to the programmers, they always mentioned how grateful they were to the backers for making this project a reality.
Miguel Nieves, technical director and lead programmer of the project explained to me how important the backers were, that it meant “so much that they want to see the same kinds of games that we want to see.” Dave Lister, responsible for the story, overseeing both the game and its physical resources echoed those sentiments. “I wouldn’t be here doing what I’m doing without them [the backers] and for that I owe them an amazing game.”
So now we just wait and see, like any creative project the game has its challenges ahead of it before it’s ready for a release. However the team’s overall attitude towards their fans and supporters was a refreshing sight. Their transparency, availability and thankfulness was obvious. It goes to show in this crowdfunding mire, when one is fearful to venture forth and turn their hard earned money into donations towards a project they don’t know for certain will bear fruit, that it can still be a worthwhile endeavor made fun and engaging for everyone involved well before a final product is released.
We’ll try and keep you updated on Crisis Heart Brawlers as it develops, and in the meantime you can find out more information from their website: www.crisisheartsbrawlers.com
