We had the fantastic alternative to interview the groups on Armed Fantasia and Penny Blood, religious successors from each Wild Arms sequence creator Akifumi Kaneko and Shadow Hearts sequence creator Matsuzo Machida.
Each Armed Fantasia and Penny Blood are at present in search of funding on Kickstarter in a “double” crowdfunding marketing campaign, you possibly can learn extra about that right here in our different report. The preliminary funding purpose has been met, however there’s a bunch of stretch targets to be reached.
With out additional ado, listed below are our interviews from each Armed Fantasia and Penny Blood creators:
Area of interest Gamer: How is Armed Fantasia: To the Finish of the Wilderness a religious successor to Wild Arms? What parts will followers acknowledge and luxuriate in within the new title?
Akifumi Kaneko: Not one of the story or characters from the Wild ARMs sequence might be carried over. Nonetheless, the setting of a wilderness getting ready to destruction, and the story that could be a mixture of Western and Fantasy might be related. I might say my preferences and magnificence as a recreation designer may even be carried over all through the story as effectively.
Why Kickstarter? How lengthy have you ever/the workforce been attempting to make this occur?
Kaneko: We merely wished to make the form of recreation we wished to make. If we wished to workforce up with a writer, they’d by no means let a plan with 90s fashion basic JRPG programs in it come to life.
Plus, we believed that there have been sufficient followers on the market who wished this type of JRPG. That’s why we determined to go to Kickstarter. That a part of the concept goes again some time. However the precise undertaking began a few yr or so in the past.
What makes the protagonist Ingram a “Pathfinder”? How is that this new class of adventurer related and but completely different to the Drifters from Wild Arms?
Kaneko: That is merely a distinction in how the translator selected to precise the phrase. In Japanese, we use the time period “”wataridori”” (actually “”migratory chicken””, this time period was utilized in all Wild ARMs video games as effectively). It’s meant to evoke a picture of an adventurer who doesn’t dwell in anyone place, who lives free like a chicken.
60 years in the past, there was a essential character in a Japanese film that was known as “”wataridori””. He was a vagabond who solved the issues of the cities he visited after which would return on his journey. Kind of just like the Western film “”Shane””. That’s what I had in thoughts when selecting this identify.
The interpretation of “”Pathfinder”” this time round has a really romantic, however highly effective, reassuring really feel to it. I’m fairly keen on it.
That is in all probability a loaded (pun meant) query: what are your favourite weapons or fashion of weapons?
Kaneko: I’m a giant fan of revolvers! How they appear, how the cylinder spins round, the hammer construction. It’s all so cool! In fact they’re much less correct than an computerized, and there’s a lot of issues with them. However that’s what makes them cool!
Wild Arms was a post-apocalyptic western story, with out spoiling something what can followers count on from the story in Armed Fantasia? Are there a number of endings, and so forth?
Kaneko: Armed Fantasia isn’t an open-world recreation. However it’s a story-driven JRPG crammed with my preferences that I’m very pleased with. I really feel like folks will benefit from the grand story and the hardships and anguish the characters undergo. However much more than that, I feel folks will take pleasure in watching the characters develop.
There’s undoubtedly a cause the sport is about within the wilderness. The reality and hidden secrets and techniques behind what occurred 1000 years in the past. The six characters that attempt to unravel the mysteries of the large world. That’s Armed Fantasia. Sadly, there aren’t a number of endings deliberate. We are going to do our greatest to make it possible for the ending now we have for you is the very best ending we will make, although!
What sort of media, movies and such, influenced Wild Arms and now Armed Fantasia?
Kaneko: There’s a lot of affect from the previous Wild West exhibits I watched as a child. And never essentially Hollywood’s model of the Wild West, however moderately that of Italy’s Spaghetti Westerns and Westerns from different nations. I feel that’s the place I bought the concept of mixing the wilderness with fantasy parts.
And naturally, as you possibly can see, Japanese manga, anime and popular culture play a giant half as effectively. I like all of them, and have been a giant fan since I used to be a child. What else…? I like the principle characters from American comics. Those from means earlier than those we all know at the moment within the huge profitable films. However from about 40 years in the past. I’ve all the time regarded as much as these sorts of characters.
I’ve taken all of these issues and blended them collectively. And that’s how I got here up with Wild ARMs and Armed Fantasia.
Whereas “ARMs” modified definition in Wild Arms, they return in Armed Fantasia. I count on particulars are scant to keep away from spoilers however how frequent are they? Are there a number of sorts?
Kaneko: ARMs are developed and created by a corporation that’s attempting to regulate the world. They’re known as the Order of the Sacred Key. However the precise origin of them is far older, about 1000 years previous.
