10 Sep Feature Friday #2
CAMPAIGN UPDATES
Stretch Goals
We’ve seen a lot of questions about currency rates and how that affects stretch goals. While we wanted to keep the goals in dollars since Kickstarter is primarily a Western audience, the reality is that our developers do live in Japan and salaries are paid in yen. So we have talked with the developers and agreed to calculate stretch goals based on their yen equivalents. We don’t want to have two stretch goal meters (one in dollars and one in yen) but we will be clearing off goals at their yen equivalent. For example, going by these calculations, Penny Blood needed 75,000,000 yen to clear its first goal, which it has. Matter of fact, it’s cleared its second goal as well! Armed Fantasia has made over 100,000,000 yen so it has actually cleared the next THREE goals!! Here’s the updated infographic:
Stretch Goal Update for Penny Blood
First Stretch Goal – CLEARED!
Eviscerate Your Enemies as a Fusion Monster!
Grants Matthew, the main character, the ability to transform into fusion monsters during battle. His fusion forms will span a total of seven different elements, each with their own unique design.
“Matthew… Someday, you’ll find yourself pitted against foes who can only be defeated through transforming into a fusion monster. That’s right… In order to defeat those monsters, you’ll need to become one yourself. And I’m going to give you that power right now… Don’t say your old man never gave you anything, alright…?”
Second Stretch Goal – CLEARED!
Melees of Madness
A parameter will be added to the game that displays the characters’ current sanity level. When it reaches zero (or lower), characters will go mad and gain a massive boost in attack power. This will add a new layer to PENNY BLOOD’s battle system, encouraging players to strategically toe the line between sanity and madness as they fight.
“Only when you shed your sanity can you awaken your true power… And if you manage to aim your rampage in the right direction, your enemies will never stand a chance.”
82,500,000 yen
Thrilling Greyhound Races!
Dog races, a staple of back room gambling in 1920s New York, will be added to the game. Aside from earning funds and special rewards from betting, Luca will also be able to personally enter the races as a mini-wolf and acquire powerful new abilities.
“Hey, mister, ever been to a dog race? They hold ’em nightly down in the basement here! Tough guys from all over come to try and strike it rich, and I’ve even seen a wolf running the tracks along with all the pups! Y’know, in order to learn some new tricks…”
85,000,000 yen
So, little boy… How much torture can you take?
Events will be added to the game where characters are captured by the enemy and must survive grueling torture sessions. Completing these events with certain characters will earn them special equipment.
“Withstanding torture while hiding information to protect your allies is no easy task. Trust me, if you ever got captured yourself…you’d understand just what a hellish experience it truly is.”
???
HINT: MONKey Business
Community Game
You have done a great job with the community goals so far and our monsters are defeated but unless the 10,000 plus backers we have start registering for both Twitter accounts, the registered Twitter user count goals might be the first community goals we won’t complete! Can you amazing Double Kickstarter backers come together as one to help our heroines?
Character Design Vote Result
The results are in for our first character design vote featuring Penny Blood’s fourth character Luka! After compiling votes from Twitter and Discord, the winner is C. Due to the nature of Twitter being more popular (and a bit easier) the voting was a bit skewed in Twitter’s favor. For the next character design vote, we’ll be counting each Discord vote twice. This helps us balance the different voting platforms but we also want to incentivize folks to join the Discord because that’s the easiest place for our creators to do Q&A.
Comment from Director Machida:
Everyone, thank you so much for participating in the Luca design vote. The truth is, this isn’t the last three-choice character design vote we’ll be doing! We also plan for one of the votes to determine a certain character’s color palette. Everything will be introduced in a future update, so we hope you’re excited!
Finally, Director Machida wants folks to know that while the character designs chosen during the poll will be used in the main game, some edits may be applied to the final design when adjusting the overall balance of the main characters.
CONTENT UPDATES
Interview with Miyako Kato, Character Designer and Art Director
Rough Sketches
Here, we’ll be posting a handful of rough sketches chosen from the many sketches that Kato-san has drawn over the course of the project. Some aspects have changed since she drew these, while others remain the same. Through these sketches, we hope you’ll be able to see all the trial and error that ensued as she consolidated her imagination.
NEW LOCATION
Graveyard: Nightmare Carnival
The gate reads: Atam’s Fun Carnival.
It looks just like the traveling carnival that Matthew’s father took him to when he was a boy.
Of course, this carnival (graveyard of the heart) isn’t simply here to show humans a jolly time. It’s a fun fair of horrors built to contain the wandering souls of the dead…
As Matthew steps inside, the moon smiles down upon him.
“Where’d you come from, kid? And what’s your name?”
“Matthew.”
“Matthew, eh? Funny, I remember Matthew bein’ a pint-sized tyke… Ah well, go on through the arch – and have some fun, will ya?”
The paths to various attractions stretching out in front of Matthew mirror the branches he’s encountered in his life thus far, leading him deeper into the yawning abyss…
Thompson Report #02: Thrilling Greyhound Races!
“Good evening everyone, Dorothy Thompson here. The year is 1923, and our world is filled with all kinds of social entertainment. Tonight, I’ve decided to do a special report on the dog races that happen nightly in the Harlem underground. Keep listening to find out more!”
“It’s been three years since Prohibition dried our cities, but it looks like the race hall is full again tonight! These races are managed by Owney Madden, aka “The Killer,” an infamous gangster – oh, I think I hear cheers! It sounds like another race has just begun!”
“Yeah, attaboy! You can do it! Get ahead of ‘em!”
“The hall sure is hot tonight! The crowd’s on the edge of their seats, desperate to win bi–O-oh my!”
“Sorry, ma’am. Didn’t mean to bump into you like that. Are you alright?”
“Ma’am? Excuse me?! I’m not that ol–oh, wait, you’re the one who bumped into me, little boy? This is no place for a child! Did your mommy or daddy bring you here?”
“No, I came on my own. Matthew n’ Emilia said they don’t like gamblin’, so I didn’t have much of a choice. Anyway, mind not treatin’ me like some little kid? I got a name too, y’know – it’s Luka!”
“OK, Luka… So you came here to enjoy the dog races all by your lonesome, I take it?”
“You betcha! If your luck’s any good, you can win all sortsa cabbage and prizes, too! Ain’t why I came here, though.”
“Then what, pray tell, did you come here for?”
“You seen how fast those dogs run, ain’t ya? Sure feels swell making ’em all eat my dust!”
“Oh, you’re talking about winning with your bets, yes?”
“What? Nah, I’m talkin’ about racin’ and beatin’ em!”
“Umm… I’m sorry, but I’m not sure I understand what you’re trying to say.”
“I mean goin’ wolf! Then I get to enter the race and beat ’em all by a mile! Helps me train, too.”
“Wolf? Wait… Who’s entering the race here?”
“Me.”
“…”
“You alright, ma’am?”
“Could you stop referring to me like I’m some tired housewife? Just call me Dorothy!”
“Okay, okay!”
“Good heavens, I’m not sure what came over me just now. I didn’t mean to lose my temper. Now then, Luka, I believe you were telling me about how you’ve been entering your pet dog in the races here.”
“Yeah, sure, that’s it! My…pet! My pet runs the races for me.”
“I see. I wasn’t aware that these races allowed spectators to send their own pets out to compete.”
“Oh, you betcha they do.”
“Well then, I’ll be sure to root for your little Wolfie when you send him out to race!”
“Thanks, I’ll do my best!”
“What was that?”
“I-I mean my dog…will do his best. See you ’round, Dorothy!”
