Elestrals Awakened is a 2.5D pixel art RPG that bears a striking resemblance to classic Pokemon, and it's just reached $1 million in its Kickstarter campaign. Like Pokemon, Elestrals Awakened sees players forging a special bond with a range of distinct creatures, though in Elestrals they're all based on ancient Greek mythology.
Back in November 2022, a campaign for an original trading card game called Elestrals hit Kickstarter. A total of 7,530 backers donated to the project, pledging $1,470,355 to bring the TCG to life. Following on from that success, Elestrals Clash! Appeared on Kickstarter in October 2024, offering a digital version of the card game.
Elestrals Awakened Is An Ambitious Pokemon-Like Game That's Raised Over $1 Million
Elestrals returned last month with a new Kickstarter project, this time offering a fully-fledged RPG based on the Greek mythology-inspired world of Elestrals. Within less than a month, Elestrals Awakened has been backed by 7,487 people, and it's already earned $1,072,200, outdoing its original $250,000 goal by around 428%. According to an update from the Elestrals Awakened devs on November 3, the project is not only "the most funded monster-catching RPG on Kickstarter" but is also "very close to becoming the most funded video game of all 2025 projects on Kickstarter."
At the time of writing, there's still three days left to back Elestrals Awakened, with the campaign officially ending on Friday, November 7. While the $1,000 'Grand Caster', $5,000 'Immortal Caster', and $9,999 'Divine Caster' tiers have all sold out, those eager to back the project and receive a copy of Elestrals Awakened still have plenty of options, with the $25 tier offering a Steam or Nintendo Switch code at launch. Those who have purchased a tier that includes physical goodies like Elestrals TCG starter packs can expect deliveries to begin around April 2026, while the game itself is currently aiming to launch by December 2027.
On top of its pixel art style and general monster-catching premise, Elestrals Awakened's gameplay loop features several mechanics that seem to be heavily inspired by early Pokemon entries. For instance, players begin Elestrals Awakened by choosing one of eight starting Spirits, each one based on an element like fire, earth, or water. Elestrals can also 'Ascend,' which sees them evolve into a more powerful Spirit with unique abilities and a distinct visual design. Elestrals Awakened also promises original features, such as the ability to swap an Elestrals' elemental form to unlock new moves.
- Created by
- Satoshi Tajiri
Source: Elestrals Awakened Kickstarter