In the video game world today, it’s nice to see dormant IPs get revitalized. Monkey Island is making a comeback with a new series entry. Fear Effect is getting a remake. And as of today, two projects are getting a “Double Kickstarter” campaign as spiritual successors to beloved RPG franchises: From the makers of Wild Arms and Shadow Hearts come Armed Fantasia: To the End of the Wilderness and Penny Blood respectively.
WILD BUNCH Productions, which includes core Wild Arms development team, is creating Armed Fantasia, and Yukikaze, which includes core Shadow Hearts staff, is creating Penny Blood. The Double Kickstarter campaign is aiming to fund both RPGs simultaneously and will go live on August 29. The goal for these RPGs is $750,000 altogether. The main goal will net backers a PC copy of the adventures, while there will also be stretch goals for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X | S, and whatever the most recent Nintendo console on the market is at the time of release. The Double Kickstarter for Armed Fantasia and Penny Blood will utilize a “Combo Meter,” which means backing one game will help the development of the other.
Overviews for both titles can be found at Gematsu. Armed Fantasia: To the End of the Wilderness will take place in a Westernpunk setting and be dungeon and turn-based. Penny Blood will focus more on gothic horror and mix traditional turn-based JRPG strategy with twitch-trigger reaction time.
I’m happy to see these two RPGs get a Kickstarter announcement as spiritual successors to Wild Arms and Shadow Hearts, as these types of game could use a new audience. Wild Arms is a great series that can still be played via the PS Store, and Shadow Hearts may soon join it. Hopefully, gamers will get to experience these classic games before their successors get made.
