Kickstarter project aims to bring Flight of the Amazon Queen to Android

A new Kickstarter project has been launched by Israeli startup Serendipity Software Solutions to bring the classic Interactive Binary Illusions-developed adventure Flight of the Amazon Queen to Android phones.

The game was originally published by Renegade Software, the label started by the Bitmap Brothers initially as a self-publishing venture that grew into one of the most successful indie publishers of all time.

FotAQ was released as free software to run with the ScummVM emulator in 2004, and that version of the game has already been modified for use with iOS devices and sold on the Apple store. Android owners can already freely download the game and the emulator, if they don´t feel the need to stump up cash for the port.

The developers certainly seem to believe they can offer some updated features that might persuade you to fork out.

“Our primary goal is adapting the game from a mouse- and keyboard-based control system to a touch-based interface, which we’ve already had a great deal of success with, and we’re incredibly excited about,” reads the Kickstarter page. “We’ve also implemented a powerful new ‘magnifying glass’ tool to assist the game’s seamless transition to smaller screen sizes. Using the magnifying glass, players can still explore every intricate detail that made this game such a roaring success in the first place, and ensures there’s no loss in interactivity, playability or design.”

While it´s always nice to hear developers talking about making older games accessible on new platforms, and we could certainly do with more attention being paid to making high-quality ports on mobile platforms, it´s difficult to see how the devs plan to get anyone to pay for a 17-year-old game that is already available on the platform for free.

Especially odd is the decision to go with Kickstarter funding for the project. While nostalgia does seem to be a motivating factor behind many funding decisions on the service, this project offers little in the way of inducement. It´s perhaps not entirely surprising, but a little disappointing, that the project page asks for backers to get in touch to “discuss the right price for optimal advertising space within the application”.