About
LAST LIFE
$103,058
4,822
MISSED THE KICKSTARTER?
"As soon as we saw it, we loved it."
Tim Schafer, Broken Age
“Just look at those sexy dancing polygons; how could you NOT back this?”
Alex Preston, Hyper Light Drifter
“TAKE ALL MY MONEY!”
Asher Vollmer, Threes!
"I've been following Sam's work for years...LAST LIFE looks amazing.”
Max Temkin, Cards Against Humanity
LAST LIFE is a sci-fi noir adventure game for PC, Mac and Linux about a transhumanist colony on Mars. When a murdered detective is 3D printed back into existence, he reopens his last case to uncover what he missed--a hunt that reveals AI corruption, corporate espionage, and the conspiracy that may have led to Earth's doom.
Check out our prototype design for our EXCLUSIVE BACKER T-SHIRT ($100 reward tier):
Back at the $75 level to receive this custom-embroidered, exclusive, MARSTOPIA RESIDENT patch and to get your name in the game & credits!
LAST LIFE is an epic story told in three engrossing episodes. Our first funding goal will enable us to deliver Episode One.
Gameplay is inspired by modern point and click adventure games like Kentucky Route Zero and Telltale's Walking Dead series. Like them, LAST LIFE focuses on atmosphere and storytelling, while also challenging the player's detective skills of interrogation and deduction.
- You are Jack Parker, recently slain P.I.; Earth was destroyed 11 years ago; and no one is having a particularly good day on Mars. Yet, here you are: back for 4 hours.
- Race your way through the glittery mean streets of MarsTopia as Jack Parker hunts down his own killer.
- Wrangle deadly secrets out of an enormous cast of bizarre characters using whatever works: charm, bribes, or something less pleasant.
- Uncover the inner workings of the squeaky-clean United Corps, which run the planet like clockwork.
- Drink DNA-enhanced brewskis
- Break robots.
GAMEPLAY PROTOTYPE
The following scene is ripped right out of the middle of the game. It was originally created to test the adventure game systems such as dialogue, camera movement, and character animations. In it, Parker is trying to find Misty, who has the money he needs to extend his life on MarsTopia.
Eleven years before our story opens, all life on Earth was ended. Now, only a few million humans still exist, scattered throughout the remaining civilized colonies of the solar system--forever exiled.
P.I. Jack Parker was one of the lucky few to have escaped Earth's tragedy.
On that infamous day, he just happened to be working a case on MarsTopia, the crown jewel among these colonies on the red planet. He survived on that destination resort development, but half-wished he hadn’t. The echoes of the life he left behind on Earth…a life lost forever…grew louder every hour. Until, that is, the day 11 years later when he was gunned down and killed.
But here’s where Parker gets lucky and our action begins. The next day is MarsTopia’s annual Dead Man’s Party holiday. Following custom, Parker and all the other recently deceased in MarsTopia get a nice perk: they are each 3D printed back to life in a new body and given just enough time to enjoy the gala. But Parker has no intention of politely resuming his death after the party wraps. He has just four hours to break out of the 3D lab, pick up the leads in his troubling case, and find his own killer. And, rushing against time he actually doesn’t legally have, perhaps uncover what triggered Earth’s demise.
Jack Parker is a professional investigator who lives for little more than his next swig of Glenfiddich 18 to blot out the past. His clients? That nervous breed of MarsTopia Corpexec who worry about cheating spouses… and backstabbing underlings… and the existential question of where your soul goes after you die. For the right price, Parker finds them answers--to the first two, anyway.
Misty Sheridan is perhaps Parker’s only true friend. She, too, lost everything when Earth was destroyed...her sister had taken Misty’s baby back to Chicago to visit their parents. But everyone on MarsTopia had a story like that, and Misty was a survivor. Running The Vapor Lounge, she tries to play by New Shanghai City rules and regulations… up to a point. There are clients who will pay a premium for privacy and security and Misty doesn’t ever name names.
