Heart Forth, Alicia Metroidvania RPG On Kickstarter, I Find Out What's With The Linux Stretch Goal

Heart Forth, Alicia is a beautifully crafted Metroidvania RPG on Kickstarter right now seeking funds. It has already hit well-over the initial goal and is sailing towards the Linux stretch goal, but why is it a stretch goal?

The game was originally made in a program called Multimedia Fusion, but this has limited them somewhat. MMF does have an open-source export module that can export to Linux, but this game is far out of the scope of what that can do. They created this game before Hardware Acceleration was even an option for games exported in MMF.

They are now looking to get it ported to native C++ code and then ported to OSX & Linux.

Alonso MartinThat's right. We're paying someone to port it to C++ and OSX/Linux.

I didn't know you were writing an article! MMF is perfectly capable of porting games to many platforms if games are designed for that purpose. HFA is just a 7 year-old game started when not even HWA (hardware acceleration) was an option, so exporting this particular game from MMF itself is not at all an option.

Thanks,
Alonso.

I hope that clears it up, the goal for a Linux version is $120,000 and it looks like they will hit it quite easily! The game will be re-made using C++ rather than MMF.

The developer also confirmed the Linux version will only come once the Windows version is finished:

Alonso MartinWe're only able to port to Linux once we have the final version ready. Yes, we're using MMF2.

About the game

At Heart Forth, Alicia's core is an ode to the classics. Remember the electrifying gameplay of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the expansive worlds of the Zelda games, and the rich, engaging story of Xenogears? This game is crafted in the spirit of those great adventures of the '90s.

The story unfolds amidst the repercussions of centuries worth of struggle, strife, and bloodshed between cultures, races and worldviews. But above all else, it's an epic Metroidvania RPG that combines timeless 16- and 32-bit gameplay, modern mechanics, and a set of unique, intertwining stories to take you on a fantastic journey.

• Master devastating and versatile magic spells to annihilate your enemies and solve creative puzzles.
  Engage in fast, agile melee combat with an enchanted wizard's whip, over 20 special attacks and upgrades, and a wide array of mobility skills.
• Adventure through a vast, intricately detailed world filled with hidden wonders and puzzles, dastardly platforming, lethal dungeons, and much, much more.
• Play with powerful RPG elements that include all the gear, loot, sidequests, upgrades, crafting, and gameplay depth that make for a classic RPG experience.
• Discover 5 secret fairy companions to crush, shock, freeze, and burn your enemies, or save you at your most dire moment of need.
• Experience a deep and immersive story that takes place within a much larger history of events and cultures, and starring a cast of fascinating, memorable characters.

Personally I am a little-bit in love with this game, it's charming to the very core.

What do you guys think?

UPDATE: After reading your comments, the developer sent this in:

QuoteHello Liam,

I read your article and some of the comments. Porting the game to C++ and then to OSX/Linux at the end will take less time than porting the game to those platforms at all points of development. Not only would we also need to raise the stretch goal to a staggering amount to be able to pay the company that'll port the game to stick around for the whole lapse of development (or eat into our budget and risk not finishing the game), any bugs found in the ports would also need to be addressed, which would take more of our time.

In short: if we ported to Linux/OSX during development, the game itself would be delayed by many more months than the 3 months it'd take to port it at the end. I hope our decision is clearer to you now.

Thanks,
Alonso.