Exil is another gorgeous side-scrolling Metroidvania that just hit Kickstarter and has completely surpassed its modest funding goal of… a single dollar.
In the true spirit of Metroidvania, Exil has you traversing “mystical landscapes” to “discover hidden paths and secrets” with fast, fluid action that allows you to switch between different skill builds on the fly. What really caught my attention in the trailer below was how it ties into Cuphead's delightful save, where you can double jump with pink projectiles, encouraging you to put yourself in harm's way if you want an extra advantage.
Exil Kickstarter Teaser (2024) – YouTube
Look
Exil also has a vague “multi-layered story” that asks you to piece together its disparate fragments and is inspired by Attack on Titan. I wonder if that manifests itself in a Breath of the Wild or Outer Wilds kind of way where you really need to collect nuggets of information to figure out what's really going on, or if you're at a loss for words, “make of it what you will.” ' subject type like Inside.
Developer Mystic Clockwork Studio also cites Nier Automata and, of course, the modern classic of the genre, Hollow Knight, as inspirations.
In fact, Exil tried crowdfunding again last year, but failed to reach its goal. “While I'm very proud of how the game looks, I also see that there is room to improve even more,” the game's developer wrote at the time. ''My personal style and skills have evolved over the years, and this evolution has inadvertently contributed to the inconsistency of the game. So what's next? “I’m ready for a significant renovation.”
Now, after asking just $1, Exil's Kickstarter has raised over $9,000 to cover “essential development costs, such as digital tools fees, legal fees, miscellaneous expenses, music/sound, and marketing.”
There's no release date for this one at the moment, but the developer says it's about 75% done and should hit Steam when it's ready with “future plans for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox releases, though they may not.” are launched simultaneously”. ''
In the meantime, why not wait with our list of the best Metroidvania games?