Icarus: a new kind of Video Game Magazine

For those of you who absolutely adored Spec Ops: The Line, this Kickstarter could be interesting to you. Aurélien, founder of the video game magazine Icarus (Icare in French), is looking to fund a special edition of the magazine dedicated mostly to the third-person shooter. 

Although considered a magazine, the layout will very much resemble an art book. It will cover several themes such as war and religion, explore Spec Ops: The Line in depth, and leave room for several other collaborations, themed articles and interviews. All of this is brought to you with no adverts. 

A religious game of war

“What I’m proposing is an unseen dive into the heart of one of the most fascinating games I’ve ever played.” -Aurélien

Out of the 188 pages the magazine has to offer, 93 of those will be dedicated to analyzing, deciphering and reflecting on Spec Ops: The Line as well as war games in general. Aurélien will go into the depths of war and psychology, as well as Christianity. 

Although the magazine commits 50% of its pages to Spec Ops: The Line, its founder promises that the tone remains analytical and critical. 

On top of the “well documented” articles he has to offer on the game, Aurélien proposes a “tale of the game’s creation”, as told by François Coulon, the co-lead designer and executive producer for Spec Ops: The Line. 

Collaborations, themed articles and more

Within the rest of the pages Icarus has to show, readers will be able to find Sheldon Pacotti‘s (scenarist for Deus Ex) vision of the 21st century and “a piece by Jordy Rodriguez“, creator of indie game Micy Roll. 

“We spent more than 11 hours on Skype to come up with this result.” -Aurélien

Several themed articles about religion, war and other related topics also fill up these pages. As well as the in-depth analysis of the third-person shooter, Aurélien offers 33 pages on Alessandro Taini, former Ninja Theory Art Director. A very long interview of the artist allows readers to “learn about his career and vision”. 

The money raised for this Kickstarter will serve several purposes: it will not only help Aurélien print and ship his magazine, but it will also help pay for the translators’ work (it is being translated from French to English). If this Kickstarter works out for Aurélien, his next project will be to work on a magazine dedicated to Deus Ex and transhumanism.