Starbound dev is helping crowdfunded RPG Heart Forth, Alicia come to fruition

UPDATE 14/05/2014: Heart Forth, Alicia has smashed through a majority of its Kickstarter stretch goals, so it's now set for release on PS4, Vita, Wii U, Mac and Linux in addition to PC.

If Heart Forth, Alicia can raise a total of $245K in the next 30 hours, it will come to 3DS as well. Currently it's acquired $206,899, over three times its original $60K goal.

Additionally met stretch goals ensure that Mega Man composer Manami Matsumae will create music for the game, and the developer made enough to fund challenge dungeons, a secret zone, and the use of real life instruments in its soundtrack.

ORIGINAL STORY 18/04/2014: Mexican indie developer Alonso Martin's upcoming "metroidvania" action RPG Heart Forth, Alicia is looking pretty ace and now Starbound developer Chucklefish is helping Martin and co. see its game through to completion.

What does that mean exactly, you ask? Martin explained the Starbound developer's input in the following excerpt from a Kickstarter update: "Chucklefish Games are a group of talented people helping us with our business responsibilities, marketing, distribution, and although they will not be providing Heart Forth, Alicia with funding at any point, they are opening up the doors for console porting. They're very nice people, too, and working together has been really smooth because they completely understand the development process of a game."

That's rather kind of Chucklefish. Having the Starbound dev's name attached to the project is certainly helping as Heart Forth, Alicia has already surpassed its $60K Kickstarter goal in a scant two days with a current tally of $69,040. It still has 28 days left to acquire even more.

It's not just the Chucklefish name that's helping Heart Forth, Alicia make waves on the crowdfunding platform as the game itself looks rather rad, too. On the surface it's a bright, colourful fantasy action RPG in the vein of Metroid, but it looks a bit more ambitious than that as it will host a wide variety of spells, special moves, gear, crafting and sidequests. Even its story sounds a bit more audacious than the usual fantasy fare as the developer stated that it "unfolds amidst the repercussions of centuries worth of struggle, strife, and bloodshed between cultures, races and worldviews." The developer also teased some unexpectedly gruesome violence in its trailer and there's some mysterious fourth wall-breaking connection to a live-action woman in the real world. What could it mean?

My favourite part of the trailer comes at 1:55 when Alicia falls down a pit and is welcomed by a giant ferocious man-eating plant that's probably a boss. It hearkens back to the days of the original Tomb Raider when a T-Rex could just show up out of nowhere without a cutscene, giant gate, or any other fanfare to mark its appearance.

Backers can reserve a PC copy of Heart Forth, Alicia upon its estimated May 2015 release for $15. This also comes with an exclusive Starbound-inspired accessory and wallpaper. Bump it up to $25 and you can get a digital soundtrack too.