Gorgeous tactical combat game Duelyst launches Kickstarter

We're all a little Kickstarter fatigued at this point, but once in a while we see a project that's worth talking about regardless of how it's being funded.

We're all a little Kickstarter fatigued at this point, but once in a while we see a project that's worth talking about regardless of how it's being funded. Duelyst, a squad-based tactical combat game that originated as a board game is a perfect example.

Counterplay Games pitches it as a fast-paced one-on-one multiplayer game. Each side assembles a team from a roster of more than 100 units and spells, and battles on a tactical map (a grid) with the straight forward goal of defeating the opponent's general, similar to the Fire Emblem games or the tactical phase of Heroes of Might and Magic. While it seems like it has a multiplayer focus with ranked battles and both asynchronous and real-time matches designed to last about 30 minutes, it also has a single-player mode where you can practice and earn new units and spells.

The Kickstarter page gives me plenty to get excited about. Duelyst was first conceived as a tabletop board game, which makes me think the underlying mechanics are rock solid, and the developers involved have worked on impressive titles like Diablo III, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, Rogue Legacy, and others.

But really, it's the creative character design and gorgeous pixel art that I'm most excited about. Just look at it:

Duelyst is hoping to reach a humble goal of $68,000. It's already at more than $36,000, with 29 days to go. You can find out more about the game and become a backer on its Kickstarter page.