Kickstarter Page: Ashen Rift: A Man and His Dog
Project By: Barry Collins
Goal: $45,000
End Date: April 7th, 2014
In a nutshell: “A new take on classic shooters: Ashen Rift pits you and your pitbull Bounder against the crumbling world and howling beasts within.”
I figured by my third week running this feature, it would become difficult to spot interesting and/or reliable Kickstarters with ease. I assumed it would only be a matter of time before the bad would ultimately consume and outweigh the good, and I’d have to reluctantly publicize some half-arsed cash grab of a project. This is not so – in fact, this week’s choice practically leapt out of my monitor and barked “This is a game you will like!”
Kickstarter isn’t exactly littered with first person games; 3-D modelling can be more expensive and technically demanding than its 2-D counterpart, and outside of a few gems like Gone Home and Proteus, the first person market is all but dominated by AAA developers and publishers. But how does a survival-horror FPS inspired by exploration games like Dear Esther and Journey sound? If you answered: “Great” in a non-sarcastic fashion, I (and presumably Barry Collins) like the cut of your jib. Ashen Rift: A Man and His Dog is such a game – a low ammo, atmospheric , horror FPS about a man and his canine companion fighting to survive in a dying world.
Ashen Rift’s proof of concept demo shows how players will be forced to take advantage of environmental destruction when ammo is low, and how objects in the game’s world can be picked up and used for different purposes. Our Pitbull companion Bounder is also a focal point of the game, and not just from a narrative standpoint. Bounder’s reactions to certain hostile elements will help the player’s chance of survival, and he can also be ordered to carry out certain tasks. Ashen Rift sounds like a really interesting horror game, and the added aspect of fighting not only for one’s survival, but for the survival of a pet, has the potential to create some really intriguing dynamics. Hopefully, it’ll be easy to love bounder, and not treat him like a pesky “follower”.
Barry Collins has amassed fourteen years of experience working in the games industry, and since the core development of Ashen Rift has been completed in his spare time, its a safe bet that the guy is dedicated and passionate about his project. Think Ashen Rift sounds intriguing? You can learn more over at the Ashen Rift website, or on Kickstarter.
