Castlevania creator Koji "IGA" Igarashi used Kickstarter to help start the development of his Castlevania-style side scrolling adventure game, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.
A spiritual successor to Symphony of the Night, Bloodstained is described by its creators as "a gothic, exploration-focused action platformer, designed by one of the godfathers of the genre."
In Bloodstained, you play as Miriam, an orphan scarred by an alchemist curse which slowly crystallizes your skin. You must battle your way through a demon-filled castle summoned by Gebel, your old friend whose body has become more crystal than flesh.
Bloodstained funding goal of $500,000 was reached in less than 4 hours. At the time of writing the game collected more than $1,350,000 which is nearly triple its original funding goal. Interestingly enough, this Kickstarter campaign was never meant to fund the game.
"I was able to secure funding for about 90 percent of the game with the condition that I prove the market still wants an Igavania game," said Igarashi, explaining that crowdsourcing was that method of proof. "Kickstarter proved to be a great solution, as it would (hopefully) show that people still want an Igavania game while simultaneously providing funds for the core game".
Bloodstained will be released on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.