Kasper “Tiny” Gutman is the mastermind behind the MarsTopian underworld gang, the Black Birds. He stays well back in the shadows, but like any fine puppet-master, knows how to pull all the right strings. Whether by means of blackmail or Tiny’s sheer eel-like slipperiness, the authorities have never been able to touch him. While certainly not a man to be trusted, he and Parker have been of mutual benefit on several occasions. Tiny is as charming as he is deadly-- and the 300-pound behemoth is no one to cross.
For a long time, I've dreamt of creating a game that explores transhumanism. In it, one's individuality is tested, the dark parts of one's soul are exposed to the light, and yet hope and a chance at redemption may be just around the corner. Add to that my fascination with stories that build mounting suspense and evoke a pervasive creep-factor (think: Twin Peaks), along with introducing nuanced witty characters. And lurking amongst them…I have hidden Parker’s killer.
The game’s landscape isn't some airless and desolate dystopia; it’s a prosperous domed off-world community, packed with vibrant people, dark corners and luxurious bling. Here, deadly secrets are waiting to be discovered as you venture out into the glittering MarsTopian night with the clock ticking, ticking, ticking down on your very last life.
LAST LIFE is being developed by Sam Farmer (Rocket Science Amusements).
Prior to starting Rocket Science Amusements, Sam was Lead Game Designer for BBC Worldwide where he developed PC games based on several top BBC television series. Before that, Sam won two IGF awards at GDC 2010 for Paper Cakes and Spectre. Then, his design work on Blink (project supervised by Sony Santa Monica), allowed him to create compelling stories within the context of a AAA action/adventure title.
Rocket Science Collaborators:
- The Tone Ranger, who played in the bands Desire, The Results, and Kitty Kitty, has created our soundtrack.
- Art Center phenom Ivan Louey is creating concept art / refining character designs.
- Jerrilyn Farmer, bestselling author of 8 mysteries (Wm. Morrow) and TV game writer of Jeopardy! and Supermarket Sweep is writing our script.
- Adam Howard is the voice talent that gives Jack Parker his cranky charm and deadpan resolve.
- After studying music at U Edinburgh, Jacob Pernell is bringing LAST LIFE's SFX to life. Mars and Scotland sound more alike than anyone realized.
- The brilliant co-anarchists at Glitch City are our creative sounding board. They have released and/or kickstarted the following acclaimed indie games: Threes! Hyper Light Drifter. Nidhogg. Thirty Flights of Loving. Skulls of the Shogun.
As I created the story, look and feel of this world, I was joined by some amazingly accomplished artists. It is really a huge bit of luck that a few of them happen to be members of my own family, crazy enough to jump on this dizzying ride without a lot of questions. As the game's story grew, several more friends volunteered to come aboard. Literally, my high school drama coach came over to my garage to record Parker's VO. Like that. Yet now is the time to put it out there. I know I need the help of a larger community in order to realize the dream of producing Episode One of an eventual 3-part Trilogy.
I am dedicated to making LAST LIFE the most amazing adventure game I know it can be. To do that, we’re going to have to give it the time and provide the resources it needs. The funds from Kickstarter backers will allow the core team to maintain our focus, and enable us to bring on others to help us create character art for our expanding world, concept additional scenic designs and a map, and all of the other expenses that crop up when you’re dedicated to producing an exceptional game experience. The independence that funding will give us is more appreciated than we can express.
And now here's one final track from our game:
Risks and challenges
I have been exhilarated by half a year of planning, writing, drawing, debating, revising, programming and finally of prototyping this concept. And yet, I'm certain there will be great challenges to overcome in the future--such is game development.
Luckily, I will not be facing this challenge alone. Through the combined wisdom, support, and guidance of Double Fine and the Glitch City community, I now have a support network of developers, designers, and artists with decades of experience building and releasing independent games.
But it doesn't end there. All along this journey, I have had unfailing friends ready to offer honest feedback. Now, with launch of this Kickstarter campaign, I hope to extend this tradition to you, the backers. Let's build an incredible community of our own around LAST LIFE.
If you have read this far, you are either my mother or my new friend for life. Thanks to your help and support, we will continue to take that leap into the unknown in search of beautiful, meaningful games.
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Funding period
- (29 days)