So this is it: the 2024 Kickstarter train has reached its final stop. We'll be back in 2025, of course, but for now enjoy one last lineup of promising retro-themed projects!
As always, we have no insider information or financial interest in any of these projects, and no one at Retronauts has been compensated for including anything on this page. Also, in light of the ongoing pandemic, we recommend only backing crowdfunding campaigns if you feel comfortable with your own security and stability.
The Remake of the End of the Greatest RPG of All Time (ends Dec 7 estimated reward date Dec 2025)
That's a very long but very descriptive title, as TRotEotGRPGoaT purports to tell the tale of a long-lost JRPG from the 90s. Rather than simply delivering a retro-game-like experience, this project will instead serve up a "meta-fictional remake" where you only play the final battle. The rest of the story lies buried in supplemental material for players to uncover.
A Profound Waste of Time Issue #5 (ends Dec 7 estimated reward date Dec 2025)
You've read those words before in this column; as the number suggests, this campaign is for a new issue of the eponymous gaming magazine. Retronauts fans will delight in seeing Kat Bailey listed as a contributor as she covers the first two Suikoden games.
3D Combat Classics (ends Dec 9 estimated reward date Apr 2025)
Here's a box set for ZX Spectrum fans containing 3D Tank Duel, 3D Starstrike and Starstrike 2. I'm not the right person to tell you if those games are good; chances are if you owned a ZX Spectrum, you already know whether you need this set or not.
MGSCON3: A Metal Gear Fan Convention (ends Dec 15 estimated reward date Aug 2025)
Another repeater this month, this campaign is for the 2025 installment of a Metal Gear fan convention. Friend of the show Maddie Copp went last year and had a blast; nothing I could write would top her endorsement.
Kero Kero Cowboy (ends Dec 27 estimated reward date Mar 2025)
Fact: Amphibians and Game Boy are a winning combination. Everyone knows this. Developer Mike Bedsole asks "what if frog cowboy game boy game" and that question alone earns him a place on our list. There's a demo if you'd like to try it for yourself.
868-BACK (ends Dec 22 estimated reward date "mid-2025")
Developer Michael Brough wants to make a sequel to 868-HACK, his 2013 hacking roguelike that garnered quite a bit of acclaim upon release. I know this because as soon as this fundraising campaign launched, at least a dozen people I know online got very excited! Maybe you're excited right now, having heard this news!