Geneforge 2 - Infestation Kickstarter Live, $12,870 and Counting
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Following this recent announcement, Spiderweb Software's Kickstarter campaign for Geneforge 2 - Infestation, a remaster of the second game in the studio's Geneforge series, is now live. The initial goal of this campaign is set at $30,000, and after just a few hours and with almost a full month still to go, it's almost halfway there.
Scheduled for a 2024 release, this remaster will for the most part preserve the original game's world, story, characters, and systems, but will also be expanding them and introducing new storylines, abilities and game mechanics. And the already revealed stretch goals promise even more content, stories, and updated art.
Here's more about this project:
The Geneforge Saga is a true cult classic from the distant history of indie games. Started in 1999, it was a series of unique and innovative role-playing games, with a one-of-a-kind setting, fascinating story, and a level of open-endedness that still stands out today.
They were also really fun, and they still are.
Want to use trickery and diplomacy to win the game without ever attacking a single foe? You can. Want a ton of different factions to join, some of which are actually insane? We're happy to oblige. Want to scorch the earth, devastating every location you find? Um, it's an option.
Geneforge games don't hand you a 'bad guy'. You decide who is bad. Pick a side and start fighting.
And, of course, whatever you do, you can create your own army of custom-made mutant monsters.
Geneforge Reborn
The Geneforge games have had a cult following for decades, but they are very old.
Our tiny little company worked on the five parts of the Geneforge Saga from 1999 to 2008. They were truly unique games, with a strange and fascinating world, complex characters, tough moral choices, and a blend of fantasy and science fiction unlike anything that had come before.
However, they don't run properly on modern computers, and they don't exist on mobile devices at all. These games were huge successes and developed quite a following, and it pains us to see them disappear from the Earth.
Thus, this remaster. We are going through the Geneforge Saga, one game at a time, and giving each a massive, ground-up remaster. They will always be scrappy, retro indie games, but now they can be that in a bigger, funner, more modern way. We already made Geneforge 1 - Mutagen, and it was a big success. (Playing Geneforge 1 is not at all necessary to enjoy Geneforge 2.)
It is time to return to Geneforge 2, first released in 2003. We want to create Geneforge 2 - Infestation.
And we'd like your help.
The Story of Geneforge
The world of Geneforge is ruled by the Shapers. The Shapers are wizards with the awesome power to create life. Need a servant, pet, tool, or a mighty beast to fight and die for you? The Shapers can create it.
Creations and common humans are expected to obey the Shapers completely. If not, they are destroyed. The Shapers guard their magical techniques with fanatical devotion. The penalty for stealing their secrets is death.
The iron rule of the Shapers has brought their world stability and prosperity, but at a cost. Some of the Shapers' creations are intelligent, and they want freedom. The Shapers underestimate their creations. This is a mistake that will lead to disaster.
The five-part Geneforge Saga is a story of intrigue, rebellion, civil war, and utter devastation. You will take part in the creation uprising, both as a Shaper and a rebel. You will guide the war, making choices that will reshape your world.
The Remaster
Spiderweb Software spends a lot of time remastering our old games. We've learned a lot over the years. When a game gets too old to run, we like to use our new skills to not just get it to work again, but to make it shine.
With our backers' help, we remade Geneforge into Geneforge 1 - Mutagen, resulting in an expanded, improved game which got a great reception. Now we want to give the same treatment to Geneforge 2. We want to release the new game in early 2024, for Windows, Mac, and the iPad!
We plan to respect what our fans loved about the series. The world, the characters, the story, the game system, they will be mostly the same. We will also expand the world, adding new characters, storylines, abilities, game mechanics, and other ways to go crazy with your mutant monsters.
We also have exciting plans to add something the series has always lacked: A fully developed system for melee and missiles. The new art of Battle Shaping will provide an entirely new path through the game, giving longtime fans a fresh way to experience it.
Stretch Goals
We have already planned a bunch of ways to expand Geneforge 2 - Infestation. We want it to stand out from both the original game and Geneforge 1 - Mutagen. There are also multiple stretch goals. They will enable us to spend more time expanding the game, with the help of our backers!
$40K Level - A New Creation
We're doing it again! Geneforge is about making magical, mutant monsters and sending them to do your will. We already will be bringing back all of Geneforge's classic creations. As in Geneforge 1 - Mutagen, we can also add a new, special, powerful endgame creation to serve you. Even better, you can help design it!
We will let ALL backers make suggestions, and we'll pick several of your ideas. In the last game, this resulted in the unpredictable, devastating power of the Cockatrice. We really hope to see what you come up with this time!
$60K Level - A New Storyline
The lore of Geneforge is already huge. We want to make it bigger. At this level, we will create a new multi-zone, multi-part storyline, telling a whole new tale in the world of Geneforge. Again, we will find a way to let all backers contribute themes and ideas to this mission. This worked out great in Geneforge 1 - Mutagen, and we'd love to do it again.
$ 80K Level - Secret, Hidden, Mystery Storyline!
All of the Geneforge games are pretty huge. Spiderweb Software has a weakness for slipping harder-to-find quests into our games, with unique encounters and amazing loot. At this level, we will add a new mystery storyline to Geneforge 2 - Infestation, full of exceptional weirdness and cool lore.
$100K Level - Redone Character Art
We have long had ambitious plans for an entirely new system for the art for humans, along with more customization of your characters. Alas, because of all the different requirements of Geneforge, this would take a lot of expense and freelancer hours. At this level, we'll finally pull the bandaid off and get this done.
If we get funded this point, we'll be sure to find new goals! There's always room to add more adventure.
Who Are We?
We are Spiderweb Software! Since 1994, our tiny little mom and pop operation has created fine, indie fantasy role-playing adventures for the gamer masses. We specialize in retro games with enormous worlds, open-ended game systems, and intricate stories.
If you'd like to try out our games but don’t know where to start, our Avernum series has been very popular. Or Geneforge 1 - Mutagen is another really good place to start.
Our games are retro and low-budget, but they're also reliably interesting, and FUN. That's why we've stayed in business for so very, very long. We're known for exciting gameplay, unique worlds, and unpredictable, open-ended stories.
