Alongside the Armed Fantasia announcement, Matsuzo Machida, who’s known as the creator of the Shadow Hearts series, has announced a spiritual successor Penny Blood. The Double Kickstarter to fund this title will officially open tomorrow.
The game will feature Matsuzo Machida as the lead game designer, along with character design by Miyako Kato, and music by legendary composer Yoshitaka Hirota, also both veterans of the Shadow Hearts series. Additionally, Akari Kaida, formerly of Capcom and now freelance, will be contributing music to Penny Blood.
*Updated Gameplay Trailer on August 30
▍Penny Blood -Gameplay Trailer
▍ Penny Blood Worldview
The story of Penny Blood begins with Matthew Farrell, a lone wolf private detective in New York working for the Bureau of Investigation. Despite hating the accursed powers he inherited from his father, he utilizes his fusion transformation abilities to hunt down monsters at the behest of the Bureau.
One day, Matthew is tasked with investigating a strange incident that occurred at a mental asylum in New York. After rushing to the asylum, he finds it teeming with grotesque, rampaging creatures. Utilizing his hidden power, Matthew manages to achieve a narrow victory.
In order to unearth the truth behind the bizarre incident, Matthew’s investigation will take him from America to the distant continent of Asia, including Japan and China, as well as to the far corners of Europe.
From busy streets to haunting sanitariums, players will delve into carefully detailed field maps as they purchase items paramount to their quest, investigate supernatural happenings, and battle stygian monstrosities.
▍Penny Blood Gameplay
Penny Blood’s overworld maps give a bird’s-eye view of cityscapes and towns that will teleport players to the 1920s, where they will experience the world as it was, unaware of the gruesome events soon to unfold.
From busy streets to haunting sanitariums, players will delve into carefully detailed field maps as they purchase items paramount to their quest, investigate supernatural happenings, and battle stygian monstrosities.
Battles in Penny Blood go through the Psycho Sigil battle system, which combines traditional turn-based JRPG strategy with twitch-trigger reaction time in order to maximize the potential of attacks, keeping players on their toes with every encounter.
Players can embrace the darkness within by using Fusion to call upon the abyss and fight fire with fire, harnessing the power of the darkness to hurl demons back from whence they came.
Interactions with the demonic will affect the heroes’ Sanity Points. Lose too many, and your allies will succumb to madness, gaining strength and losing composure. However, that boost in power might be just what is needed to turn the tide in battle.
▍What is a Double Kickstarter?
You might be wondering like I was just what the heck was a Double Kickstarter. Well, according to the developers, both Armed Fantasia and Penny Blood will share a mutual minimum goal of USD$750,000 that will fund both game projects.
However, the campaign will incorporate a never-before-seen “Combo Meter” that affects stretch goals across both games. So, pledges for one game will contribute to that game’s specific stretch goal meter, unlocking new content similar to normal campaigns.
For example, if you contribute USD$10 to Armed Fantasia, that USD$10 will also count for Penny Blood’s campaign.
