About 6 days and $60,000 stand between indie title Son of Nor and full Kickstarter backing. Asking only a total of $150,000 this is hardly the most ambitious Kickstarter we’ve seen. We really just wanted to bring attention to this cool title, and maybe get a few more people interested in backing it. Why? Because Son of Nor has the coolest game mechanics we’ve ever seen: earth bending and actual telekinesis.
Telekinesis as in: you, the player, use your mind to cast spells.
The Austria based developer team, StillAlive Studios, is calling the mechanics “elemental power,” but it is pretty much straight up earth-bending. Stomp to create shockwaves, manipulate rocks and boulders into weapons, and even terraform the earth beneath your feet.
You can create sinkholes to trap enemies or raise the earth to create a path up to a cliff. Oh yeah, and you can do all that with your mind.
Use EPOC device to cast spells with your mind
You can put this fancy new technology, the EPOC device, on your head and actually cast spells by thinking. I’m not joking. This is real. Watch the video at the top of the page and go to the Son of Nor Kickstarter page to learn more. Originally developed to help handicapped individuals, EPOC actually is designed to “read minds” and execute basic tasks. By just thinking about fire near a fire source, the EPOC picks up your brain activity and recognizes that you want to cast a spell…Then your character actually casts the spell!
You can terraform the earth around you with facial expressions. Raise your eyebrows and the earth rises up. Clench your jaw and the earth will sink downwards.
It sounds too futuristic to be true
The reason, I think, that the Son of Nor Kickstarter hasn’t reached its goal yet (and might not at all) is because this technology is a little too innovative for most people to comprehend. I think potential backers are wary that including the EPOC device is too ambitious for its own good. I hate to say it, but I don’t think the world is ready for this yet.
I do have high hopes though. Between the EPOC technology and the continuing development of the Oculus Rift, the future of gaming could end up being completely different from how it is today.
But, there needs to be a game to pioneer this new tech, and Son of Nor seems like a great stepping stone game to help launch the EPOC. Even without the awesome earth bending, I’d still back this game just because of the promise of what this amazing new system could achieve. Again, there are only 6 days to raise $60,000 in order to fully fund this project.
Published: May 23, 2013 11:29 am