INTRODUCTION
Malice and Mayhem
Embark on a dark investigation through the iconic Roaring Twenties, amassing allies and confronting traumas in a world twisted by cosmic horror, malice and mayhem.
Circumnavigate the globe, from the USA to Europe and Asia, and explore nations either recovering or basking in the wake of one of history’s bloodiest conflicts, oblivious to the turmoil that brews beneath the surface.
Choose wisely and train your trigger finger with the Psycho Sigil battle system which pairs classic JRPG turn-based battles with intense real-time action.
Penny Blood promises to sink its claws into you as it revives the darker side of Japanese RPGs, with direction from Matsuzo Machida, character design by Miyako Kato and music and sound composed by Yoshitaka Hirota and Akari Kaida!
SETTING
1923, five years after The First World War.
Exhausted by the tribulations of the great war, Europe experiences a fleeting sense of peace as a new storm begins to brew on the horizon.
Meanwhile, across the pond, the USA flaunts the growth it has gained from its support during the war. Now in the midst of the Roaring Twenties, they are wholly oblivious to the beings from another plane that steadily invade its borders.
Our story begins with Matthew Farrell, a private detective working for the Bureau of Investigation who is one day tasked with looking into a bizarre incident at a mental asylum in New York. Rushing to the scene, he finds the asylum teeming with grotesque, rampaging creatures, and utilizes his hidden power to achieve a narrow victory.
In order to unearth the truth behind the incident, Matthew’s investigation will take him from America to the distant continent of Asia, including Japan and China, as well as to the far flung corners of Europe.
Along the way, he will encounter those who fight for vengeance, those who seek to use the aberrant horrors for their own gain, and those who purely wish to destroy. The stage is set – prepare to embark on the tale of a man who must become that which he seeks to vanquish.
CHARACTERS
MATTHEW FARRELL
An Irish-American born in 1895. Now 28, he lives in New York and works as a private detective. After serving in the great war, he returned to the US and traveled to various states to investigate a series of eerie incidents. One day, William J. Burns, the director of the Bureau of Investigation, tasks him with a top secret mission that takes him to Japan.
Normally, Matthew uses a sawed-off shotgun and martial arts to subdue his foes – but when in peril, he can transform into a fusion monster, allowing him to eviscerate his enemies in a variety of ways. Those who know this secret call him the knightwretch, but he doesn’t care.
As Matthew searches for Emilia, he’s gradually drawn deeper and deeper into a war against creatures from another plane.
EMILIA DAWSON
Born in London in 1898. Now 25, Emilia currently serves as a member of the UK Secret Service. After being lauded for her fierce passion and incredible skills, she was promoted to a special agent who specializes in foreign affairs.
In her last mission, she was made a bodyguard for Mr. Tubbs, the American ambassador to Japan. Shortly after, Mr. Tubbs died in an incident within the Tokyo district of Asakusa, while Emilia went missing.
One of her eyes and three of her limbs have been replaced with robotic implements, granting her superhuman abilities capable of mowing down all manner of monsters.
EMILIA DAWSON
Born in London in 1898. Now 25, Emilia currently serves as a member of the UK Secret Service. After being lauded for her fierce passion and incredible skills, she was promoted to a special agent who specializes in foreign affairs.
In her last mission, she was made a bodyguard for Mr. Tubbs, the American ambassador to Japan. Shortly after, Mr. Tubbs died in an incident within the Tokyo district of Asakusa, while Emilia went missing.
One of her eyes and three of her limbs have been replaced with robotic implements, granting her superhuman abilities capable of mowing down all manner of monsters.
SUSERI OTSUKI
Born in Tokyo in 1906. Now 17, Suseri serves as an advisor priestess to Kamuzumi, the Japanese empire’s monster extermination force.
As her mother came from a family of spiritualists gifted in kidō magic arts, Suseri has the ability to sense otherworldy creatures as soon as they appear. She was to be the eyes of the Shinteigumi, Kamuzumi’s front line brigade, but she never hesitates to dispatch the monsters herself when the need arises, utilizing the great reserves of spiritual power that swirl within her.
After Matthew and Emilia save her in the imperial capital, she joins their cause in order to repay them. Suseri’s weapons of choice are her seimakyo magic mirrors.
