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Jonas Kyratzes’s Ithaka of the Clouds to be partly crowdfunded

The name Jonas Kyratzes may not be widely known, but there's no mistaking his distinctive style. The acclaimed indie designer behind last year's The Sea Will Claim Everything (just recently dubbed the "Best Game No One Has Played" in our 2012 Aggie Awards) is looking to make a bigger name for himself with his second commercial adventure, Ithaka of the Clouds, though he'll need a little help to do it.

Ithaka of the Clouds is based in the Lands of Dream, the fantastical setting for several of Kyratzes's previous adventures. It's a realm where "everything once imagined is real, as are many things no mortal has yet conceived of"; a place where you might "meet the living, the dead, the undead, and even the unborn. Ancient authors, creatures of legend, unspeakable horrors, talking mushrooms... all are at home in the Lands of Dream."

Inspired by the "sensual, philosophical and historical poetry of Constantine Cavafy (1863-1933), one of the greatest modern Greek poets", the game is a romance story starring a pair of most unlikely lovers. It just so happens that "the two lovers are both trolls, creatures that human stories have often painted as frightening barbarians", and their journey in pursuit of the legendary titular city will "take them through many lands, where they will meet many people and creatures and face many challenges."

Like Kyratzes's other games, Ithaka of the Clouds promises such features as vivid hand-drawn graphics, multiple puzzle solutions to many puzzles and "walls of text" to describe this rich fantasy world in detail, along with bad puns, philosophy, and mushrooms. If you are familiar with the developer's work, Kyratzes claims that the new adventure will be "bigger and more detailed than The Sea Will Claim Everything, also going in some new directions in terms of structure and puzzles."

In order to make the game a reality within 6-8 months, however, Kyratzes is seeking $12,000 by March 24. Unlike some flexible Indiegogo crowdfunding appeals, the developer will only receive the funds if the target goal is fully met. Pledge rewards run from $10 for a DRM-free download on PC (or Mac and Linux using Wine/WineSkin) to higher levels that include a digital soundtrack, framed artwork, boxed version, and various user concepts appearing in the game. To learn more about Ithaka of the Clouds and contribute to the campaign, visit the Indiegogo page for complete details.

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