About a year ago I came across the official Twitter account of CelesSteel, an indie comic book, which is also the account of Retrolution Games. I can’t recall exactly which tweet it was that drew me to clicking on the specific profile but I followed it and really liked what I saw. As a fan of quality indie projects and long-time comic book fan, it was great to see that a team of talented people managed to self-fund and develop their own comic book series with plans for a video game AND an action-figure line.
WHAT IS CELESSTEEL?
CelesSteel in a nutshell is the best part of your childhood Saturday mornings. If you grew up being a fan of 80s cartoons, I strongly recommend giving ‘Murder City Meltdown’, the first part of the CelesSteel comic book series a read. The members of The Order of CelesSteel are based on the Zodiac signs and they are masterfully introduced without “overcrowding” the reader. Their designs are also incredible and the writing of creator Luke Kiedron ties every element together excellently.
Did I mention you can read the first part for free?
THE GAME
As I mentioned before, the game is being developed by Retrolution Games with the current plan being to release on Steam. The 80s aesthetic, bright colours and interesting character designs make CelesSteel a no-brainer for a video game adaptation. While from what I understand it is still early in development, the team’s YouTube page provides a good sample of what’s to come. Personally it reminded me of a childhood favourite, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs as well as other games like Streets of Rage. The arcade/SNES/Mega Drive-style pixel art really fits well with the aesthetics of the comic book as well. I can only hope the team receives enough funding to bring the CelesSteel game to life. It truly deserves it.
POTENTIAL
CelesSteel as a franchise and especially as a video game has a lot of potential. The groundwork is there, the characters have varied, interesting skills and attributes and the passion of its creators is evident from the moment you start going through their first finished project, the CelesSteel comic book I previously mentioned.
WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT CELESSTEEL?
In a world where a company can mislead fans to fund versions of a game that never sees the light of day, anaemic special editions and broken promises, the people behind CelesSteel give me hope that hard work can actually pay off in this cruel world. How many indie devs have something to show for themselves before asking people to fund their game? These guys already managed to launch an incredible comic book series (parts 1 and 2, with 3 on the way) and a universe worthy of a video game adaptation already.
THIS IS NOT A SPONSORED ARTICLE
If you like the premise of CelesSteel, visit the website, the Twitter page. Spread the word and help these guys out. The thing most people forget is that even a simple retweet can make all the difference. And for all you rich folks out there, you can find all information regarding contributions here.
I hope you give CelesSteel a look because, come on, look at this insane character design.
What are some indie video game projects you consider extremely underrated and underfunded? Let us know in the comments.