The world of the sport is infested with highly effective monsters referred to as Anomalies, so folks use arms to guard themselves from varied threats, together with Anomalies. So ARMs aren’t something particular. When you’ve bought the cash and components, anybody can get their palms on one… Nonetheless, that’s the place one of many largest secrets and techniques within the story lies.
So far as what number of sorts there are, every of the six essential characters will use a distinct ARM sort. So it received’t simply be weapons. We hope you’ll benefit from the varied sorts there are!
Are there any explicit cowboys or Wild West heroes/characters that notably encourage you, and these video games?
Kaneko: In fact! They’re lonely however passionate heroes. At the same time as distant as I used to be from their roots, watching them overcome hardships had a giant affect on me.
The fervour I felt from them is in each one of many characters in Armed Fantasia!
The world map in Armed Fantasia is described as “gigantic” and one gamers can discover. Simply how huge are we speaking?
Kaneko: The world map goes to be gigantic. I need it to be so huge that there isn’t a phrase to precise how huge it’s.
How populated with content material is that this world? Is it extra of a “conventional JRPG” with city hubs scattered all through or extra of a “western” RPG teeming with dungeons, sidequests, and so forth?
Kaneko: We’re growing the sport as a story-driven JRPG, so first we wish to make it possible for the principle story is crammed with as a lot content material as we will match.
Nonetheless, since this can be a recreation and never an anime or manga, it’s undoubtedly necessary that the participant be capable to take detours and discover facet quests to take pleasure in. The quantity of dungeons and facet quests that we will put within the recreation undoubtedly relies on how a lot cash we make through the crowdfunding part, so please contemplate supporting the marketing campaign!
Wild Arms had an iconic soundtrack – you possibly can hear its affect already in Armed Fantasia. How different of a soundtrack can followers count on from Michiko-san and Noriyasu-san?
Kaneko: I might say we’re anticipating there to be round 50 tracks or so within the recreation. However we really feel that in comparison with previous JRPGs, particularly the Wild ARMs sequence, that fifty tracks won’t be sufficient.
In order that’s one other factor that would change based mostly on the crowdfunding part! Please contemplate supporting the marketing campaign!
It’s been a while since your workforce labored collectively on a title like this, the place there any challenges or new approaches taken with growth now?
Kaneko: It truly hasn’t been that lengthy since I labored with a workforce. Over the last 15 years, I haven’t been away from recreation growth. I merely haven’t made any Wild ARMs video games. I truly had a time the place I helped develop Versus Motion video games.
And in my case, I additionally work as a state of affairs author for anime. So I suppose throughout that point perhaps I bought away from recreation growth for a bit. However this time round we’ve bought the good folks at bee tribe working with us, and so they’re a tremendous growth workforce. So I really feel like growth will go very easily, with little to no issues.
Doing recreation growth by way of crowdfunding is a primary for me, although. Every single day, I maintain discovering new issues. There is likely to be hardships or complicated issues alongside the way in which, however due to our help workforce we’re getting by way of it!
A last request – are you able to share a message to your followers?
Kaneko: Hi there everybody! I’m Armed Fantasia’s Idea Chief, Kaneko. By means of the prospect of assembly a brand new good friend and a coincidental dialog, now we have determined to make a brand new JRPG set within the wilderness for the primary time in 15 years. And we’re doing it by way of crowdfunding, with out the instruction of a writer to assist us.
Making Armed Fantasia is a giant dream of mine. However we’d like funding with a view to create it. If any of you on the market have an interest within the title, please, contemplate supporting the marketing campaign! Let’s develop a recreation with a grand story collectively, we could?
Area of interest Gamer: How is Penny Blood a religious successor to Shadow Hearts? What parts will followers acknowledge and luxuriate in within the new title?
Matsuzo Machida: First must be the worldbuilding, the place we attempt to shine a highlight on the darkness of contemporary historical past. One other must be the truth that it’s an RPG with love, tears, and laughter in it. The principle story might be severe, however the characters will every have their very own comical scenes that showcase their uniqueness.
Why Kickstarter? How lengthy have you ever/the workforce been attempting to make this occur?
Machida: I made a decision to attempt Kickstarter after being influenced by Kaneko-san from the Armed Fantasia workforce. His ardour woke up my spirit of journey I wanted to simply accept this problem. The sport is once more set within the early twentieth century, does Machida-san have a fascination with this time interval/fashion? How has it influenced his work?
I’ve all the time been very on this planet of 100 years in the past, as a result of whereas the identical nations exist in our time interval, their conditions and relationships have significantly modified. It makes our world really feel like a very completely different planet, which makes an interesting setting for leisure.
