Kickstarter Kompilation: April 2026 edition
only fools don't read books
With one-quarter of 2026 in the bag I hope everyone is excited for warmer/colder temperatures depending on your hemisphere of choice. Me, I'm in Japan so I'm surrounded by cherry blossoms and very thirsty.
As a general rule we recommend only backing crowdfunding campaigns if you feel comfortable with your own security and stability. We have no insider information or financial interest in any of these projects (unless noted otherwise) and no one at Retronauts has been compensated for including anything on this page. To the best of my ability I have not (and never will) endorse any campaign built around AI-generated assets.
Sega Mania Magazine: Issue 10 (ends April 2 estimated reward date June 2026)
The self-described "UK’s best unofficial retro Sega magazine" has funded nine issues and now aims to reach double-digits. Issue 10 will cover "the second half of 1996" which means stories about the Mega Drive, Saturn, and of course the 32X.
Allison Of Astra (ends April 7 estimated reward date July 2026)
Allegedly "the world's first SERIALIZED NES game," Allison Of Astra collects seven NESMaker titles from 2022 and 2023 into a single cartridge. There's a demo if you'd like to learn firsthand what Astra's been up to.
CONTINUE? (ends April 9 estimated reward date August 2026)
In more magazine news, here's a(nother) magazine called Continue? out of Australia. Topics for the debut issue include The Sims 2, SEGA World Sydney, plus "an exclusive look at an as-yet-unannounced title." The header image on this article comes from the first issue's front cover.
Amber 70: Switch Arcade Dock (ends April 12 estimated reward date May 2026)
If you—like me—have an abundance of arcade and arcade-inspired games on your Nintendo Switch, you'd probably enjoy a dedicated dock with a built-in joystick to play with. The Amber 70 offers just that while also serving as a standard dock, letting you game on your TV or anywhere else.
The Mariana Sequence (ends April 23 estimated reward date October 2026)
After creating the original project in just 30 days for a NES game jam, solo developer CrazyGroupTrio has spent over a year expanding and refining the experience for a proper physical & digital release. There's an online demo you can play in your browser or download for use in an emulator of your choice.
Boss Fight Books: Age of Empires (ends April 29 estimated reward date August 2026)
We've featured many a Boss Fight book in these pages before (including one by Bob Mackey) so including their newest campaign was a no-brainer. Notably, this latest volume on creating Age of Empires is written by Richard Moss, a two-time guest on our podcast.
