The creators of two Iconic JRPG franchises, Wild Arms and Shadow Hearts, have collaborated together to launch a unique double Kickstarter campaign to facilitate the revival of both dormant IPs in the form of spiritual successors. The Wild Arms-inspired game will be called Armed Fantasia: To the End of the Wilderness, and the Shadow Hearts successor will be titled Penny Blood. The Kickstarter page will officially launch next week, on August 29th.
The initial Kickstarter funding for both games will be $750,000 USD, and will be used to fund a PC release for each game. Stretch goals are also planned to launch the games on next-gen consoles, which include Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch. Both series creators Akifumi Kaneko and Matsuzo Machida, who both created their own respective studios, WILD BUNCH Productions and YUKIKAZE will be involved, as well as several other key members from those who worked on both series.
Armed Fantasia will follow in the same footsteps of Wild Arms’s Westernpunk style, a land of the fantastical wilderness. The director is reportedly focused on adding and implementing things he couldn’t do in his previous work. Mainly including a gigantic world map with many interactive and exploration elements, in addition to gadgets that can aid in solving puzzles and allowing for multiple solutions to each puzzle as well. The Kickstarter of this game is intended for both Japanese and overseas fans to enjoy, with many elements from Wild Arms set to be included.
Penny Blood, on the other hand, intends to go back to the early roots of Shadow Hearts and its predecessor Koudelka. The gothic horror and creepy imagery started to become scarce as the series went on. The story of the game will occur 100 years in the past over multiple world locations. It will also retain the detective aspects and the bizarre murder-solving incidents but will include the new element of Psycho Sigil in gameplay battles. It will act like the judgment ring system of past games, but with more emphasis on the thematic elements of that and how it influences the story’s progress.
Both games are currently in the prototype phase, so development is not that far along, but of course, it will keep going if the crowdfunding goals are met. The creators were inspired by the recent success of similar Kickstarters for games like Eiyuden Chronicle and Bloodstained, both from renowned Japanese creators as well, and wanted to do something similar. Which is why they didn’t only propose the idea, but gathered multiple studio veterans and created their dedicated studios. It’s a rare chance in the industry, so both creators are hopeful for the fans’ wholehearted support.
