Hello and welcome to our article about the best Kickstarter video games that have ever graced the face of the Earth. Over the last 10 years or so, Kickstarter has provided the foundations of the indie games industry, and without it, you have to wonder whether we’d all have been spoiled with the games that we have today. Best Kickstarter Video Games Sure, not all things on Kickstarter have been a huge success (*cough* Ouya *cough*) but as this article demonstrates, many games can go from having a humble funding target to ending up rivalling some AAA titles when it comes to sales. Whilst we all have our personal hidden-gem favourites, we thought the most objective approach would be to rank the best Kickstarter video games of all time by their Metacritic score, so here we go! Disclaimer: Many of the games on this list have multiple scores depending on the platforms they have released on. To make it easier, we have chosen the score of the highest rated version(s). 10. Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake SleepNinja Games1 July 2014Target: $15,000Actual: $26,096 The charming and colourful puzzle adventure game first appeared in 2014 after hitting its relatively modest Kickstarter goal. On face value, Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake doesn’t appear all that original, however SleepNinja Games absolutely nailed the art direction and addictive gameplay, which presumably is what has made it so popular. Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake is also rather cleverly family friendly which has opened itself up to a whole new demographic of gamers, and I’ve heard of a few parents who have ‘weaned’ their children into gaming via this game. How cool is that!? Metacritic score: 89 9. Sunless Sea Failbetter Games6 February 2015Target: £60,000Actual: £100,803 As a proud Englishman, it’s great to see a British entry here! Sunless Sea was first released to warm yet hardly groundbreaking reviews in 2015, but it’s been one of those games that has proven more and more popular by word of mouth over time. This slow burning popularity has allowed Failbetter Games to eventually release a sequel, Sunless Skies, in 2019. Sunless Skies’ Metacritic score is slightly lower (87) and therefore doesn’t make it onto the best Kickstarter video games of all time list, but it clearly indicates that when it comes to roguelike survival games, Failbetter Games are the dons. Metacritic score: 89 8. Hollow Knight Team Cherry24 February 2017Target: AU$ 35,000Actual: AU$ 57,138 A game that needs no introduction; Hollow Knight not only holds a place on the best Kickstarter video games of all time list, but is also regarded as one of the greatest Metroidvanias of all time. Hollow Knight is used as a yardstick for pretty much any game in the genre. Known for its intelligent world design and atmosphere, it’s weird to think that it has already been five years since it came out and it leaves us all asking the same question… When is its sequel, Silksong, coming?! Team Cherry notoriously keep their cards close to their chest, but surely they will be the first to acknowledge and recognise Kickstarter’s part in their short but illustrious history. Metacritic score: 90 7. Tadpole Treble BitFinity2 September 2016Target: $30,000Actual: $34,250 I have to admit, I hadn’t played Tadpole Treble prior to researching for this article, and I’ve also never really been into rhythm games (mainly because I’m awful at them). However, I couldn’t put this one down! And yes, this is not a review article, but I felt the need to share my experience. You don’t need my words as the Metacritic score speaks for itself anyway. Tadpole Treble was ported to the Switch under the title ‘Tadpole Treble Encore’ some five years after its initial release, which gave it a whole new lease on life and demonstrates the enduring appeal of the original. Metacritic score: 90 6. Psychonauts 2 Double Fine25 August 2021Target: $3,300,000Actual: $3,829,024 OK so… yes, Psychonauts 2 was funded on Fig and not Kickstarter, but hey, it’s our list and we decide who makes it on! Arguably the most ‘AAA’ title on here, the long awaited sequel to the 2005 cult classic finally hit our consoles in 2021 after first being confirmed in 2015. Praised for its highlighting of mental health issues and innovative gameplay, upon release, Psychonauts 2 was very well received. Double Fine is yet to confirm what the future of the series holds, but let’s all hope we don’t need to wait another 16 years until we’re treated with Psychonauts 3! Metacritic score: 91 FURTHER READING: What is Video Game Marketing? 5. Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove Yacht Club Games26 June 2014Target: $75,000Actual: $311,502 Another game (like Hollow Knight, no relation) to have transcended the indie market and become a bar-setter for those that follow, Shovel Knight has launched Yacht Club Games into gaming royalty. Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is the 2019 compilation of the various Shovel Knight sequels, expansions and spin-offs that have emerged since its debut in 2014. Yacht Club Games’ next project, Mina the Hollower, has also had its go on Kickstarter and with it having reached over $1.2 million, it goes to show how much faith they’ve garnered from the indie gaming community. Metacritic score: 91 4. Divinity: Original Sin 2 Larian Studios14 September 2017Target: $500,000Actual: $2,032,434 The Divinity series has been around since 2002, so it’s a bit of an outlier on this list in terms of history as it doesn’t really fit that typical indie mould who use Kickstarter to get up and running. As you can see from its Metacritic score, Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a hugely popular video game that made its debut on Windows in 2017 before being released across all of the home consoles in the following couple of years. Boasting large online communities and huge sales figures, Divinity: Original Sin 2 was nominated for a number of awards at The Game Awards 2017. Of course, the real accolade however will be its place on The IndiEXP’s best …
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