'Anima: Gate Of Memories' Is A Kickstarter Gem

As of today at this very moment, Kai Nesbit’s Anima: Gate of Memories has raised a grand total of $116,242 (and still going!). In today’s society, Kickstarter successes in the video game industry are not unheard of, but it takes a lot of balls, effort and community outreach to make it a reality. For Nesbit, his dream just keeps getting more vivid.

Anima Project Studio launched their first Anima Kickstarter campaign last year and finished in January 2013 with a total of over $110,000. Recently, they have kickstarted a new campaign to help raise funds for even more improvements to the hack-and-slash game, including (but certainly not limited to) all characters and NPC’s voiced, all miniatures released in high-quality resin, new cutscenes and dialogue, a new branch of story, additional bosses and more. At just £28,000 for a stretch goal, Anima Project Studio promises confirmation of a next-gen console release. As of today, they are already at £15, 172, £172 over budget. This means Anima Project Studio is preparing itself for a major release and more funds to come.

While playing the Alpha version of Anima: Gate of Memories, it was easy to be impressed with the graphics. On par with PC games like World of Warcraft and Guild Wars 2, I felt as if I had become a part of a virtual world, just as I had in my experiences with the aforementioned. When evaluating the graphics in a video game, I like to look up or out into the distance at the rendering. For an Alpha, the graphics surpassed my expectations. Cliffs were delicately crafted and the water showed immense reflective capabilities. I had to shake my recent playtime with the PS4 and focus on the reality of a PC game in Alpha-mode, but even then I did not cringe.

The game is still awaiting its official sound effects and these were thrown out of my review. Led by Lead Sound Designer, Steven Green, and a small team of sound designers, they hope to breathe life into the already-stunning virtual reality of Anima: Gate of Memories.

The combat system bears resemblance to our dear, snarky friend Dante in Devil May Cry, with its familiar hack-and-slash movements and mid-air attacks. I was almost waiting for a chain to whip out and grip the enemy by the throat. Due to my love of the combat system in DmC, I can’t say I was disappointed. Though the system itself does need some work, it presents a delightful opportunity for an entertaining approach.

The variance in enemies lacked, although I couldn’t say much because this is only the Alpha version and it’s a tutorial. With what I have seen in the game already, I’m sure we can expect fantastic things. I can’t really state anything negative. Because I do like the character design, and the gritty, cartoon outlines of them make it feel a little like I’m on the verge of jumping into a manga comic. I’m thrilled to see where the story takes the player and what unfurls as we progress deeper into the game. As I’m sure all of you are, I’m looking forward to what Anima has in store next.

When you look at other games trudging along on Kickstarter, you see unfinished projects in the making, some better than others. But when I saw Anima: Gate of Memories, I saw something in the game that drew me in: remarkable graphics, a familiar and comforting combat system and a story waiting to be told; I was hooked.

Please visit the current Kickstarter for Anima: Gate of Memories and help make this glorious vision come true.