Remember when 2020 was so malevolent, there was an entire extra day in February that we had to sit through? Not the case in 2021! As such, we're back with another round of video game crowdfunding campaigns just 4 short weeks after our previous collection.

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.

Ninty Fresh
Platform: it's a magazine
Campaign ends: March 6
Estimated delivery time: March 2021!
Minimum pledge to receive the magazine: £2 ( about $3 US - digital only)

Keeping in line with this recent Bob Mackey tweet, I must admit I am not a fan of -y nicknames for Japanese people or products. Regardless, Ninty Fresh is a crowdfunded video game magazine about Nintendo and I applaud their efforts. This campaign is for a third issue which will be focused on celebrating 25 years of Pokemon.
Note that £2 only qualifies for a digital copy of the magazine; backers seeking a print edition must pledge at least £6 (plus shipping).

Gamemaster Classified
Platform: it's a book
Campaign ends: March 11
Estimated delivery time: February 2022
Minimum pledge to receive the game: $19 US - digital only

Gamemaster Classified is a "tell-all book" from Howard Phillips, famed Nintendo of America employee/spokesperson/comic mascot. I put "book" in quotes because it looks more like a super-sized edition of Nintendo Power with illustrations and comics aplenty—not that I'm complaining! Howard has pledged to share plenty of stories from his decade of work at Nintendo for this project, and the campaign has cleared the "Insider Insights" stretch goal which includes additional input from "his old friends at NOA."
Note that $19 only qualifies for a digital copy of the book; backers seeking a hardcover edition must pledge at least $39 (plus shipping).

The Shapeshifter
Platform: Game Boy
Campaign ends: March 18
Estimated delivery time: May 2021
Minimum pledge to receive the game: €10 (about $13 US - digital only)

We've featured developer Dana Puch in these pages before; they've made solo Game Boy games in the past and this month, they're making another. This latest project is called The Shapeshifter and it's already been fully-funded many times over, so much so that an NES port of the game will be coming in the future. That version is not available as a reward for this campaign though.
Note that €10 only qualifies for a digital copy of the game, but pledging €35 (plus shipping) qualifies for a complete-in-box edition with a physical cartridge.

Lucid Soul
Platform: Windows, Mac
Campaign ends: March 20
Estimated delivery time: October 2022
Minimum pledge to receive the game: $20 US - digital only

Lucid Soul is a modern interpretation of the 16-bit JRPG, one that promises horror and a protagonist who's more like an antagonist. The cited influences for the game include Lunar: Silver Star and Eternal Blue, Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Shin Megami Tensei, Final Fantasy Tactics and even Silent Hill.
Note that $20 only qualifies for a digital copy of the game, but pledging $40 (plus shipping) qualifies for a boxed PC or Mac edition that includes a manual "inspired by Sega CD and SNES manuals." However, there is no console edition of the game available at this time.

IndestructoTank!
Platform: Game Boy
Campaign ends: March 24
Estimated delivery time: May 2021
Minimum pledge to receive the game: £4 (about $6 US - digital only)

Remember when Adobe killed Flash and an uncountable library of video games were lost forever? That was just two months ago! Thankfully, some games are being preserved by archivists or, in this case, by the original developer. IndestructoTank! was a Flash game but now it's coming to Game Boy, complete with features that were added to its sequel, Indestruc2Tank!
Note that £4 only qualifies for a digital copy of the game. Backers looking for a physical cartridge must pledge at least £25 (plus shipping).

• kickstarter
• game boy
• books
• D Feit
• magazines