29 Sep Worldbuilding Wednesdays #5
CAMPAIGN UPDATES
Closing Stream and Golden Ticket Concert
The closing stream will be held at 9 AM EST/6 AM PST on September 30th at https://www.twitch.tv/pennyblood. If you are a content creator and are interested in streaming this to your audience, we would greatly appreciate the help!
The backer-exclusive Golden Ticket Concert will be embedded in a backer-only update that goes out to all backers at 2:50 AM EST on October 1st (11:50 PM PST on September 30th).
We’ve seen your questions and here are the big answers:
Q1: Will either of the streams be archived?
A1: The Closing Stream will be archived, but the Golden Ticket Concert will not be archived. We know that someone will invariably pirate the concert… it will suck because they will basically take what is a present that we gave to backers who believed in this project and give it to people who did NOT help us. People may have been burned by other campaigns but we are a fresh slate and respect the backers strong enough to pledge. Even at this early point we want to show you, we will do what we can to give you unique experiences.
Q2: Will the music on the Composer’s Dream CD be in the games?
A2: Some of it may but most of it will be original compositions and remixes only available on this CD.
Q3: Who will be composing tracks for the Composer’s Dream CD?
A3: There is a possibility that most of the collaborators we’ve announced so far, such as Kenji Ito and Yasunori Shiono, will take part. Our goal is also to pick up a few more names as we go on. Yoshitaka Hirota will be taking responsibility for the project as its director, so you can keep your expectations high! The final team will be a RPG fan’s dream come true!
Q4: Will the CD be available after the campaign ends.
A4: No. It will not. This is the only chance. This is the ultimate collector’s item for JRPG fans and it’s the only way you’ll see this many amazing JRPG veterans collaborate on one CD.
Stretch Goals
Stretch Goal #12 – CLEARED!
Stepping Right into the Danger Zone (Pedometer)
This will add a system to the game in which players receive rewards based on how many steps they take within the game’s dangerous, monster-filled dungeons.
“Matthew, I’m sensing some rather threatening maliferous auras up ahead… Should we go around or try to break through them? Make a decision, please.”
107,500,000 yen
Secret BOI Activity Records
This mode will allow players to view files on various data collected throughout the game, such as number of battles, the number of times and percentages for characters going mad, the number of times characters have collapsed, the number of times a player’s fled a battle, the percentage of successfully completed or perfected Psycho Sigils, the amount of distance traveled, and so forth. Rankings for each score will also be available, awarding players with monster titles based on their progress.
“Alright, Matthew, open those ears of yours and listen up! All of these files here contain quantified evidence of just how much we’ve been changing the world for the better! HIGHLY important data that can tell us all sorts of things if properly analyzed.. .Hey, are you even listening…? Excuse me?! I didn’t cause all that collateral damage because I WANTED to!”
110,000,000 yen
The Golden Age of Jazz
This will add a musical mini-game where Roxane, the vampiric songstress sings jazz at a luxurious jazz club in NYC. Every time you clear a new song, she’ll acquire a powerful new ability.
“Hey, Matthew, busy tonight? Don’t look at me like that, it’s not about work… You’ve been to the Apricot Club in Harlem, haven’t you? Rumor has it they’ve got one heck of a beautiful singer working there… Some say she’s got a voice that’s out of this world. Well, whaddya say? First drink’s on me!”
112,500,000 yen
Laughter (Gods of Death Encounters)
This will add a feature where if a player stays in a dungeon too long, they’ll start to hear laughter, and eventually Umbra and his Ruinwalkers will appear. Each one of these enemies will be extremely powerful and hard to defeat at normal levels. If defeated, they will temporarily escape only to return later, even more powerful than before. Defeating these powerful foes will be one of the conditions to reaching the ‘good’ ending.
“The most important thing to remember in any dungeon is to not overestimate your own capabilities. Oh, and make sure you don’t overstay your welcome… You’re the one it wants, Matthew. It’s had its sights set on you ever since you freed me from its clutches…”
115,000,000 yen
As One Journey Fades, Another Day Begins (Post-Ending Novel)
Matsuzo Machida will write a novel that chronicles what happens to the characters after the ending of Penny Blood…which will be filled with subplots that connect to Penny Blood 2.
“Stop crying. This is the path you chose. So what if people don’t understand you? That’s something to be proud of. I understand your courage better than anyone else… No matter how sad you get…no matter how painful things become…we still need to live.”
120,000,000 yen
Punishment Squad: The Hellhounders
This will add a mode to the game where players can play through a story as the Hellhounders, the international terrorist organization that becomes the nemesis of Matthew and the BOI in the main story.
“There are certain things that only we’re capable of… And we won’t ever let the BOI’s little errand boy stop us, no matter how hard he tries. Something must be done about all the injustice and inequality that fills this sad world…”
???
The Seven Deadly Sins and their Incarnations (Zombie Mode)
In the latter half of the game, seven difficult, hidden dungeons will appear. Each of the dungeons will be themed after one of the seven deadly sins, and completing one will allow a character to make a contract with a demon and unlock their Undead Form. When a character’s in their Undead Form, they’ll start battles at 0 sanity points, and will not be able to regain their sanity regardless of how much damage they take.
