And since it is better not to count on Sony (at random) to finance a Japanese RPG, it is without the help of any publisher that Akifumi Kaneko and Matsuzo Machida founded the studios Wild Bunch Productions and Yukikaze with the ambition to give birth to RPGs worthy successors to Wild Arms (whose license is still dormant at Sony) and Shadow Hearts (whose rights are held hostage by a company that no longer even makes video games).
Two rooms, two atmospheres, therefore, with on one side the luminous Armed Fantasia: To the End of the Wilderness whose title is a more than sustained reference to Wild Arms, and on the other Penny Blood whose sinister cachet echoes to the tone of Shadow Hearts, a trilogy whose high point remains the excellent second episode, Shadow Hearts: Covenant.
To get people talking about these projects, Kaneko and Machida have teamed up to make this joint announcement and, more rarely, to set up a joint campaign on Kickstarter. Nostalgic fans of the two sagas will therefore be able to join forces to raise the pot and give these projects more chances to see the light of day. Kaneko and Machida admit it, this Kickstarter call was strongly inspired by the successful passages of Bloodstained and especially Eiyuden Chronicle, heir to Suikoden which will see the light of day next year, not without having seduced the publisher 505 Games in passing.
The two teams are expecting at least $750,000 to start producing a PC version of each of the games, but it will be necessary to monitor additional levels to guarantee ports to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series as well as to the next Nintendo console. Generally speaking, additional Tiers will benefit both games simultaneously, gaining additional content as the Combo Gauge increases. Backers will also have the opportunity to obtain both games at an attractive price thanks to the Early Bird Combo.
The Kickstarter campaign will be live soon, but the Gematsu site has had the opportunity to prepare an interview with those responsible for these projects, which are still in the prototype phase, if you were ever hoping for any launch window or even gameplay other than that little clip.
Armed Fantasia: To the End of the Wilderness
With its sauce atmosphere western fantasy, Armed Fantasia do not deceive anyone about its intentions to arouse the interest of those nostalgic for Wild Arms, a saga whose first episode recently appeared in the PlayStation Plus Premium catalog but which has not known any descendants since Wild Arms XF in 2007 on PSP . These images suggest a trio of protagonists, the Pathfinders, who rely on their arsenal called ARM (Aether Reaction Maximizer) to clean up the Anomalies ravaging the lands of Londenium. Expect a gigantic world map filled with things to do, turn-based but fast-paced combat, puzzles, and all kinds of vehicles to explore on land, sea, and in the skies. Exploring the dungeons will take advantage of the gadgets specific to each character on the team to progress.
“Back when I was developing Wild Arms 4, various circumstances forced us to remove the world map entirely. The frustration I felt at that time still lives in my heart today. That’s why I want to include the best possible high quality world map in this new titlecommented Akifumi Kaneko, who isn’t the only former Wild Arms executive on the Wild Bunch Productions team.
Penny Blood
A true UFO in the JRPG landscape even in its time when the genre was abundant, Shadow Hearts is a series with an imprint that it will not be easy to bring up to date in a new license, but that’s good the bet set by Matsuzo Machida, director of the trilogy released on PS2. Inscribed in the gothic horror genre against a backdrop of nightmarish imagery, Penny Blood follows the story of Matthew Farrell, a 28-year-old New York City private eye embroiled in a dark international investigation through the turbulent 1920s. Not quite like the others, Matthew is gifted with cursed powers inherited from his father and s use it to hunt all sorts of monstrosities. There is no fictional world here and above all a pronounced taste for travel inherited from Shadow Hearts, since it is a question of going through the American, European and Asian continents.
“Along the way, he will encounter those who fight for revenge, those who seek to use the aberrant horrors for their own gain, and those who simply wish to destroy. Penny Blood tells the story of a man who must become what he seeks to defeat“, can we read. The fights will combine traditional turn-based with a system that will ask the player to react quickly”to maximize attack potential and keep players on their toes in every encounter“, which is reminiscent of the Wheel of Judgment of Shadow Hearts as a happy coincidence. To avoid spoiling anything, the composer Hirota Yoshitaka is already confirmed to the compositions which already promise to be oppressive, but which his colleague Akari Kaida ( Breath of Fire 3) will soften with a good dose of jazz.Finally, the illustrator Miyako Kato will also ensure the artistic filiation with Shadow Hearts.