• We are AfroDuck Studios, an indie game studio currently based in Columbus Ohio, with team members spread across the states. We’re a passionate group of artists, programmers, and writers looking to break into the game industry and learn as much as we can on our journey.

• ADS started out as a tiny, driven team of three people with a unique vision for an African counterpart to the great JRPGs of old, like Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger. Our team comes from many different backgrounds and educations, but we all share the same passion of telling a compellingly playable story from a unique perspective, and to that end, we’re working on a game titled Zakumba: Astraia. We are VERY excited to share where we currently are, what we’re planning, and what your contributions will help us accomplish. 

Check Out Our Playable Alpha

(Available Now For Free On Steam)

• In October of 2019, we released an Early Alpha of Zakumba: Astraia to Steam and took it to GDEX, the Midwest’s largest game developer expo. There, Zakumba:Astraia won runner-up for Crowd Favorite out of over 125 different competing developers. This positive reception has inspired the team and convinced us to keep moving forward. 

• This campaign is specifically designed to support our Vertical Slice for Zakumba Astraia. 

• A vertical slice is a portion of a game which acts as a proof of concept for stakeholders before they agree to fund the rest. It is not the same thing as a prototype in that it is expected to look of final quality and play like the final game. It’s like asking to see a piece of the final cake before agreeing to pay for the whole.

• As you read through our campaign, you will see the specifics of our funding breakdown and where all funds will be allocated to. As our development moves forward, we are also going to be offering perks and rewards for those who would like to see our dreams succeed. These perks listed in our campaign below are our way of saying thanks for being part of our journey and promises in-depth insights to the making of the game, the story and our studio.

• Currently, our team is volunteering free time during their busy schedules to work on this project. 2021 saw us push out an early version of our product that proved we were capable of creating something as a studio and now we want to take it a step further. 

• All of us have responsibilities that take up most of our time, many of which includes having the ability to sustain ones self and our families. This campaign is specifically dedicated to pay for that time and is spread amongst the entire team within our current scope of the Vertical Slice. 

•  To build out our Vertical Slice, we are looking for a total of $82,000. This amount will support toward our Artists, Writers, Programmers and Business team. Each team is dedicated to specific parts of our scope which in turn brings the entire project to fruition.

Budget Breakdown

• Our Artists contribute to animation, graphic design, concept work, UI design, asset creation and character design with purposeful representation. 
• Our Programmers contribute to building our world, developing our combat and making sure the game runs smoothly.
• Our Writers contribute to designing the main narrative, developing side missions, and adapting the world with dialogue and diverse cultural references. 
• Our Business team contributes to maintaining our website/web presence, connecting with our developer & indie game communities and protecting our brand as a studio alongside our intellectual property. 
• Based on your contribution amount as listed in our Perks Tier List, you will also be receiving exclusive Content, Services and Physical Items which are only available right now through our crowdfunding goal. Please be sure to read through and find the ones that interest you the most. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us!

• AfroDuck Studios is proud to present its first in-development game, Zakumba: Astraia, a narrative-driven, African Action RPG set in the fictional city of Pyrophestus, where Astraia Nana Abena, a young golem-building prodigy, finds herself caught in a worker’s uprising. As she navigates rising political and economic tensions, she meets a friend who introduces her to the perils of the larger world, but who also gives her the strength to face them.

​

• In a volcanic city oppressed by a distant empire, an ailing child prodigy struggles to make her way in the world after her family is shattered by the loss of her mother. Astraia Nana Abena is a mechanical genius in a city of exploited mages and manufacturers. Her father, Kofi, is a brilliant man broken by the military/industrial machine that runs the city. Together, they try to scrap together a life in the slums as the city’s tensions mount around them.

• Astraia wants liberation, and the thrill of adventure; Kofi just wants his daughter to keep her head down. But Astraia’s resolve can’t be tempered, and she quickly finds herself mired in an all-too-adult world of political turmoil, organized crime, and frightening magical technology.

Zakumba: Astraia not only engages players in an exciting gameplay experience, but also focuses on representing a culture that is yet to be influenced in this genre. With an all Black Female Cast of characters leading charge, this original narrative intends to break the mold of 2D Action RPG’s!

In the Pyrophestus Region, there are many areas to explore and discover. Every area offers a diverse look into the abundance of culture that sits within the game!

Concept for the Black Forest where players will discover the secrets of surrounding area!

Concept for the Village Districts where players will explore the homes of Astraia and Abella!

Concept for the Market where the player will trade and purchase diverse supplies and tools!

Concept for the Crystal Garden, where players will learn techniques to harvest crystal energy!

Zakumba: Astraia (Alpha Version), is an early version of what we intend for our main title. In its current iteration, the game demonstrates a Real Time Action combat system with crystals as equipment that will give the player different types of attacks. In the final version, we intend to add more crystals, polish its effects, add variety to attack types, and fine tune/balance combat. This Alpha will be limited to one area known as the Abandoned Factory.

Mechanical Stokers were a large inspiration in the design of the Fire Generator room. The swinging basins signal the transportation of large quantities of Unrefined Fire Crystals that would have been used all over the factory. (Alpha Gameplay)

Every door in the factory requires a specific Crystal to be placed for the door to open. Refined Nature, Fire and Water Crystals are gathered after each generator is fixed. (Alpha Gameplay)

Launching Fire Attacks against Nature type enemies increases the amount of damage dealt. The strategy is always to utilize the best Crystal for the right situation. (Alpha Gameplay)

Nature attacks against Water type enemies are extremely effective. Plant Vines will burst through the ground to impale enemies before dissipating back into the earth. (Alpha Gameplay)

• AfroDuck Studios is proud to be working with Industry Professionals such as Brian Skeel who has supported the production of Zakumba: Astraia from its early development to its current iteration.
• Brian has been a champion of music and audio and his involvement has yielded amazing compositions. With our current partnership, AfroDuck Studios and Brian Skeel have collaborated on three incredible pieces that are audible in our current Alpha Gameplay. 

• AfroDuck Studio’s goal is to continue collaborating with Brian Skeel in creating rich, original music that not only speak to this project, but also enhances the vision for Zakumba as a whole.