“Hey, Matthew… Look at the malice seals that have appeared on this map… You think this means seven powerful demons have appeared in these spots? What? You want to go around to each one and see how strong they really are? You’re kidding, right? That sounds absolutely insane!!”
???
HINT: Insane Ingress
COMBO GOALS:
Since we are revealing most of the stretch goals, it’s time to talk about the 350,000,000 yen in the room:
Mascot Swap (Friends R Us) – Armed Fantasia’s Stritsch will be warped into the swinging 1920s of Penny Blood and Baby Cthulhu will be dusting it up in the open deserts of Armed Fantasia in this cool mascot swticheroo!
CONTENT UPDATES
This is our last Worldbuilding Wednesday and we are really going to build it! While the campaign was ongoing, the developers were still hard at work. It gives us great pleasure to show off some new videos for each project: both featuring some of our amazing heroines. You’ll also get some final info from each game, so hopefully you like what you see!
We also have a special announcement! Two new amazing collaborators on the Penny Blood soundtrack:
Kenji Ito – Known for his amazing work on the Saga Series, he will join the already amazing list of veteran JRPG composers to focus on music in the Asian areas of the game.
Yasunori Shiono – Known for his work on the Lufia series, he will be a part of the Composer’s Dream soundtrack.
So we have Yoshitaka Hirota (Shadow Hearts), Akari Kaida (Breath of Fire 3), Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy Series), Kenji Ito (Saga Series), and Yasunori Shiono (Lufia). It’s rare to see this much talent come together for one JRPG!
New Video
Ladies and gents, the Federation of Air Pirates— Ah, I mean the fine folks at Shade have done it!
I wasn’t sure we would make it in time, but in this final update we would like to share new footage showcasing Emilia’s skills and the “Sigil Slaughter” combo attack.
Please enjoy the intense battle scenes of Penny Blood!
Not only do we cast the spotlight on just how powerful Emilia will be in Penny Blood in these amazing new videos, we also have her theme composed by Yoshitaka Hirota.
Emilia Dawson (Theme of Emilia -Piano Ver.) by Yoshitaka Hirota
Hello everyone. Today marks the final introductory post to the world of Penny Blood.
Where does my inspiration come from?
Today, I’d like to talk about where my inspiration for my creations comes from. More than 20 years have passed since I last released an RPG series that takes place in modern times. Over that time, the game industry in Japan has changed a great deal, including both what players are looking for and what the higher-ups want creators to make. When it comes to social game development, most of a studio’s time and energy is put into figuring out how to increase monthly profits and how to make players want a certain character rather than simply how to give players a fun and moving experience. And of course, this tends to pull the design of the systems and playable characters in a certain direction.
Unlike that, however, with Penny Blood, I’m now able to design a game that I truly want to make, just like with my previous RPG series. Whether or not a Kickstarter campaign actually succeeds or not is all a matter of chance… In which case, I decided there’s no reason not to try and cram in all the different things I want to do and ensure I have no regrets in the end.
Game development is not something that can be completed by one person alone. Since long ago, my stance has always been to welcome all ideas from anyone who’s involved in the project, regardless of their actual role or status within the team. Of course, I can’t actually use every idea, but I often come across a diamond in the rough or something that I know will be sure to knock everyone’s socks off. That’s right – my inspiration is something that exists within my normal life, constantly raining down upon me and everyone else around me. The games I create are filled with amazing ideas that I could have never come up with all on my own, so I hope you’ll keep that in mind as you check them out.
The Eccentric Roger Bacon
Roger Bacon is one character who was born from that sort of inspiration. Bacon is a historical figure who was born in England in 1214. He was a friar, but also had great interest in things like alchemy, science, and magic. Due to his nature and background, I thought he’d be the perfect character to serve as a helper to the main character throughout his long journey – and I knew that if I added a comical aspect to his personality, he’d become a character who everyone would love.
But the Roger Bacon who appears in Penny Blood won’t just be there to assist Matthew… I’m also going to shine a spotlight on Roger Bacon himself and his background. You’ll be able to see him as a handsome young friar right after completing his studies at the recently-established University of Oxford and meeting the person he came to call his mentor… You’ll also see how he lived, how he became a great magician, and what led up to him becoming the “strange creature” you all know him as.
New Location
Ryōunkaku Superfortress
Throughout our world, there exist special nodes where the plane of the living connects to the other side.
Asakusa’s Ryōunkaku serves as one of those nodes – a construction which can somehow coexist on both planes at the same time. In the otherworld, however, Ryōunkaku commands far greater power.
On that side, dark clouds and purple miasma swirl endlessly, while the Old Ones and their kindred run rampant… Terrorizing the human race with fulminating force and unspeakable madness. Day after day, new atrocities set their sights on the rift, waiting for the perfect chance to pass over into the world of the living.
In response to these horrors, the human race chose to erect the Ryōunkaku Superfortress.
Since long ago, the Kamuzumi organization has been devoted to protecting the sacred land of Japan from aramitama, their name for the inhuman abominations who dare to cross over to the human world. In order to expedite their hunt, this bastion they guard has been outfitted with all manner of state-of-the-art technology and spiritual defenses.
Within this fortress, Matthew finally finds the person he has been looking for, and their fates become intertwined…