Pre-Order Spellirium Today!

Own the alpha version of Spellirium!

Spellirium is a word puzzle / point-and-click graphic adventure game. Spell words to solve puzzles, defeat monsters, and solve a mystery.

Advance praise for Spellirium:

beyond gorgeous … gloriously grim and quirky. – JayIsGames.com

I’ve developed an immediate interest in Spellirium. – RockPaperShotgun.com

A completist’s dream. – IndieGames.com

This just shot to the top of my “can’t wait to play” list. – Gamezebo.com

Enter the (reward) matrix

You’re As Good As Your Word

Beat the game by using your brain. We’ve played story-based games that reward fast twitchy reflexes, and games that have you repeatedly pressing one button until you grind your way to the end. We’ve also seen word puzzle games for which a high score is the only measure of success. Spellirium is a rare story-based game that you complete by using your intelligence and vocabulary. It’s the best of both worlds: a word game with a meaningful story that requires cunning and intellect to complete.

Only the 4th Grade Could Have Prepared You For This

Spell words to solve puzzles. Put everything you know about language to the test as you battle your way through creature encounters and original puzzles. Spell palindromes to defeat a two-headed monster. Build rhyming words to sing with a bard. Use onomatopoeia to scare away a big-eared creature. Length, colour, composure and direction – every aspect of the words you spell will be brought to bear on the challenges you’ll face.

Casual Gameplay. Core experience.

It’s only simple on the surface. Uncover surprising complexity as you peel back the aromatic oniony gameplay. Complete cheeves to earn recipes. Cast spells to craft powerups. Pull off colour combos and chains to unleash your devastating word power. Chronicle creature encounters in the Bestiary. Strategically defeat monsters at different score levels to discover rare item drops. Collect fifty thousand words in your unlockable Dictionary, and spend them on items. Come for the Bookworm – stay for the Pokémon.

FAQ

Q: How far along is Spellirium?

A: We have a playable alpha. An “alpha” version of a video game is one where you can get through the game, but usually with bugs and crashes and missing elements.

The most noticeable missing elements in the game are sound (music, effects and voiceover), and Act 3. We also have some interactive challenges and monsters that were sketched and planned out, but that haven’t made it into the game. Finally, we’re still working on balance – that’s where we try to make the game feel “just right” in terms of its difficulty and play length.

Q: Who is on the team?

A: Untold Entertainment is a team of one: Ryan Henson Creighton, the company’s ruggedly handsome and dryly witty president, who is also the author of this FAQ. To date, Spellirium has been developed by a small army of talented freelance artists, animators, programmers, and playtesters from around the world.

Key talent on Spellirium includes character designer Kelly Conley, creature designer Darren Ward, and background artist Greg Brown.

Q: Why are you using an independent campaign instead of Kickstarter or Indiegogo?

A: There are a number of advantages an independent campaign like this has over Kickstarter … too many to actually list in this FAQ! Check out our Why Not Kickstarter? page for more information.

Q: How long has Spellirium been in development?

A: We began building prototypes for Spellirium and applying for funding five years ago, but it would be misleading to say we’ve been working on the game for five years. If you were to condense all of the work that’s gone into Spellirium into a solid span of time, it would account for about eight months.

Q: How was the project initially funded?

A: Untold Entertainment received a grant from the Ontario Media Development Corporation, which covered 50% of the game’s budget. The remaining half of the budget was contributed by Untold through a combination of cash and in-kind labour. But as they say in the games business, “the last 10% is the last 90%”. We’re launching this campaign to raise money so that we can bring the game across the finish line.

Q: How will the money be spent?

A: The five main areas of focus, in this order, are:

Act 3.
Balance and playtesting.
Voice over.
Further playtesting.
Polish.

Q: What will it cost to enhance the game?

A: The budget for Spellirium is elastic. The more money we raise, the more care and attention we can put towards completing the game. Here’s how a variable budget affects voice over, for example:

$100 – Friends of Untold Entertainment record voice over for free on their laptops using a microphone purchased from Radio Shack in 1993.

$20000 – Voiceover is completed with a cast of non-union actors in a proper recording studio.

$100000 – An all-star line-up of D-level celebrities voices Spellirium, including Andy Dick as Todd and Mr. T as Lorms. Betty White guest stars as the Mystic.

We estimate that we will need $50000 to complete Spellirium as originally envisioned.

Q: Do you have any stretch goals?

A: If we raise more money than we need to complete the game, we can look at things like

adding more monsters and challenges
translating the game into other languages
localizing the voiceover
enhancing the Quickplay mode to include turn-based mutliplayer challenges
adding global high scores
releasing Spellirium on mobile platforms

Q: Is Spellirium appropriate for kids?

