Two more retro-inspired RPGs are locked in
The double Kickstarter for spiritual successors to the Wild Arms and Shadow Hearts series has hit its minimum. Armed Fantasia and Penny Blood have cleared their initial goal on Kickstarter and are now climbing for stretch goals.
Creators behind the Wild Arms and Shadow Hearts series revealed their crowdfunding plan last week, with an interesting twist. Rather than individual campaigns, the two projects would share a pool as a double Kickstarter. Contributions towards one spiritual successor would help the other.
The two games are Armed Fantasia and Penny Blood. The former takes after the Westernpunk concept of Wild Arms, with a distinctly animated style. Penny Blood, meanwhile, picks up the dark and moody side of Shadow Hearts, using alt-history as its backdrop.
With the goal of ¥100,000,000 met, both projects are now considered funded. As per release, the Kickstarter site estimates delivery of a digital version of Armed Fantasia or Penny Blood as March 2025.
As the developers remind in their “Risks” section though, things can change. But while delays are one thing, the creators assure that both games are being developed by professional teams, and you “don’t need to worry about them not being released” when they get funded.
Reach for the sky
The team posted a thank-you message for hitting its minimum goal within one day’s time. They also say that, due to popular request from backers and potential backers, a new add-on for digital and physical versions of the OST has been added.
The double Kickstarter crew also plans to do three updates a week, spotlighting different aspects of the two games each day. As for the stretch goals, the campaign’s Combo Meter (a shared stretch goal meter) includes console versions. Everything else beyond is currently obscured, but there will likely be more goals and features to fund.
It’s neat to see this campaign hit its mark so fast. Both series have such an interesting and distinct style and approach to RPGs, and I’m keen to see what this team brings to bear further on down the road. The campaign will run through September 30 here.
