Something Fragile Kickstarter
March 12th, 2013
Happy Badger Studio is excited to announce the recent launch of a Kickstarter campaign to fund their latest game, Something Fragile. Following the inception of this puzzle/platform game during the 48-hour 2013 Global Game Jam in January, the Happy Badgers are seeking support to finish production of the game.
Something Fragile blends a unique, hand-crafted, stop-motion animation art style with gameplay that seeks to engage players emotionally. Not only is this a non-violent game that doesn’t focus on shooting, but its creators believe it has the power to teach empathy and love.
“Other games desensitize you, this game explores emotion,” said Dana Huth, art director for Something Fragile.
The purpose of the game is to keep a beating heart safe as you navigate the diverse game levels. As detailed on the team’s Kickstarter page: “In Something Fragile, you are a creature created for the sole purpose of protecting the heart that you were given. As this creature, you must progress through the levels and overcome puzzles in order to carry the heart past obstacles and through environmental threats. The challenge of the game is to keep the heart safe throughout all of the puzzles, which will require the heart to be placed in harm’s way in order to get it through each level safely. The moment the heart is placed on the ground, it is immediately vulnerable to the environment, and similarly, the moment the creature gets too far away from the heart, both it and the heart perish.”
“There’s no direct story, so you can interpret it however you see it,” said Ben Triola, Something Fragile game designer. “I think it’s important to show that you can do other things with games, other than shooting and killing and collecting coins. It’s a game that appeals to gamers and non-gamers alike.”
Kickstarter is a crowd-funding site that allows creative projects to share their goals and financial needs with the public, via a video and page on Kickstarter. Anyone who likes the project can become a backer with a pledge to donate money, starting anywhere from just one dollar. If the project receives enough money from backers to reach its goal, it gets funded at whatever amount has been raised, otherwise no money is received, and backers who supported an amount are not charged. It’s an all-or-nothing approach that many new businesses and artists are utilizing to jump-start their dreams. The Kickstarter for Something Fragile will be live until April 25. In that time, the studio is hoping to raise $18,000 from backers to finish the game.
By funding Happy Badger Studio’s new project, backers will also be infusing money into the local economy. To complete the game, the studio will be purchasing fabric and textiles from local businesses, as well as turning to other small businesses in the area for merchandise.
“We’re using Tiny Little Monster for the shirts, which is a new start-up we’re helping out, and we’re using local printer Gene-Del for the posters and postcards,” said Huth.
Happy Badger Studio is part of the growing gaming and tech industry in St. Louis. Dice recently named St. Louis the fastest-growing tech city, with a 25 percent increase in tech related jobs over the past year. The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) has opened up a new chapter in St. Louis, reflecting the large and growing community of game development studios in the city.
For more information, visit http://happybadgers.com/kickstarter/ or go straight to the Something Fragile Kickstarter page at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1824252807/something-fragile.
