I have a folder on my computer entitled 'Awesome pixel art', in which the jazzy Witchmarsh's expressive and moodily-paletted characters feature heavily. I'm expecting that folder to expand a bit with the news that Inglenook's *deep breath* sidescrolling 1920s-set supernatural co-op action RPG has taken to Kickstarter , supported by a brief but footage-packed pitch video, tons of information, and more GIFs than it's possible for a human to digest in a single sitting. Phil might be looking forward to getting lost in space , Joey Tribbiani style, with Elite: Dangerous, but I can't wait to be lost in the roaring supernatural alternate-twenties, a time when life was 2D, mystery-laden, and accompanied by a toe-tapping jazz/blues soundtrack.
Citing Baldur's Gate and Wizardry as inspirations, Witchmarsh starts with you constructing a team of supernatural investigators, from a bunch of customisable archetypes with names like The Gentleman, The Technician, The Inn Keeper, The Trapper and The Scribe. You'll then investigate clues, battle enemies, and explore a number of suitably 1920s-y locations like a hobo-ridden boxcar or a swinging speakeasy in your mission to locate the missing 'Witchmarsh Twelve'.
Witchmarsh is being published by Starbound developers Chucklefish, who will be offering the developers their "business and marketing expertise, so we can focus more time and energy on the game itself". Inglenook have mentioned in a couple of tweets that Chucklefish have been mostly providing this help in their free time, so don't expect development of Starbound to suffer as a result.
Witchmarsh is currently on track for a December 2015 release, and the team are asking for £50,000 to make it happen . Here's a slice of the game action:
