Explore. Hunt. Survive. The journey is yours.
Instinct is a semi-realistic, third-person survival experience where players embody the life of a wild cat in a dangerous, living world. Designed with infinite replayability in mind, the game offers no scripted story—only the one each player creates through bonds, territory, and survival.
This Kickstarter campaign aims to fund the first major development phase: building a playable vertical slice that showcases the core systems—survival mechanics, prey AI, scent trails, territory management, and a fully animated, customizable feline character such as the asset shown below.
The Vision
Despite the growing popularity of survival and sandbox games, there is a noticeable gap in high-quality, immersive animal survival experiences. Games like The Isle, WolfQuest, and RimWorld have shown the incredible potential of player-driven storytelling—but there remains a lack of high-quality games that center around realistic animal behavior, grounded ecosystems, and emergent survival systems.
Instinct fills this niche by giving players the tools to live, adapt, and evolve in a world that doesn’t cater to them. Every life is fragile. Every decision matters. There are no prophecies, no chosen ones—only instincts and the stories you leave behind for other players.
What Funding Will Support
Your support will allow the developer to expand development and bring in freelance collaborators to ensure high-quality execution. Funding will go toward:
- Contracting 3D artists and animators to create realistic, customizable feline characters
- Developing core survival systems: hunger, thirst, scent tracking, and growth progression
- Building a working prey AI system and ecological balance model
- Constructing a forest biome with that allows den claiming, player-created scent borders, and ambient wildlife
- Designing a playable demo to serve as a foundation for early access and future updates
Let me break it down in terms of what is needed for a demo alone and what the pricing looks like (this is subject to change in the future).
In-Depth Map Design (Demo): $400-2,000 | The two most visually important parts of this project are the character models and the environment, so this is a must-have.
3D Modeling, Rigging, & Animation (Cat): $700-1,600 | While a custom model alone might sit in a lower price range, having it rigged and animated for all the required features (even for just the demo) requires more resources. This is a rough estimation based on conversations I’ve had with modelers and developers.
3D Modeling, Rigging, & Animation (Prey AI): $400-1,200 Per | This heavily depends on the quality we want to aim for with prey and how much money we have to work with. A tighter budget means that this might be one of those corners we have to cut.
AI & Gameplay Programming: $1,500-4,000 | Rough estimate based on prior discussions with developers.
Custom UI/UX: $750 | This can be pushed behind the initial release of the demo, if needed.
Sound Design: $500-1,500 | Depends on previously listed factors.
With all that being said, I’ve set the funding goal to $5,000 so that if it’s only just met, we’ll still be able to put in medium-tier assets and provide a fleshed-out experience to begin with.
Long-Term Vision
Instinct is not a linear game. There are no scripted quests or hero’s journeys. Players create their own narratives through exploration, instinctual decision-making, and emergent interactions. The world is dynamic, ever-changing, and shaped by survival—not dialogue trees.
If stretch goals are met, development will expand to include:
- Additional biomes (snowy forest, desert, coastal regions)
- Playable predator species and complex predator-prey dynamics
- Multiplayer support and territory systems
- Breeding, mutations, family trees, and generational progression
- Realistic genetics
- Spiritual systems including death paths and a karma system
- Climbing, carrying, and food storing
- Sparring and fighting
- A dynamic scar system
- Full life-cycle
For more information and to back the project, visit the Kickstarter campaign page.
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By Game Geeks News 6 May 2025
