UPDATE:  August 16, 2012

Hey KickStarter, 

I thought I'd share this special announcement trailer with everyone, 

Enjoy Everyone,

Tyler Hunter

Rack n Ruin is a 2D top down action-adventure game being developed for the PC, Mac, and iOS. You play as a little devil named Rack, who has a big appetite for destruction.  The game will feature realtime combat, exploration, puzzle solving, and a clever story, all played out in rich HD hand drawn visuals.

There are numerous unique mechanics that make Rack n Ruin a special game. Firstly, we have the corruption mechanic in which the player will be able to corrupt a unique shrine in each zone. Once the player offers up enough stolen souls to a shrine, it will shatter and alter the world around it. A completionist can turn the entire world into something resembling a nightmarish fairy tale. 

Secondly, Rack is not your swords and shields kind of protagonist. He wields a variety of spells and artifacts. Rack can carve enemies into pieces with a blade he summons to do his bidding, or scorch them with his fireballs.  He can also use the looted items or ones purchased from nefarious merchants. Things such as fairie wings, rabbits feet, pig noses, souls of the innocent, will-o'-the-wisp dust, and other such gooey things. Each item will have a different effect, some will detonate into huge pyrotecnics, while others might summon a floating eye to hover around you as an extra piece of firepower.

Thirdly, the over world will be open to exploration by the player. Many secrets will be nestled away for the player to uncover. Various dungeons will highlight the key points in the game as Rack begins to take on the guardians of the world.  There encounters will culminate in intense boss encounters.

Check out these screen shots and concepts or visit www.racknruingame.com for more info, story, and screenshots.

We are a small team of developers who are working on Rack n Ruin. At the core of the team is me,

Tyler Hunter. I am the project lead, designer, and art director on the project. I have been working in the video game industry for the past ten years, working on such games as Ultimate Online X, Prey, World of Warcraft, Starcraft 2, and Diablo 3. I was an artist at Blizzard Entertainment for seven years before leaving to build this game. Newer members are beginning to join, and are helping to bring the game to completion.

Ben Briggs is our Composer who possesses a passion for video games and film. Beginning his musical career as a performing artist in various musical ensembles Ben was inspired by Film and Game music and decided to further hone his skills by studying composition.  He recently composed the music and sound design for the indie-game Graveyard Snuggle as well as other game and film projects.  Check out his work at http://www.benbriggscomposer.co.uk.

Brian Clevinger is the author the Atomic Robo comic series, as well as the author of the prolific long running webcomic 8-bit Theater.  Brian has a knack for writing hilarious sharp dialogue.  If you haven't had a chance to check out the work of this talented writer.  I highly recommend you give it a read at www.nuklearpower.com and http://www.atomic-robo.com.

Adam Avetisian is a talented programmer who has written numerous add-ons and plugins for the unity engine.  Adam has developed his own 2D solution for unity (2DMadeEZ) as well as an array of other tools. 

Peter Sakievich is a long time friend of mine who will be lending his artistic hand to the project.  He painted the exquisite environment painting on display here. He has worked for Disney Interactive and EA Games  Peter's talent speaks for itself, check out his website http://www.rainlandstudios.com and http://www.petersakievich.com.

So why do we need your support?

As you can see, we have already developed a working prototype. So the core of the game is all ready to go.  Now it's just a matter of filling out the rest of the game with great content.  Games are very expensive and taxing to develop, especially one of this scope.  Every bit of funding will help grow the game into something much more special. 

With crowd funding, we will be able to fund top level music talent, as well as an experienced sound designer.  We can also bring on additional artists and programmers to help give the game that extra bit of polish. Quality assurance is also something that I feel is key to making a fun game. Iteration on the game is the best way to ensure that it will play smoothly, retain balance, and be as bug free as possible. Hiring a team of dedicated testers at the end of the production will greatly improve the final result.

We have some fantastic rewards to offer you. Anyone who supports the project will get an e-card thanking them for their support with an exclusive wallpaper attached.

We have some great digital rewards such as a digital art book. As this is a completely 2D game, there is a lot of art being developed in its creation. And we are looking forward to putting together a digital art book cataloging the best artwork in the game.

In addition, we will be offering a digital copy of the soundtrack upon release, as well as signed and numbered, logo-free posters related to the game.

At the higher levels, we will be printing a copy of the art book. I will also be offering hand painted water color creature concept art paintings. Each one will be an original piece art produced by me. 

There will also be high level stretch rewards and exclusive top tier rewards as well (see below).

Woo-hoo, we did it!  We are funded which is amazing.  Thank you so much.  I will work hard to ensure that you all get an amazing game to enjoy. 

The Black Maw:  Extra Boss Unlocked

A new secret Boss will be added to the game. This will be the toughest battle designated for seasoned players.

Special High Level Stretch Reward Unlocked.

I would like to build a statue of Rack for the high level supporters. However it is very expensive to print and cast a copy of Rack. If we reach this stretch goal, I will go the extra mile and produce a 3D copy of Rack. $250 Supporters will receive an assembled resin cast of Rack, and $1000 Supporters will receive a fully assembled hand painted statue of Rack. The 3D model is already done, check it out below.

The Ivory Pinnacle: An Extra Dungeon

An entire new dungeon will be built, complete with puzzles, new enemies, new art, and a special Boss to rule over it.

A Secret Extra

Something very special that I have always dreamed about doing for the game, and with this kind of funding, I will be able to put it into the game.  It's a secret though.

Conclusion

That about finishes this up. Thanks to everyone who checked out this page, and a big thanks to all our supporters. One of the best ways to support us is to spread the word. Follow me and Rack n Ruin on Twitter or Facebook, and tell your favorite news blog about the project. In reality, good press through word-of-mouth is much more important to the project's success than money.

Much thanks again,

Yours sincerely,

Tyler C Hunter

tyler@lifesparkent.com

Check out the Development Blog:   www.racknruingame.com