After 6 years of solo development, Metroidvania, inspired by the anime, riffed on Cuphead, relaunched on Kickstarter with a goal of $1 and raised more than $9,000.

When you purchase through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.

Exile is another gorgeous side-scrolling Metroidvania that just released on Kickstarter, and it completely exceeded its modest funding goal of… just one dollar.

In true Metroidvania spirit, Exile takes you across “mystical landscapes” to “uncover hidden paths and secrets” with fast, fluid action that lets you switch between different abilities on the fly. What really caught my eye about the trailer below is how it’s inspired by Cuphead’s delightful parade – where you can jump twice with pinkish projectiles – which encourages you to put yourself in danger if you want an extra advantage.

Exile also has a vague “layered story” that asks you to piece together its disparate fragments and takes inspiration from Attack on Titan. I wonder if this manifests in the manner of Breath of the Wild or Outer Wilds, where you have to actually collect nuggets of information to find out what’s really going on – or, if it’s more tone-deaf, “do -whatever you want.” ‘ type of affair like Inside.

Developer Mystic Clockwork Studio also cites Nier Automata and, of course, the modern classic of the genre, Hollow Knight, as inspirations.

Exile actually tried crowdfunding again last year, but failed to reach its goal. “While I’m really proud of how the game looks, I also see that there is room for it to be even better,” the game developer wrote at the time. “My personal style and skills have evolved over the years, and this evolution has unintentionally added to the inconsistency of the game. So, what’s next I’m ready for a significant overhaul?

Today, after asking for just $1, Exil’s Kickstarter has raised over $9,000 to cover “essential development costs, such as digital tool fees, legal fees, miscellaneous expenses, music/video sound and marketing.

There’s no release date for this one at the moment, but the developer says it’s about 75% complete and should come to Steam when it’s ready with future plans for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox versions, although they will not launch simultaneously. .”

In the meantime, why not wait with our list of the best Metroidvania games?