Of all the video games about funky alien rappers who crash-land on Earth and have to collect the pieces of their spaceship, 1991’s ToeJam & Earl for the Sega Genesis was inarguably the funkiest. Though the game’s titular funky aliens never achieved as much popularity as Sonic, they did develop enough of a cult following for Sega to publish two sequels. Since ToeJam & Earl III came out in 2002, however, the two of them have been uncharacteristically quiet.
But now, finally answering the funky prayers of funk-loving Earthlings everywhere, ToeJam and Earl are coming back…in Kickstarter form. Original series co-creator Greg Johnson is soliciting donations so he and a new team—unaffiliated with Sega—can develop an all-new, “old skoll” ToeJam & Earl game. He’s trying to raise $400,000 to fund the PC/Mac/Linux project, and the concept art on its Kickstarter page definitely looks similar to the old Genesis titles that Sega fans enjoyed so much—or the first one, at least. Like most Kickstarters, the rewards range from reasonable ($15 for “a heartfelt thank you” and a copy of the game) to insane ($10,000 for an exclusive statue, the chance to be a character in the game, and dinner with the developers).
As of this writing, the Kickstarter has gathered $164,865 of its $400,000 goal, with 27 days to go. That seems like plenty of time to make up the difference, but if you’re concerned about the funkiness of the video game industry, now might be a good time to get your wallet out.