GAMEPLAY
Penny Blood’s gorgeously rendered overworld maps give a bird’s-eye view of cityscapes and towns that will teleport you to the 1920s, where you can experience the world as it was, unaware of the gruesome events soon to unfold.
From busy streets to haunting sanitariums, delve into beautifully detailed field maps as you purchase items paramount to your quest, investigate supernatural happenings, and battle stygian monstrosities.
Easy to learn, difficult to master–the Psycho Sigil system combines traditional turn based JRPG strategy with twitch-trigger reaction time in order to maximize the potential of your attacks, keeping you on your toes with every encounter. Then embrace the darkness within by using Fusion to call upon the abyss and fight fire with fire. Harness the power of the darkness to hurl demons back whence they came.
But try to keep your wits about you, for interactions with the demonic will affect your heroes’ Sanity Points. Lose too many and your allies will succumb to madness, gaining strength and losing composure. But all may not be lost, as that boost in power might be just what you need to turn the tide in battle.
GAMEPLAY
Penny Blood’s gorgeously rendered overworld maps give a bird’s-eye view of cityscapes and towns that will teleport you to the 1920s, where you can experience the world as it was, unaware of the gruesome events soon to unfold.
From busy streets to haunting sanitariums, delve into beautifully detailed field maps as you purchase items paramount to your quest, investigate supernatural happenings, and battle stygian monstrosities.
Easy to learn, difficult to master–the Psycho Sigil system combines traditional turn based JRPG strategy with twitch-trigger reaction time in order to maximize the potential of your attacks, keeping you on your toes with every encounter. Then embrace the darkness within by using Fusion to call upon the abyss and fight fire with fire. Harness the power of the darkness to hurl demons back whence they came.
But try to keep your wits about you, for interactions with the demonic will affect your heroes’ Sanity Points. Lose too many and your allies will succumb to madness, gaining strength and losing composure. But all may not be lost, as that boost in power might be just what you need to turn the tide in battle.
ENEMIES
After the end of the great war, both Europe and America experienced a slew of assassinations in which wealthy VIPs and governmental officials were brutally murdered in the shadows. Left at every scene was an Electrum coin emblazoned with a dog’s profile and a phrase written in Ancient Greece which roughly translates to: “By my hands, I deliver God’s judgment unto thee.”
While society viewed the work of the Hellhounders as just more mindless violence perpetrated by a new group of insane anarchists, their zeal was still enough to instill fear in the hearts of the shady moguls who continued to lurk in the darkness of the world.
The Hellhounders are led by Sariel, a former member of the German army, and their core officials consist of Dr. Eugene, a scientist who possesses horrifying beliefs on eugenics, the Axeman, a monstrous man who commands herculean strength, and Darya Nikolayevna Saltykova, one of the world’s most ravishing sadists.
Throughout Matthew’s journey, the Hellhounders will rise to become his greatest adversaries.
But they are not the only threat Matthew will have to face throughout his journey.
MOTOFUJI
The name given to the horrifying grotesquerie discovered within Golgotha Asylum. The Motofuji discharged copious amounts of malice, a type of energy born from negative human emotions. This malice is allegedly the culprit behind the asylum patients’ monstrous transformations. The negative miasma that seeped out from every pore of the hideous Motofujis invaded the patients’ bodies and minds, awakening despicable desires within them.
After Matthew rushed into the asylum, he engaged in a furious battle with the creature and managed to destroy it… But it’s still anyone’s guess as to why the monster appeared there in the first place.
MALIFEROUS PATIENTS
The malice released from the Motofuji’s malice has caused some patients of Golgotha Asylum to undergo monstrous transformations.
Long devoid of all intelligence and emotion, these zombies now have only one goal in mind: to devour as much living flesh and vital energy as they can get their rotting hands on. Spurned by the instinct to drown their bodies in malice, these patients shocked the NYPD with a brutal, bloody onslaught.
ATAM
A manifestation of darkness that has taken roost within Matthew’s psyche. Unbeknownst to Matthew, Atam is the Lord of Death who commands the Seven Deadly Sins: demons that represent the sins of lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride.
