The coming sequel to The Book of Unwritten Tales is enjoying some surprising success on Kickstarter.
Developed by King Art Games and released in Germany in 2009, The Book of Unwritten Tales (which made its North American debut in 2012) wasn’t exactly a smash hit, but it was awfully good – behold our own 5/5 review if you have doubts. Yesterday, King Art and Nordic Games announced that a sequel is finally in the works, and that a Kickstarter was being launched to support it – not to make the game, but to allow the development of additional content.
“At first, it seemed strange to us thinking about an already funded game being on Kickstarter, but then we were amazed about the possibility to get direct feedback from the crowd about this additional on-top content and features,” Nordic Producer Martin Kreuch said.
Strange or not, the response from fans was immediate and very positive. The relatively paltry goal of $65,000 was surpassed in just 30 hours, allowing for various enhancements to the game as well as the release of a special physical edition and various other goodies, and also setting off the march to stretch goals, including the addition of RPG-style side quests, an orchestral soundtrack and other features.
The developers seemed surprised by the Kickstarter’s rapid success (and maybe a little disappointed too) but said that it won’t change their plans for the game. “For The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 we purposely decided to steer clear of some current trends and aimed the game at core gamers, gave it a large scale, put the focus clearly on puzzles and classic gameplay,” King Art Creative Director Jan Theysen said. “We are extremely pleased that fans also share our views and generously pledged their support.”
The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 will take place a year after the events of the original game, and will see the return of all Wilbur, Ivo, Nate and Critter, who must once again come together to save the world of Aventasia. The Kickstarter has another 38 days on the clock, while the game itself is expected to come out in early 2015.
Source: Kickstarter
