Forsaken Castle is a 16-bit style, action exploration platformer, about a paladin and her fight against evil. Produced by Duck Block Games.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
[Photo Finish] Switch and Xbox One Goal Achieved! BackerKit Surveys, Pre-Orders, and more!
almost 7 years ago
– Wed, May 24, 2017 at 11:52:33 PM
Unbelievable! In the final moments, we had a backer massively jump their pledge up to cover the gap to the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One stretch goal! We had to scurry to update the stretch goal image on the campaign page before Kickstarter locked it once the campaign ended!
We wanted to give them the recognition that they so greatly deserve, but I have not heard back yet if they would be alright with us giving them a shout out. Not everyone is comfortable with taking the spotlight for generous giving (especially when large amounts are involved), and we totally want to respect that. If they're cool with it, we will give them a shout out in a later post!
So now (deep breath), in addition to New Game+, Boss Rush Mode, Valkyrie Lily, Playstation 4 and Vita Support, Magician Meryl's Story, and Dark Lily we will now include:
DA-DA-DAAAAAAA!(Sorry, I couldn't myself to a little Zelda humor there.)
Nintendo Switch and Xbox One: [It's Happening!!.gif] We will be developing a version of the game to be played on the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One!
If You Missed The Kickstarter!
It's hard discovering an awesome Kickstarter only to find you've missed your chance to join in. Don't worry! With BackerKit we will be taking additional pre-orders while we finish working out all the particulars of getting rewards produced. At a later date (and we will give a heads-up as soon as we know when that date will be), we will announce a cut-off date for physical reward pre-orders. So don't delay, you can pre-order items here:
After some careful thought and some great recommendations from others, we decided to use BackerKit for organizing our backer rewards.
This provides both us and our backers a flexible place to handle processing of rewards and through this system, you'll be able to make selections such as which platform you would like to receive your game on, as well as be able to purchase additional add-ons that are now available on the pre-order page (see the link above). NOTE: If you are already a backer on Kickstarter, you will have an opportunity to purchase add-ons when you get your BackerKit survey in the next two weeks (details on that below).
Let's break down a brief timeline of how things will happen in the next few weeks.
Right now, Kickstarter is processing pledge payments. If you had a failed payment, Kickstarter will send you an email with a link to update your payment information. One week from now, any payments that failed and have not been updated will be dropped by Kickstarter. Kickstarter needs another week to transfer the funds over to us, so we will have the money to make the game and rewards, so the whole process will take up to two weeks. If you aren't able to get your payment information fixed in time don't worry, just let us know, as we can still work with you to get you processed through BackerKit so you can still claim your rewards!
Once payments have been processed by Kickstarter in about two weeks, we have to get information such as which platform you want your game on and where we need to ship physical rewards to. We will send out BackerKit surveys to collect this information at that time.
We will give you a heads-up before we send the survey so that you can watch for it. You will not need to create a BackerKit account to answer your survey. The invitation email will contain a link to your personal survey. It is important to submit your responses as quickly as you can since we need this information to process your rewards.
If you need to change your survey responses, add or remove add-ons, or update your shipping information, you can click on the link in your survey email again or request your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page. (This page will only start working after we send the surveys out.)
If you prefer, you can just message us and give us your information, but answering your BackerKit survey will help us get your rewards out to you quicker with less chance of problems happening. BackerKit helps us save lots of time by streamlining the survey process, automating data organization, and providing us with pledge management software to make it easy to process your pledge reward shipments.
If you used Facebook to log into your Kickstarter account, the BackerKit survey link will be sent to the email you used for your Facebook account. If you have another email address that you'd prefer to use, please message us.
Because Saying Thanks Multiple Times Isn't Enough
First, congratulations if you made it through that wall of text! If not, we still love you!
In the coming days, we will be bringing more updates on our progress towards getting both the game and the physical rewards made and we'll be sure to drop a few surprises along the way! Stay tuned and thank you, thank you, thank you, thank YOU for all your fantastic support!
