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Battle for the ages: what’s the best Kickstarter game (so far)?

What is the best Kickstarted game?

  • Shovel Knight

    Votes: 119 24.3%

  • Pillars of Eternity

    Votes: 31 6.3%

  • Hyper Light Drifter

    Votes: 16 3.3%

  • Hollow Knight

    Votes: 189 38.6%

  • Other (Kentucky Route Zero, Divinity: OS, FTL, Darkest Dungeon, et cetera) - post your choice below!

    Votes: 135 27.6%
  • Total voters
    490
Odeko

Odeko

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Mar 22, 2018
15,180
West Blue
Kickstarter has led to dozens and dozens of wonderful games throughout the 8th generation, and with at least two more giant highly-anticipated Kickstarter projects coming this year (Bloodstained and Shenmue) I wanted to look back and see what's Era's pick for the best game the platform has produced so far.

Sorry for only 5 options on the poll, that's a limitation of the site. I took my best guess of what the top 4 would end up being but definitely post whatever Kickstarter game you want in the tread if your top pick isn't up there. I'll update the OP over time to keep a running tally of "other" games that are picked!
 
HanSoloCup

HanSoloCup

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,638
Richmond, VA
Banner Saga for me. Stoic wholly delivered on a viking-themed SRPG with decision making that actually made a difference. It was exactly what I wanted.
 
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TheZjman

TheZjman

Banned
Nov 22, 2018
1,369
I'm really enjoying Hollow Knight, but for me it will always be Shovel Knight.

Funnily enough, the only game I've ever back is A Hat In Time, a game I've yet to play because it hasn't come out on a Nintendo platform yet.
 
kami_sama

kami_sama

Member
Oct 26, 2017
7,044
I'd have to say Shovel Knight.
It is the still the gold standard I think.

HLD was a good kickstarteer, but it didn't have the impact that SK did.
As for HK, they delivered one of the best games, with very little money, but it also happened with other games, such as undertale.
The closest one would be Pillars of Ethernity, reviving the CRPG genre. But I think it didn't have the same lasting impact as SK had.
 
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Odeko

Odeko

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Mar 22, 2018
15,180
West Blue
kami_sama said:
I'd have to say Shovel Knight.
It is the still the gold standard I think.

HLD was a good kickstarteer, but it didn't have the impact that SK did.
As for HK, they delivered one of the best games, with very little money, but it also happened with other games, such as undertale.
The closest one would be Pillars of Ethernity, reviving the CRPG genre. But I think it didn't have the same lasting impact as SK had.
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Oh shoot I totally forgot about Undertale

Goddammit there are too many great Kickstarter games
 
Servbot24

Servbot24

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
43,384
Hollow Knight is much better than Shovel Knight imo. Shovel Knight is good and I had fun playing it, but when I was done I felt no need to think about it anymore. Hollow Knight stayed with me for a long time.

Regiruler said:
Shovel Knight backers are still getting free content in 2019.

Pack it up.
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Question is best game, not most free content :P
 
Master Chuuster

Master Chuuster

GamingBolt.com
Verified
Dec 14, 2017
2,653
Hollow Knight. 10/10 game. Plus backers get the sequel for free. That's a ridiculously good deal.
 
eXistor

eXistor

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,356
Shovel Knight for me. The support the devs show the game is nothing short of astounding. Admittedly they did promise it, but to actually follow through with many and high quality free updates is really cool.

Also the game itself is balls-to-the-wall amazing.
 
Comrade Crunch

Comrade Crunch

Member
Jan 15, 2018
840
Kentucky Route Zero, it just totally nails what it set out to do and is unlike anything else I've played. Really love the David Lynch vibes and folksy feel.
 
Pascal

Pascal

▲ Legend ▲
The Fallen
Oct 28, 2017
10,278
Parts Unknown
It's Hollow Knight. Bless you for putting Hyper Light Drifter on the poll though, more people need to play it.

Oh fuck Undertale is a Kickstarter game too...Uhh...UHHHH...

*jumps out of nearby window*
 
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Odeko

Odeko

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Mar 22, 2018
15,180
West Blue
Pascal said:
It's Hollow Knight. Bless you for putting Hyper Light Drifter on the poll though, more people need to play it.

Oh fuck Undertale is a Kickstarter game too...Uhh...UHHHH...

*jumps out of nearby window*
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I love Hyper Light Drifter too, but it probably should have been Undertale if I hadn't forgotten that was Kickstarter.

Whelp, sorry Undertale
 

Deleted member 16569

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
787
It's a tough choice, but for me it's none of the above options.

It would either be Overload, or Shadowrun Returns/Shadowrun: Dragonfall.
EDIT: Ops, forgot about Thimbleweed Park.

I backed a lot of games that thankfully ended up surpassing my expectations (FTL, Divinity: Original Sin series, Pillars of Eternity, Hollow Knight, Darkest Dungeon, ...), but the above 3 were the ones that I really utterly adored them.

