Independent game studio CUBEHEART launched a Kickstarter campaign on October 17th for their game SCALE. A game that possesses elements reminiscient of the film Inception and video games like Portal and Katamari Damacy.
"SCALE is a first person reality manipulation game that reimagines exploration with a unique resizing mechanic," the page reads.
"You wield a device that can make any item any size. A tree, a wall, an enemy, a passing cloud, even the levels themselves are all 'SCALEable.' Space is relative in the game so progress is as much conceptual as it is physical. The unique mechanic of SCALEing is inspired by games like Portal and The Swapper. Progression through the game is freeform and open like Mario 64 or early Zelda overworlds. It’s all about exploring and discovering secrets."
SCALE teases players with the possibility of going through endless levels of objects. You could scale a doll house big enough for you to walk into, and do the same to an even smaller treasure chest inside. Perhaps, you could resize a foe to be so tiny that they are essentially harmless or make them large enough for you to jump into their mouths.
Even if all the secrets are discovered, the game does not end with the story because SCALE attempts to test our logic and limitless creative boundaries.
The basic premise of the game echoes the poetic justice seen in the epic poem Dante's Inferno. "You play as young physics savant Penny Prince, inventor of a device which can suck the size out of one thing and shoot it into another. SCALE begins as Penny awakes in prison, convicted of 9,322,591 counts of Depraved Heart Murder for accidentally destroying the east coast," the post details.
Interestingly, people who pledge USD $2,700 will be able to have a uniquely crafted mini-prison of their own.
It is worth noting that the team behind SCALE have worked on games like Tony Hawk: Undergound, Osmos, Gone Home, FTL, Super Meat Boy, and more.
CUBEHEART aims to raise USD $87,000 by November 16, 2013. The studio has managed to raise USD $32,090 as of this writing. If they manage to surpass their target goal, Oculus Rift support, comics, and a level editor are just some of the cool additions they are hoping to add.
SCALE will be playable on Linux, Microsoft Windows, and OS X systems. Based on the target delivery of the perks, it is implied that the game might be ready by December of 2014.