From the Duck Block Brothers,
Lance & Clint Trahan
[Final Stretch] Dark Lily Achieved! Less than 24 hours remaining! Bonus music for Initiate backers and more!
almost 7 years ago
– Tue, May 23, 2017 at 11:20:16 PM
Wow! Just two days ago we were announcing that Meryl's stretch goal was achieved and now we've achieved the Dark Lily stretch goal! We also have some good news for Initiate ($25) reward tier backers and up, so look for details on that below!
We've covered a lot of ground since then and have picked up over 800 wonderful backers along the way and we still have only a bit more to go!
So without further ado! In addition to New Game+, Boss Rush Mode, Valkyrie Lily, Playstation 4 and Vita Support, and Magician Meryl's Story, we will now include:
Dark Lily: Play as Lily when she's not so nice, this unlocks a new Dark Knight outfit and includes custom weapon and spell effects.
Darkness comes to the Forsaken Castle
Upcoming Stretch Goals
Nintendo Switch and Xbox One: The goal everyone can't wait to see met! Forsaken Castle for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One! With enough support, we can develop a version of the game to be played on the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One!
Pledge Tier UPDATE! Now With More BOOM!
This one is for all you music lovers out there! Zack Parrish has graciously decided to sweeten the pot with some more music for Initiate ($25) backers and above!
Now in addition to getting the Forsaken Castle OST, you will now get access to not one, but THREE additionally amazing soundtracks:
Click the links below to preview the auditory goodness!
You can't beat this musical deal with a stick or a whip even! Click, "Manage Pledge" to upgrade your pledge to Initiate to claim the additional good vibes!
Girrion, For the Fantasy Sci-Fi Comic Book Lovers Out There!
I have to say, this project has hit all the right notes for me and I (Lance) couldn't help but share it. With a style that reminds me of both Japanese legends Miyazaki (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Spirited Away) and Matsumoto (Galaxy Express 999, Space Battleship Yamato) and a roster of interesting characters, I couldn't back the project quick enough! If you love fantasy space sci-fi adventures and got some spare room in your wallet (remember, you don't pay until their Kickstarter closes 28 days from now), give Girrion a look!
We're getting so so close to the Switch/Xbox goal with less than $5k remaining! Let's keep the pressure on! You are all doing an amazing job sharing the project with others! The clock is ticking down! It's the FINAL COUNTDOWN!
Once again, we couldn't have gotten this far without you! Thank you all so so much!
[Stretch Goal] Mage Unlocked: Meryl! Less than 72 hours remaining!
almost 7 years ago
– Sun, May 21, 2017 at 06:39:17 PM
Wow! We've now cleared over half of our stretch goals! Thank you all so much!
So in addition to New Game+, Boss Rush Mode, Valkyrie Lily, Playstation 4 and Vita Support, we will now include:
Mage Unlocked: Meryl is a magician that Lily will meet inside the castle that helps her with upgrades and items. We will create a game mode that allows you to play as Meryl with new gameplay, abilities, and her own story.
Meryl is in!
Next Stretch Goals
Dark Lily: Play as Lily when she's not so nice, this unlocks a new Dark Knight outfit and includes custom weapon and spell effects.
Darkness comes to the Forsaken Castle!
Nintendo Switch and Xbox One: The goal everyone can't wait to see met! Forsaken Castle for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One! With enough support we can develop a version of the game to be played on the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One!
Final PUSH! Keep Spreading the Word!
We're getting so close to the Switch/Xbox goal with less than $10k remaining! Let's power through it by keeping up the great work sharing the project with others! Now's the time to let them know that our Kickstarter is coming to a close!
Once again, we couldn't have done this without you! Thank you all so much!
[Stretch Goal] Playstation 4 Achieved! PS Vita Support and Xbox One Update!
almost 7 years ago
– Tue, May 16, 2017 at 04:46:49 PM
Hello Everyone!
Apologies for the delay getting this update out. We had some new developments recently that will be explained in this update, so let's get down to business!
First, which everyone is probably very much aware of by now, we've hit our Playstation 4 stretch goal! What everyone may not be aware of, is that this stretch goal will now support distribution for the Playstation Vita as well (more details about how we're doing that below)!
