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A remake of monster-moulding RPG Geneforge stormed it on KickstarterThe shaper things to come

The shaper things to come

Clever RPG stalwarts Spiderweb Software have succesfully crowdfunded a remaster ofGeneforgeon Kickstarterin under 24 hours. They started the campaign on Wednesday, seeking a humble $30,000 dollars (£23,000). Their long-term goal is to freshen up the whole series, but that’s a bridge for another time.

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Cover image for YouTube video

I almost pitched a feature on the Geneforge games a few years back, you know. They have workmanlike graphics but cool ideas and features, not just in creating and levelling up your little creatures (or using disposable ones as cannon fodder while you stab suckers or chuck fireballs), but in details like how the primary ranged weapons are javelins, and Shaped plants that shoot thorns. I liked how the faction of sycophants will do anything to serve you, but love the flavour of boots so much that they’re basically useless.

The Kickstarter is candid about the cracked paint and rusted hinges of the series, and aimed primarily at refreshing the nigh-20 year old game with more modern production values. As its page states, “This Kickstarter will help us to hire professionals to help with art, interface design, and adding all the other things the original game is lacking. We will take the time to rework every location, encounter, and line of dialogue”.

I’m pleased they’ve got off to such a good start. I’ve never taken the time to get into Spiderweb’s other games, but they’ve been dutifully serving a somewhat niche audience for several decades, focusing on their creative strengths rather than technical frippery.