Sometimes, just sometimes, a game doesn't need to try very hard at all to get me to lean forward and press my eyeballs up against the monitor. Sometimes a game just has to say seven magical words: Inspired by Mario Galaxy and Astro Bot.
That's how Home Paige caught my attention in its Kickstarter campaign, which managed to demolish its initial funding goal in just 47 minutes. Since then, the $18,000 goal has been met three times over and developer Minimin has now raised over $58,900 to make its momentum-based, narrative 3D platformer.
The pitch is that you play as Paige, a polygonal girl who has lived in the recycling bin of a 1990s-style computer for her entire life. "In this narrative-driven game, you’ll meet all sorts of odd characters who live in this OS world and immerse yourself in a world full of strange foods, NPCs, shopkeepers, rivals, and friends," the campaign description reads.
"Enjoy a rich world inspired by the old Internet and the optimism of the Wii era of design," it continues. "Featuring 3D Platforming gameplay inspired by momentum-based platformers like SRB2 (Sonic Robo Blast 2), with additional influence from Mario Galaxy, Robot 64, and Astro Bot."
Its Kickstarter trailer showcases some adorable animation, delightfully nostalgic levels, and snappy shots of its fast platforming. There's also a free demo available as a proof of concept.
"This is absolutely sick," one of the many glowing itch.io comments declares. "I have high hopes for when the actual game comes out. Even for a movement demo, it's such a good game!"
At the time of writing, backers have hit stretch goals that unlock playable mini-games, a secret boss, bonus challenge levels, and a 2D animated intro sequence. A guest musical number, plus Mac and Linux ports, are up next should the campaign reach $70,000 in donations.
There's no release date yet, but Minimin "do not expect Home Paige: Chapter 1 to take more than 12-16 months." As the dev team explains, it's "always safer to take this with a grain of salt," which is why it hasn't put a solid release window on the project.
For more, check out the upcoming indie games of 2025 and beyond.
