Watch: How Strafe failed to capture the 90s
Doomed.
When you back a game on Kickstarter it's safe to say you're taking a bit of a risk. You're paying money up front for something that doesn't yet exist, a product that's only partially realised, an idea that's still in its infancy.
Strafe was the second (and last) game I ever backed on Kickstarter and I did so two years ago, on the strength of its incredible announcement trailer. The trailer painted the game as an ultra-violent throwback to 90s first person shooters like Doom and Quake but with the added power of modern day processors behind it.
In my head, Strafe was a procedurally generated Doom-clone; a kick ass, fast-paced shooter with infinite levels and unlimited replayability. Developer Pixel Titans, however, ended up delivering something different - Strafe ended up being a punishing rogue-like that wore the skin of a retro shooter and nothing more.
In my opinion, Strafe widely missed the mark when it came to recreating the feel of a classic 90s PC shooter. In the video below I go into much more detail about why I think Strafe failed to achieve that goal. I touch on things like the enemy behaviours, sound design and level structure so do give it a play if you're interested to hear my thoughts on the matter.
Did you back Strafe on Kickstarter? Were you disappointed with the final product or did you find something in there to like? As ever, do share your thoughts in the comments below.