Kickstarter and Steam Early Access have been a vital source of early incomes for indie devs dreaming big on their next project. From Shovel Knight to FTL, many have seen great success from securing an early source of income.
Enter now from stage right the burgeoning Eastshade Studios, who are working on a large project called Eastshade.
Eastshade is a large island that will play host to a game of the same name. Promising open-world exploration in a beautifully created realm, along with some interesting mechanics like creating canvas paintings to trade for items, Eastshade looks set to be a rather interesting project to watch in the future.
Here’s a small trailer for Eastshade specifically. It’s useful to bear this in mind as we lead into Leaving Lyndow:
Now, a project of this scale will take some time to bear fruit, and this is where Leaving Lyndow comes in. This $3.99 / £2.79 experience introduces you to what appears to be Eastshade’s main character Clara and here initial intentions for journeying away. I reckon the journey lands at Eastshade, but that is rather open to interpretation.
Lasting no more than half an hour, this micro-adventure is designed to whet your appetite for the realm that the guys at Eastshade Studios have created, offering a small handful of challenges whilst setting the scene for Clara’s adventures and aspirations.
Leaving Lyndow is a gentle experience. It is a mini-story that tells its tales through discovery and non-linear conversation. Combine this with gorgeous visuals and you have a combination that leaves me yearning to explore Eastshade proper. I would generally touch on some specifics of the story, but as it’s such a short experience I’ll only tell you this much: You play as Clara as she prepares to leave Lyndow. For me, I ended the story feeling like I was ready to embark on a journey of great proportion, but the journey is yet to come.
At the equivalent price of a latte from your favourite coffee shop, Leaving Lyndow serves two very specific purposes. It provides you with a cup-sized serving of adventure, whilst also providing an opportunity for cash to start rolling into the studio whilst Eastshade’s development continues in earnest. In my mind, this is a funding method that hasn’t been done before (or hasn’t been done very often). It’s a method that I like very much.
Many Kickstarter campaigns and Early Access games require you to pony up the cash for the whole game up-front. This creates the impression that Kickstarter campaigns are effectively pre-orders for a game in the future. It creates expectations on what the game should be and thus opportunities for some to be disappointed that the final output doesn’t match what they invested their £’s in at the beginning.
From a business perspective, it’s for that reason that Leaving Lyndow is such a refreshing experience in the world of indie games. Since you haven’t invested into the full game yet, you get to wet your feet a little bit with the concept of Eastshade before any opportunity for considering the full game is made. I’d argue that this is a lovely way to spend a bit of change that’s burning a hole in your pocket.
As quick as I’d have finished my morning coffee, Leaving Lyndow rounded off its final moments. I’m left itching for that second cup now, if Eastshade would be so willing to oblige us! If you fancy a cup yourself, I highly recommend checking it out on Steam.
