Mages of Mystralia is already far along in development, and has been playable at trade shows and conventions like PAX over the last year. The indie developers at Borealys Games have turned to Kickstarter to push through the final polish phase with a modest goal of CAD $25,000. The campaign was funded in less than a day.
“We’ve been working very hard on this project to create an innovative game and we knew we had something very unique with our spellcasting system,” states the Kickstarter update. “We never anticipated for the campaign to be funded in so short a time and we can’t wait to show you what’s in store for our stretch goals in the next update as we strive to bring Mages of Mystralia to even greater heights.”
Mages of Mystralia is a Zelda-like action-adventure game starring a young mage named Zia in a world that’s banned magic. You use your growing powers to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. The rune system for building and customizing your own spells is what sets the game apart. Millions of combinations can be created with wildly different effects. I was very impressed when I tried it at PAX South earlier this year.
Usually larger indie games on Kickstarter ask for much more money, and aren’t nearly as far along in development. Mages of Mystralia is still scheduled to come out later this year, with funding form Kickstarter used to polish the game as well as whatever stretch goals the developers have planned. “We still have some polish (improved animations, particle effects, and enhanced sound effects, among others) that we think will really take the game to the next level,” states the Kickstarter page. “In addition, we also have a few features up our sleeves as stretch goals that we would love to obtain.” The developers also teased post-launch plans and content that they’ll be able to start working on much sooner thanks to Kickstarter funding.
Borealys Games also plans on launching beta access to Mages of Mystralia immediately after the 30-day campaign ends (April 15). Everyone who pledges during the campaign (minimum CAD $25) will receive access to the closed beta.