Next Stretch Goal
Our next Stretch Goal is Mage Unlocked: Meryl is a magician that Lily will meet inside the castle that helps her with upgrades and items. We will create a game mode that allows you to play as Meryl with new gameplay, abilities, and her own story.
Please enjoy some new artwork below highlighting Meryl and one of her transformations that will allow her some new and interesting ways to access the castle.
A most magical magician indeed!
Upcoming Stretch Goals (BIG UPDATE)
Dark Lily: Play as Lily when she's not so nice, this unlocks a new Dark Knight outfit and includes custom weapon and spell effects.
Nintendo Switch + Xbox One: That's right! We're making this one a twofer! With this stretch goal, we will develop a version of the game to be played on the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One!
So you might be wondering how we are able to add both PS Vita and Xbox One support without adjusting the amounts of the stretch goals. That's an excellent question!
Quick history lesson on Duck Block Games: Back in October of last year, we joined a game development business incubator program called the Level Up Lab (which is part of the Louisiana Technology Park). Through this program, we rent a shared workspace that has provided us access to advice from other game developers within the facility. The incubator program has also helped us with getting to PAX South where we were able to demo the early version of our game.
To make a long story short, we've learned that we will also be gaining access to development kits for both the PS4 and PS Vita at no additional cost. And according to some more recent information, Microsoft will provide two development kits to us free of charge once we are approved to move forward with them. The most we would have to pay would be for the respective certifications for each system.
I hope that news about Vita and Xbox support has gotten some of you fired up! Many online communities frown on self-promotion, so if you want to see those stretch goals achieved, then we need you to go forth and let others know about it! Tell your favorite Twitch streamers, YouTubers, or Twitter personalities to check out our demo or go tell people in your favorite forums about us!
Some Cross Promotional Goodness
If you have decided to follow us on Kickstarter (big thanks to those of you that have!), you may have received a notification/email that we backed a recent project.
The creator, Josh Hano, is a former resident of the Level Up Lab and is creating a Graphic Novel based on his game "Nefarious" that was developed during his time at the incubator program. His Kickstarter trailer is diabolically exquisite if you're down for a villain that wants to (and frequently) wins!
Once again, thank you everyone for your support! Keep being amazing!
[Status Update] Halfway Point, New Demo v1.1 and Linux Build Released
almost 7 years ago
– Mon, May 15, 2017 at 12:26:06 AM
Hello everyone!
We have now reached the halfway point of our campaign and are very close to reaching our third stretch goal "Valkyrie Lily"! After that, it's onward to our Playstation 4 stretch goal!
Thank you all so much for your support in getting us this far!
Community Content!
There have been a number of videos popping up of people playing through the demo and we've had a great time watching them! You can find a bunch of them over on YouTube.
New Demo Update and Experimental Linux Build
But the ride doesn't end there! We are constantly hard at work on Forsaken Castle and because of that, we have released a new and improved version of the playable demo!
We have also included an experimental Linux build, so if that's more your thing then check it out and let us know if you run into any issues!
Below you can also find a handy list of fixes and improvements that were made to the demo.
Pre-Alpha v1.1: - Made small tweaks to Synax boss teleport timing and WeakFlyingSkull health. - Added partial heal item drops in various locations. - Until Save locations are added, Player will now respawn at the last room entered upon death. - Fixed issue where mini-boss battle could be triggered by holy water being thrown into the room. - Fixed animation that occasionally glitches when climbing ledges. - Changed collision layers and tags around a bit so player sub weapons do not inappropriately fire off specific triggers. - Holy water flames now damage destructible objects like barrels and crates. - Flying skulls will now properly be hit by flames from the holy water. - Fixed jump input handling when hanging from a ledge that caused the player to instantly begin a jump the moment they were hanging from the ledge. - Fixed an issue where Firegem Switches could be triggered by other sub-weapons. - Added a health item just outside of the first Firegem switch door. - Slightly increased Fireball damage. - Fixed an issue where a player grips a ledge after receiving a fatal hit and doesn't trigger death until they climb up. - Player will now lose their grip on a ledge if they are hit while hanging from a ledge. - Fixed an issue where area music would not start back up after player death.
Once again, thank you all so much for your support!
