I hope everyone is ready for their intercalary present this year as we've got a super-sized February ahead of us! This blog post, on the other hand, is just normal-sized. 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.

Mira and the Legend of Djinns (ends Feb 13 estimated reward date Jun 2024)
Our first and only indie Metroidvania this month takes inspiration from "Moroccan and Amazigh culture, language, and spiritual traditions." The developers are targeting a summer release, having spent three years on the game thus far, but seek more funding to facilitate porting the software to more platforms. They've already released a demo on Steam.

Witches & Butchers (ends Feb 14 estimated reward date May 2024)
Next from Mexico we have a Game Boy Color shooter with "role playing elements" which the developers hope to complete this summer. Once the base game is complete, they'll focus on a "rerolled" edition for modern consoles, but backers who spend at least 800 pesos (about $47 US) can receive a physical cartridge to plug into their own handhelds. A demo is available on itch.io and Steam.

MGSCON2 (ends Feb 14 estimated reward date Jul 2024)
We hyped the first MGSCON, a convention celebrating the Metal Gear series, last year and it must have gone great because here they are raising funds for a second meeting! Pencil MGSCON 2: Cons of Liberty into your calendars on July 20, 2024. As usual, don't expect to meet Hideo Kojima but they've already announced some stellar English-speaking guests, and I'd wager superfan & superartist Maddie will make the trip this year.

Zombie Fun Run (ends Feb 23 estimated reward date Dec 2024)
I've been a fan of Zeyboyd Games for over a decade now, going back to the Xbox Live Indie Games era, so anything they announce immediately gets my attention. In this case, Robert Zeboyd is collaborating with his daughter Willow on a cute new project involving zombies.

Magic Cauldron - Dungeons (ends Feb 24 estimated reward date Mar 2025)
I can't say I'm familiar with the Magic Cauldron "universe," as developer Manuel Schenk calls it, but I know what a dungeon is and that's where this game will take place. There's already a demo available on itch.io and Steam.

FREEPLAY! (ends Feb 27 estimated reward date May 2024)
If you're in the Richmond, Virginia area you can go to the Iridian Gallery and see FREEPLAY!, a "queer video games exhibit" until February 26th. However, even if you're not in the Richmond, Virginia area, you can back this Kickstarter to help support the artists and the gallery. Donating at least $60 US gets you one free Game Boy game (on a real cartridge).

• kickstarter
• conventions
• game boy
• metal gear
• D Feit