An exciting new Kickstarter project went live Tuesday morning for an ambitious indie game named Monster Sanctuary. Monster Sanctuary combines the exploration of a Metroidvania with the monster collection and battling concept behind Pokemon. According to Denis Sinner, who's developing Monster Sanctuary with the support of his younger brother Anton, the hope is for the game to launch in 2020 with an Early Access version releasing in mid-2019.

In Monster Sanctuary, players take on the role of the youngest member of the esteemed Monster Keepers. While taming monster familiars of your own, a story will unfold exploring the relationship between humans and monsters and the peace between them. To start, players will inherit one of four spectral monsters associated with their "bloodline," followed by the world opening up for exploration.

Like in a Metroidvania, the world of Monster Sanctuary is limited by discovery. Players will have to find equipment or gather familiars that enable them to pass by the obstacles they confront within the sanctuary. Like Pokemon, every free-roaming monster discovered can be recruited, trained, and battled via eggs that drop after successful fights. Every monster has its own unique skill tree that unlocks as it levels. And with a target of at least 50 monsters (and 100-200 variations) at launch, there's plenty of depth planned for Monster Sanctuary's gameplay.

Monster Sanctuary's combat diverges from Pokemon in unique ways, however. It features a strategic party-based, turn-based RPG system, likely inspired by the same JRPGs that led to Pokemon. Each monster will have a selection of abilities, both offensive and defensive, with which to attack opponents and take advantage of their weaknesses. Mechanics such as a Combo Counter and leveling via a monster performance evaluation system help Monster Sanctuary create its own brand of action.

To help persuade potential Monster Sanctuary tamers to join in on the fun, Denis has released a special demo to go along with the launch of the Kickstarter project. Featuring 15+ monsters and over two hours of story content, the demo is a great opportunity to try the game out. The Monster Sanctuary demo is available free to download on Steam, where fans can also find the game's profile if they want to follow along with its development.

As for Monster Sanctuary's Kickstarter itself, the project just recently went live and so will last another 30 days - ending on November 22. The project's goal is a humble $22,909, a goal that has already been crossed less than 24-hours in. Those interested in supporting Monster Sanctuary can contribute €15 (about $17-18) for a copy of the game when it comes to Early Access mid-2019, €25 for early 2019 beta access, or more for further benefits.

Stretch goals for Monster Sanctuary focus mainly on increasing the overall monster count, jumping from a base 50 monsters to as many as 100 depending on the success of the Kickstarter. Other potential additions include a New Game+ mode, a Speedrun mode, online multiplayer PvP, and even a Nintendo Switch port to follow the game's full launch.

Given the Kickstarter project's already apparent success, we'll likely be hearing plenty more about Monster Sanctuary in the months to come. Try out the demo via Steam and see if it's worth supporting for yourself.

Monster Sanctuary releases in Early Access starting mid-2019, with a full launch in 2020 on PC and potentially on Nintendo Switch.

Source: Kickstarter