I don’t know where these fantastic Kickstarter projects keep coming from, but they seem as plentiful as a horde of locusts sometimes. Just when I think I can’t see something else mind blowing, I turn the corner and find a hidden gem. Such is certainly the case today with a new Metroidvania called Boma Naraka Sura. Before you say “bless you”, you need to appreciate that the game is being developed by an Indonesian group Anantarupa Studio. They are a group who works on game design, asset production and application development. They try to insert their own unique style in everything they make, and have a hand in such projects as Majapahit Online Satria Saga, Orinnokards and Grande X Machina. They also look to future technology, such as Augmented and Virtual Reality, to make more interesting games. While they may be relatively unknown to me, it’s good to see they have experience in the industry already. But now you’re probably wondering, what the hell is Boma Naraka Sura?
Boma Naraka Sura is a new Metroidvania styled Kickstarter project based around the ancient Southeast Asian scriptures about a entity called Bomantara. In the original tale, this creature is a monstrous villain, but in the game, Anantarupa Studio puts a new spin on the ancient story. In this game, the tale of Boma is told via the perspective of the main character Sveta. She wakes up with no memories in a place called Naraka Loka, which is essentially Hell. In this world, Souls do not die, but like energy, merely change form, oftentimes departing to new realms and even possessing new host bodies. Against this backdrop, Sveta is on a desperate search to find missing fragments of her lost memories. She must brave six realms, but it is only with Boma’s help that she has a chance to succeed. He grants Sveta his power to slay her captors and fulfill her quest.
Sveta will have many tools at her disposal besides the power of Boma to aid her on her quest. Also residing in the realms are mythical beasts who Sveta can partner with. These powerful creatures, such as The Fierce Dawon, The Noble Nandi and The Grand Airavata, plus many more, lend their powers to Sveta and fight to protect her. During the course of the game you will be able to unlock new abilities for the mythical beasts, as well as acquiring their armor and abilities for yourself.
Another cool gameplay mechanic is that Sveta can craft her own equipment using materials she finds on her travels. As if that wasn’t enough, you can also upgrade her combo attacks and skills using the same method. Though Sveta starts out armed with a holy spear, you can make it more powerful as well as craft entirely new weapons on your journey. This will be vital to exploring the distinct realms you find, as each is full of secret rooms, hidden treasures and fearsome monsters. Each realm will also have a monstrous boss to challenge in order to progress, as well as mini bosses.
The game will also have other RPG elements. For instance, as Boma consumes the souls of eradicated foes, his power, and yours as his proxy, will grow. You will also be able to find and cook items to replenish your health after dangerous and draining fights. Finally, Metroidvania fans will be excited to hear you will unlock unique abilities that open up your environment, such as double jumps and dashes. These will let you explore deeper and find even more hidden treasures.
For those of you who are already intrigued, there are many tiers to pledge your support at. For those who just want the basic game, you can get a digital copy for $12; For $20 you get that plus the digital OST and 3 wallpapers; $40 gets you all the previous plus a digital storybook and artbook; for $80 you get all that with a physical copy of the game for PC; $150 nets you a smorgasbord of physical goodies, including hardcover storybook and artbook, T-shirt and physical game; $400 gets you a sweet Sveta statue; and for the truly ambitious, $2,300 lets you design your own mini boss and $10,000 lets you name yourself as an executive producer. There are even more options, but since I don’t want to spend the whole article talking about them, you can see them yourself on their Kickstarter page.
But it wouldn’t truly be a Kickstarter if there weren’t some juicy stretch goals, and Boma Naraka Sura doesn’t disappoint. While the game will get funded at a mere $25,000 (which seems downright inexpensive after some of the recent Kickstarters I’ve backed), doubling that number will unlock more mythical beasts and boss fights; $60,000 will unlock an extra side story mission, as will $75,000; $85,000 will yield a pet raising minigame and $100,000 will unlock voice acting. You might notice there is no mention of console stretch goals, but I fervently hope that Anantarupa will change their minds after hearing how many fans want to play this on their Wii U, XBox One and PS4s.
I personally am very excited for Boma Naraka Sura. I love well crafted Metroidvania games, and this one looks beautiful. It actually really reminds me of the art style found in Muramasa: The Demon Blade, but with more of a Metroidvania focus. The game still has 25 days to get funded, and they have a ways to go. If you are on the fence, by all means try out the free demo you can find on their Kickstarter page. I hope for the best for Anantarupa Studio, and hope to see this great looking game get funded!
