Virtual reality (VR) supported sci-fi horror videogame Caffeine has had a bumpy road with crowd-funding. The title, which features support for the Oculus Rift VR head-mounted display (HMD), has suffered two failed attempts on IndieGoGo and Kickstarter. However developer Dylan Browne has persevered with the project, and this week relaunched the IndieGoGo campaign once more with a drastically reduced goal. The developer now hopes to raise just $5,000 USD to fund the experience, which is set to arrive on both PC, Mac, Linux and PlayStation 4.


Caffeine is a first-person horror title in which players are cast as a young boy that wakes up on board a caffeine mining station in space. The station is deserted and the protagonist has no recollection of how he got there or what has transpired at the facility. Players will explore the setting, locating clues to unravel the narrative as well as overcoming obstacles and puzzles in their path. The title is being developed using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 4 and a demo of the experience can be downloaded right now.

Those interested can currently pledge $15 to secure a copy of Caffeine. This is a limited backing tier with only 300 slots available. After they are all gone, the price increases to $25. Anyone who backs at these prices will also have their name listed in the ‘Special Thanks’ section of the credits. Other rewards include a digital soundtrack at $30 and access to the alpha version of the title at $35. Funds will go towards optimising the title for the Oculus Rift, submitting a Steam Greenlight application and allowing Browne to work on the title almost full time.

Should the campaign go to plan then Browne hopes to release Caffeine in the first half of 2015. VRFocus will continue to follow the title’s progress going forward, reporting back with any more updates.