Penny Blood returns to Europe and Asia, however the USA as effectively. How giant of a world can gamers count on – and the way a lot element in every area?
Machida: This is a component of the sport that can largely rely on how profitable the Kickstarter is. If attainable, I’d prefer to make the world as huge as attainable and each scare and transfer the gamers as a lot as attainable.
I get a little bit of a Lovecraft vibe from Penny Blood, identical to Shadow Hearts. What sort of cosmic horror affect can we count on within the recreation’s story?
Machida: I’ve been deeply influenced by Lovecraft ever since I used to be little. His detailed, sober sentences had been onerous for the ten-year-old me to know, however I used to be capable of decipher his world by way of mustering up all of the creativeness I may. The numerous traumas I gained from that additionally lurk inside Penny Blood.
Speaking about Lovecraft – perhaps an unfair query however what’s your favourite Eldritch monster?
Machida: The creatures of Innsmouth. The primary time I encountered them was in a novel by Kaoru Kurimoto known as Makai Suikoden. Creepy fish folks seem in that novel, and studying that the concept had come from The Shadow over Innsmouth is what made me search out the unique and get into Lovecraft.
One other Lovecraftian theme is dropping your sanity, and sanity factors are again. Are you able to speak about this method and the way it impacts gamers on their journey?
Machida: Sanity Factors are distinctive in Penny Blood in that gamers don’t lose management even after they go berserk throughout battles. When characters lose their sanity, they achieve assault boosts and turn into ready to make use of new expertise that they will’t use when sane.
It’s dangerous, although – going berserk additionally leaves characters huge open and prevents them from defending or escaping. We name this method of dancing between the road of sanity and insanity “Melees of Insanity”. In Penny Blood, the true battle begins when you go berserk.
The protagonist, Matthew, looks as if an anti-hero, or a tortured soul. Does this have an effect on how he performs, or gameplay?
Machida: Sure. Matthew has the facility to make use of fusion, however he additionally has regular feelings identical to we do. He has his personal weaknesses and psychological scars. And there might be enemies in Penny Blood who attempt to make use of these weaknesses. By means of the gameplay, the participant might want to discover Matthew’s thoughts and purchase new fusion monsters in order that Matthew can achieve the facility to face as much as these foes.
Whose thought was it to make the Fight Ring within the unique Shadow Hearts? Is the Psycho Sigil battle system related?
Machida: I’m the one who got here up with the concept for the Judgment Ring. My previous writer at present owns the patent to it, however in Japan, my identify is listed because the inventor of the patent. I additionally got here up with the concept for the Psycho Sigil this time round as effectively.
Each programs management equally, however they’re truly fairly completely different. The Psycho Sigil isn’t only a circle – it offers me the flexibility to precise issues and new methods of enjoying that I couldn’t earlier than. I’m pondering of exhibiting off one among its prospects quickly, with the hyperlink combo system.
The fusion idea returns in Penny Blood, the place Matthew can rework and struggle monsters. How have the fusion mechanics/ideas modified or been refined?
Machida: I designed fusion monsters based mostly on demons in my earlier recreation, however for Penny Blood I went for knights with a view to depict the sacred nature of heroes of legend. They aren’t simply knights, although… They’re ghost knights.
I actually put a number of work into their designs. They’re meant to be darkish ghost knights who’ve equal helpings of fashion and creepiness.
Avoiding spoilers, how darkish can followers count on the story in Penny Blood to get?
Machida: Properly… In Penny Blood, I intend to depict each psychological worry that stems from the mysteries behind the incidents in addition to visible worry that stems from the grotesque. Components of these items will assault Matthew all through the story.
As you play the sport, I wish to make you say issues like “Wait, I feel I simply noticed one thing again there!” or “What did I hear simply now?”
It’s been a while since your workforce labored collectively on a title like this, the place there any challenges or new approaches taken with growth now?
Machida: The Double Kickstarter marketing campaign is a large new problem for me. This time, I don’t wish to take heed to any particular particular person… I simply wish to make what WE wish to make.
My workforce and I consider that what the followers really need is a recreation stuffed with all of the issues we’re captivated with. We’re all actually working onerous to make it a actuality.
A last request – are you able to share a message to your followers?
Machida: The Double Kickstarter marketing campaign is a giant problem I’ve taken on together with Kaneko-san from Armed Fantasia. It’s a tough however wonderful journey that my workforce and I’ve embarked upon.
Every single day, we’re having fun with our work in addition to the joy that comes from one thing like this. Please give us your help in order that each groups can create a tremendous recreation!