Playing video games is approximately 46 times more fun than shoveling snow, which you may have been doing a lot of lately, depending on your location. In this new edition of Crowdfunding Chronicles, we present four upcoming games from a variety of genres: a post-apocalyptic fantasy RPG, a crime-laden visual novel, a first-person horror title, and a quirky point and click adventure. As far as their campaign pages indicate, none of these titles feature any snow. Enjoy!

Platform: PC. May be brought to consoles if there is demand.

Once upon a time, humans lived in a glorious civilization, full of mystical secrets and gifts given to them by the gods. But on one horrible day, the world suffered a mysterious catastrophe, and humanity was brought to ruin. This is the premise of Aethyr, an open-world action RPG featuring 2D pixel graphics. As one of the world's last remaining humans, you discover the history and truth of your world by exploring vast ruins, uncovering lore, and battling giant, ominous boss monsters.

For a game developed by a team of only two people (Atticus "Labyrinth" Walker and Andre "Asarge" Sargeant), Aethyr looks quite impressive. The game features a countless number of items to discover (or craft yourself), and over 100 abilities are available, so you can develop a personalized combat style. In addition, you can create anything you want (including items, monsters, and even new worlds) through the powers of modding!

I have always enjoyed games and stories about uncovering the history of post-apocalyptic worlds and ancient civilizations; personally, this is what intrigues me about Aethyr the most. If you happen to be in the mood for a similar theme, Aethyr may satisfy your curiosity!

Platform: PC

I have yet to hear of any other visual novels concerning Italian-American crime families; this theme, in addition to the classic 80s/90s anime-style character designs, is what drew me to Crime Opera: The Butterfly Effect.

This particular title is the first volume in a new series of two trilogies. Perhaps this sounds overwhelming, but allow me to elaborate: the campaign page clearly states that this series is not episodic. Each story features a different narrator telling a self-contained tale, and the volumes all take place several years apart from one another. The storylines are all quite mature, dealing with various criminal and violent acts, and they feature certain words beginning with "F" (hint: not "flowers").

As an added feature, you can choose between reading Crime Opera as a traditional linear story or as an interactive tale with choices. Be warned: while the latter features multiple endings, only one of them is correct. The incorrect story routes still feature new glimpses of backstory and character information, however, so they aren't entirely without merit.

From what I've seen so far, I definitely recommend keeping an eye on this game if you're looking for a visual novel with a more serious, adult storyline and mature character designs, as opposed to the usual cute person-dominated anime fare.

Platform: PC

Do you enjoy consuming vast quantities of alcohol? Furthermore, do you happen to have a thick beard, enjoy tight pants, and wear a stylish set of spectacles? If so, this game is meant for you! While I myself do not fit the above description, I was immediately drawn to this game thanks to the super cute cartoon graphics by Edo Brenes, not to mention the fact that it happens to be a classic-style point and click adventure, which is one of my favorite genres!

The plot of the game concerns a bearded, suspender and glasses-wearing hipster who attempts to find a classic Pilsner beer in a world full of strange craft beers of questionable flavor. The puzzles and locations (including various bars and concert halls) are all somehow related to alcohol; there's even an epic brewing contest! Certain sections of the game must even be solved while the main character is drunk!

Despite the alcohol-soaked content, the game looks quite adorable and perhaps even a little bit wholesome. I am looking forward to this quirky little adventure!

Platform: PC. Stretch goals add Xbox One, PS4 and VR.

Dear readers, do any of you remember the classic 1992 horror adventure Waxworks? This game happens to be a modern, 3D remake of that violent, blood-soaked tale. The storyline involves tracking down the evil twins of your ancestors in order to lift a curse placed on your family by the witch Ixona. To accomplish this, you must venture inside your creepy uncle's mansion and explore his sinister Waxworks exhibit, composed of five different historical time periods.

The new game will be a first-person action/adventure title, featuring puzzle solving, combat, and RPG statistics (including an HP increase upon gaining levels). The campaign is very ambitious considering the obscurity of the original title, and a substantial amount of money has been requested for several important features indicated in the stretch goals (such as quick save and autosave options, as well as additional areas). Hardcore fans of the original will definitely want to give this campaign a look, and if you have yet to play the classic and are curious, it is currently available on GoG (it's even on sale!).

• The campaign for Soundfall, a music-based procedurally generated dungeon crawler, wrapped up on December 6th to overwhelmingly successful results. Check it out here!


• We have new updates for Lore Finder (Campaign Page), a game we covered in the previous installment of Crowdfunding Chronicles! First off, the demo has received a few updates, including new enemy types, a new boss fight, and an exciting speedrun mode which is also featured in a contest ending on December 23rd! Find the rules at the link! In addition, a new voice actor has been announced should the game reach its $27,000 stretch goal: Adam Harrington, who previously starred as Bigby in The Wolf Among Us (developed by the ill-fated Telltale Games).

Boring Disclaimer: While it's possible some of us at RPGFan may be backers of the games mentioned in these articles, this does not influence our coverage or our featured game choices. We make our selections simply based on what active campaigns feel like interesting ones to present to our readers, and are not given special access or perks by the developers.

tl;dr: We think these games show potential, and want to share them with you.