A: While Spellirium is not designed for children, it doesn’t contain any overtly objectionable content. Language is kept to what current standards practices allow on American network television. Violence is either implied, or fanciful and monster-related. There is no sex or nudity to speak of. The game features quests centered around a saloon where alcohol is sold and imbibed. We’d say that Spellirium is appropriate for kids ages 12 and up.

Further reading:

Spellirium Developer Diary: Know Your N’Audience

Q: Is Spellirium educational? Can I use it in my classroom?

We’ve fielded a number of requests from educators about using Spellirium in the classroom. To us, there are two types of “educational” games: games that educate the player by teaching a new skill or concept, and games that require the player to be educated. Spellirium falls into the second category; the game does not teach players how to spell, but it rewards players who can correctly spell a variety of words.

That said, it bears further playtesting to determine whether Spellirium is useful in schools. We’re not counting it out.

Q: Where are all the Spellirium keychains and T-shirts and stuff?

There have been other campaigns that have screwed up because they didn’t factor in the cost of shipping materials or product fulfilment. The team behind STAR COMMAND famously blew all their campaign money on goodies, with no actual video game to show for it! The creator behind the Veronica Mars movie faces a daunting fulfilment challenge.

We feel a lot more confident knowing that all of our rewards are digital, so fulfilment and shipping aren’t a concern. Instead, we can spend the money we raise making a really fun video game for you. But if you REALLY want a Spellirium toothbrush or footbag, let us know and we’ll provide you with vector artwork of the game logo so that you can print it on whatever you like! (Personal use only.)

Q: I thought you were terrified of crowdfunding campaigns?

It’s true! i did write an article called Why Kickstarter Scares the Crap Out Of Me. My big fear has always been raising funding for a brand new project, and not being able to deliver on my promises.

What makes this project different is that Spellirium is finished. For your pre-order commitment, you immediately receive a playable build of the game. Delivery is guaranteed! The final version of Spellirium will be even better than the alpha build. How much better? That entirely depends on how much support we raise during this critical phase.

So go on … tell a friend!

Base Pack

205 purchased

Get the Spellirium alpha (PC or Mac) today, and a guaranteed release copy of the final game. If Spellirium lands on Steam, we’ll send you a Steam key. The Spellirium alpha is unlocked, with access to the UGAGS game logic and the “god panel”. All future game updates are included, along with private wiki access and a copy of the original GDD (game design document). You’ll also get access to the backers-only message boards to talk about the game with its creators.
Patron of the Arts

53 purchased

In addition to the Base Pack, you’ll get a PDF Art Book containing the gorgeous art of Spellirium, including concept paintings, animation breakdowns, and far-out creature designs that didn’t make the cut. (Note: the Art Book is in progress!) You’ll also get a custom MP3 download of Blackbird Raum’s “Honey in the Hair”, the awesome folkpunk song that plays during the Spellirium trailer. As a Patron of the Arts, we’ll add your name to the “Special Thanks” section of the credits.

If you Like Blackbird Raum, check out their new album False Weavers!
Reserve a Word

86 purchased

Lay claim to your own word in the Spellirium Dictionary, so that any time a player clicks on that word, your name pops up! Choose your word wisely: SEXY, AMAZING and KUMQUAT are likely to go quickly! (Words are from 3-7 letters in length. Reservations subject to approval by Untold Entertainment – stay classy!)

This tier includes all previous rewards!
Classroom License

Sponsor your students and receive a Spellirium classroom license for up to 30 students. Does NOT include previous tier rewards and does not stack with higher level tiers. Spellirium is recommended for ages 12 and up.
School License

1 purchased

Sponsor your students and receive a Spellirium license for your entire school. Does NOT include previous tier rewards and does not stack with higher level tiers. Spellirium is recommended for ages 12 and up.
Voice a Character

Limited (9 of 12 left)

Lend your voice to one of the characters in Spellirium! Includes all previous tiers except the Classroom and School licenses.

Find out more about voicing a character in Spellirium.
Design Your Own Monster

Limited (3 of 3 left)

We will turn your monster drawing into an actual creature in Spellirium that players can fight! We will workshop puzzle rules with you to make your monster fun and challenging. Your name will be included in the Bestiary description for your monster. Monster designs are subject to approval by Untold Entertainment for obvious reasons ;)

This tier includes all rewards from the Reserve-A-Word tier.
Reserve a Single Word (and Nothing Else)

33 purchased

Can’t get enough of reserving your own words in the Spellirium Dictionary? This a la carte reward enables you to put your name (or someone else’s) on a word. That’s is the ONLY thing that this reward tier gets you – no game, no book, no song, no special access – just a sweet, sweet word of your own. You can order this tier as many times as you like (while supplies last!)