Howdy folks. If you have read many of my articles, you know I’m very passionate about Kickstarting unique, cool looking games. I have even spread the word a couple times to help a project reach fruition, with mixed, but mostly positive, results. But I feel that the effort is just as important as the end result, and the talented team I’m discussing today seems to have the same ethos. Thus, I wanna talk to you all about a great Kickstarter called Hex Heroes!
Hex Heroes is an RTS party game slated to come to multiple consoles, including the Wii U, PC, Mac and Linux. It is being developed by Prismatic Games LLC, a talented group with many years experience making games. Their most notable previous project is The Bridge, available for Steam and XBLA, but together they have been working in the industry for several years. Even more exciting, they have the musical talents of Grant Kirkhope (Banjo-Kazooie, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning) on their side, meaning that if the game gets made, the soundtrack will be absolutely amazing! But you probably want to know more about the game, right?
As I noted earlier, Hex Heroes is an RTS Party game. Control-wise, it was made with the Wii U specifically in mind, allowing for up to 4 players to play on the TV, with a 5th using the Gamepad to join in and monitor things. The game was first built as a contender at a local game jam, but the team wants to expand and improve on the universe created in those mere 48 hours. Your pledges can help the game become more beautiful, complex, and amazing. Prismatic Games compares the game to Warcraft and Age of Empires, with you commanding units with impunity. The catch? In multiplayer, those units are your buddies. So if you want to cause chaos, you’re welcome to, but victory hinges on cooperation. It will feature two gameplay modes, which can be played solo or with a team – Lair and Horde. In Lair Mode, you venture into danger to seal enemy lairs, and in Horde Mode you protect innocent villages from monsters for as long as possible. The team also says that depending on the stretch goals, more modes might be unlocked.
Though none of the artistic vision is final, I already like what I see. The game has a great SNES RPG vibe that I love to see in modern games. I especially love how the Hexlings resemble the resources you harvest from them. More exciting is the fact that players will have 8 different job classes at their disposal, many of which were voted on by those who have already pledged to the game. They include Scout, Knight, Woodcutter, Rogue, Elementalist, Necromancer, Angel and Wizard. Each will have different strengths and weaknesses, as well as distinct visual styles.
Oh, and speaking of classes, let me talk about cameos. One of the coolest aspects of the project thus far is the tremendous show of support for other Kickstarters and games. Hex Heroes currently has cameos from ten different games, including Max from Mutant Mudds, Rusty from SteamWorld Dig, and Shovel Knight, as well as the Game Grumps (yes, you read that right). They essentially serve as costume swaps for the existing classes, but with their own unique animations and personalities. Other cameos might be in the works, but only if the game reaches their funding goal of $80,000. The good news? They are practically halfway there. The bad? The project only has 9 days left! But, with your help, they might have a great chance.
I honestly believe that getting the word out will vastly improve this project’s chances, so with that in mind, I want to go over some of the rewards and stretch goals.
As you can clearly see, they have split their reward structure into the following tiers – Digital, Bronze, Silver and Gold. Some of the highlights are the Digital Grab Bag for $20, The Digital Soundtrack for $30, Beta Access for $35, Signed Poster and Shirt for $125 and your very own Hex Heroes Figurine for $250. If you really wanna go nuts, you could pledge to create your own costume, monster or be a designer for a day! Couple this with some great stretch goals, and it sounds like a great idea.
So there you have it. It’s no big secret I’m a fan of the game, besides which I am one of their 1,086 supporters. Ultimately you need to decide for yourselves whether or not this game is for you. But if, like me, you are a Wii U owner who is in need of many more great games, then you owe it to yourself to check the game out. I think you’ll be glad you did!