Overload is the Descent sequel I always wanted (sadly, not many people seemed to care about it, and sales were low).
The Shadowrun Returns campaign was doubly rewarding, since I really enjoyed Shadowrun Returns, and the expansion that came afterwards (Dragonfall) ended up being even better, so much that it ended up being released as a stand-alone game.
Thimbleweed Park was the Maniac Mansion spiritual successor I never expected to get, and it's a new classic in the genre.
 
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BringBackSonics

BringBackSonics

Member
Oct 27, 2017
45,532
Seattle
I know many hated KS because of many of the failures, but the way I look at, without it, we wouldn't likely have had many awesome games.

I picked 'other' Shadowrun Dragonfall was my personal favorite.
 
Cecil

Cecil

Chicken Chaser
Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,464
Broken Age is the best for me. It was the first P&C in the style of older LucasArts games, that really nailed the structure of them, and had the same sense of a unique art style, and great humour.

It was also a very interesting project to follow, and the physical boxed copy was ace.
 
Vic_Viper

Vic_Viper

Thanked By SGM
Member
Oct 25, 2017
29,120
Mighty No. 9?

I think Battle Chasers was my favorite Kickstarter. But Divinity Original Sin is probably the "best Kickstarter game so far"

LaneDS said:
Raise your hand, other person who voted for HLD with me.
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That was me lol. Out of the main choices in that poll, that was my favorite, aside from the Other option.
 
medyej

medyej

Member
Oct 26, 2017
6,492
How is Divinity Original Sin not in the poll? It's more noteworthy than Hyper Light Drifter and Pillars to have it's own selection
 
etrain911

etrain911

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,828
My very favorite is CrossCode, but that's not the question. The question is the best. And for that I have to say Shovel Knight. Shovel Knight and its expansions were just so quality and so good. I can't think of a single time I was bored or upset by it.
 
ScreamingMadden

ScreamingMadden

Member
May 5, 2018
7,353
I have a soft spot for Freedom Planet so maybe that. Well, there's also Battle Chef Brigade, Contradiction Spot the Liar and Thimbleweed Park as well.

Although I still need to play Shovel Knight at some point and put more time into Hollow Knight.
 

Take5GiantSteps

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,291
Ohio
Shovel Knight and Hyper Light Drifter are the best.

etrain911 said:
My very favorite is CrossCode, but that's not the question. The question is the best. And for that I have to say Shovel Knight. Shovel Knight and its expansions were just so quality and so good. I can't think of a single time I was bored or upset by it.
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Yeah. It's really difficult to argue against Shovel Knight.
 
DrArchon

DrArchon

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,485
Right now it's Hollow Knight.

But I'll get back to you after I'm put more time into Sunless Skies.
 
Alastor3

Alastor3

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 28, 2017
8,297
HanSoloCup said:
Banner Saga for me. Stoic wholly delivered on a viking-themed SRPG with decision making that actually made a difference. It was exactly what I wanted.
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you won.

Banner Saga was my favorite of the lot. They actually release 3 whole games, with 2 successful kickstarters. It show that they had experience prior to working on BS.
 
Garmonbozia

Garmonbozia

Member
Oct 27, 2017
591
Shadowrun for me. Returns is kinda meh, but Dragonfall is top 10 CRPGs of all time. Hong Kong is pretty good too.
 
Miletius

Miletius

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
1,257
Berkeley, CA
Pillars probably had more impact than any other game on that list but it's hard to say that it was better (and I love Pillars 1). It's hard to say because KS projects varied so much in scope, a lot of it depending on how much money they raised.

I'll just go with SR:HK. Less overall budget than a lot of the CRPG's of note but came out with a fantastic project for how much it raised and it still mentioned as one of the most memorable CRPG's of the revival.
 

Deleted member 17210

User-requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
11,569
It's hard to pick a best one but Tesla Effect was really impressive. Having Tex Murphy back was something I never expected and wouldn't likely have seen the light of day without Kickstarter.
 
Skittzo

Skittzo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
41,037
I've only played two of those on the list and a few others not on the list, but Hollow Knight wins because it's one of the best games ever period. Kickstarter or not.
 

gully state

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,994
Divinity:OS's got tons of acclaim...I dunno why neither didn't deserve a slot of its own.

Also, Divinity OS
 
Leviathan

Leviathan

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
2,065
FTL by a mile. Fantastic title and the only indie game I'd put on a list of my favorites. Maybe Darkest Dungeon if I'm feeling grim.
 
BringBackSonics

BringBackSonics

Member
Oct 27, 2017
45,532
Seattle
Miletius said:
Pillars probably had more impact than any other game on that list but it's hard to say that it was better (and I love Pillars 1). It's hard to say because KS projects varied so much in scope, a lot of it depending on how much money they raised.

I'll just go with SR:HK. Less overall budget than a lot of the CRPG's of note but came out with a fantastic project for how much it raised and it still mentioned as one of the most memorable CRPG's of the revival.
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Yup, Pillars of Eternity and Wasteland 2 were the big KS games that definitely showed how legtimate it was as a platform to get games made (There was another one around the same time that also had similiar 'ground breaking' news, but I didn't back it, because it wasn't a genre I was interested in)
 
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