Kickstarter for DreamCage 28 unlocked

Written by Jack Allin — April 18, 2015 at 12:15

Outside of prison, few human beings know what it's like to be truly caged up. But we could soon, courtesy of indie developer Big Loop Studios, as the surreal adventure DreamCage 28 is currently seeking funding through Kickstarter.

The titular cage is literal, not figurative, as its inhabitants are locked away in an actual birdcage. Once a "thriving little realm of explorers and scientists, busy with their fishing and marine biology", the residents have fallen on hard times ever since the disappearance of the Cage Master. Left to their own devices, decay and corruption took root, and the cage is now "ruled by fear and social inequality." But hope is not lost: if they can learn to live together cooperatively in the Cage Master's absence, they can finally become self-sufficient.

While there have been few story details revealed so far, some of the characters encountered in the game will include the surprisingly knowledgeable fisherman's children, the "most sarcastic robot ever built", and an old gentleman who lives in the basement of the realm's crumbling central tower, drinking and waiting for a hero to appear. As seen in the early screenshots and teaser, DreamCage 28 uses the unusual (for adventures) isometric perspective to view the action, giving it a distinctive look that matches its unique setting. Best of all for puzzle lovers, as you explore you'll uncover "endless puzzles and minigames, some hard, others even harder."

If the premise sounds vaguely familiar, it's because the developers previously released a similar freeware game back in 2013 called Escape from 26. In order to help promote the new spiritual sequel, the developers have revamped and re-released the original game as a free browser-based version and a download for Android devices.

If you like what you see of the first game, you can help support DreamCage 28 through Kickstarter, as the game needs $10,000 by May 12th in order to be completed by next January for PC, Mac, Linux, and Android platforms. A minimum $5 pledge is all that's required to secure a free download of the game, and if enough money is raised, the developers have promised entire new cages as stretch goals. To learn more and/or back the game, visit the crowdfunding page for complete details.