Originally an inhabitant of the ‘other side’, or the root of the Tree of Life, as some call it, Atam has found sustenance on ‘our side’ through hiding itself within the souls of humans who possess divine blood. And so, after many long years of feeding off these souls, Atam gained a wealth of knowledge that steadily transformed it into something more akin to an omnipotent god.
Several years ago, Atam failed in its attempt to curse and murder the man who was its previous host. After that man beat Atam within inches of its own life, it sought out a new host. Now it lies dormant within a new soul, focused on nothing but regaining its power until it can one day be reborn anew.
ENEMIES
After the end of the great war, both Europe and America experienced a slew of assassinations in which wealthy VIPs and governmental officials were brutally murdered in the shadows. Left at every scene was an Electrum coin emblazoned with a dog’s profile and a phrase written in Ancient Greece which roughly translates to: “By my hands, I deliver God’s judgment unto thee.”
While society viewed the work of the Hellhounders as just more mindless violence perpetrated by a new group of insane anarchists, their zeal was still enough to instill fear in the hearts of the shady moguls who continued to lurk in the darkness of the world.
The Hellhounders are led by Sariel, a former member of the German army, and their core officials consist of Dr. Eugene, a scientist who possesses horrifying beliefs on eugenics, the Axeman, a monstrous man who commands herculean strength, and Darya Nikolayevna Saltykova, one of the world’s most ravishing sadists.
Throughout Matthew’s journey, the Hellhounders will rise to become his greatest adversaries.
But they are not the only threat Matthew will have to face throughout his journey.
MOTOFUJI
The name given to the horrifying grotesquerie discovered within Golgotha Asylum. The Motofuji discharged copious amounts of malice, a type of energy born from negative human emotions. This malice is allegedly the culprit behind the asylum patients’ monstrous transformations. The negative miasma that seeped out from every pore of the hideous Motofujis invaded the patients’ bodies and minds, awakening despicable desires within them.
After Matthew rushed into the asylum, he engaged in a furious battle with the creature and managed to destroy it… But it’s still anyone’s guess as to why the monster appeared there in the first place.
MALIFEROUS PATIENTS
The malice released from the Motofuji’s malice has caused some patients of Golgotha Asylum to undergo monstrous transformations.
Long devoid of all intelligence and emotion, these zombies now have only one goal in mind: to devour as much living flesh and vital energy as they can get their rotting hands on. Spurned by the instinct to drown their bodies in malice, these patients shocked the NYPD with a brutal, bloody onslaught.
ATAM
A manifestation of darkness that has taken roost within Matthew’s psyche. Unbeknownst to Matthew, Atam is the Lord of Death who commands the Seven Deadly Sins: demons that represent the sins of lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride.
Originally an inhabitant of the ‘other side’, or the root of the Tree of Life, as some call it, Atam has found sustenance on ‘our side’ through hiding itself within the souls of humans who possess divine blood. And so, after many long years of feeding off these souls, Atam gained a wealth of knowledge that steadily transformed it into something more akin to an omnipotent god.
Several years ago, Atam failed in its attempt to curse and murder the man who was its previous host. After that man beat Atam within inches of its own life, it sought out a new host. Now it lies dormant within a new soul, focused on nothing but regaining its power until it can one day be reborn anew.
LOCATIONS
LOCATIONS
MUSIC
Hello. I’m Hirota, a composer. Since this game is set in the 1920s, I’ve been studying music from the time as I work on my tracks.
At the time, NY was becoming the center of the world, and saw a lot of immigrants from places like Ireland. Therefore, I’d like to work in their folk songs and ballads into the game’s atmosphere, as I’m sure it served as an anchor for them. At the same time, I’ll be working in ominous music and electric music/rock from our own time period.
Just like now, our ancestors from a century ago had their own trials and tribulations to overcome, some of which may seem very similar to what’s going on now… No matter what time period it is, the emotions and willpower of the human race never change, and I believe there’s a key that can help tie the two time periods together.
I hope to work together with some very talented guest composers and performers to find that key as we build out the tracks. We’re going to work hard to balance this fusion in the sound effects as well the songs and ambient tracks that fill the game, so I hope you’re excited!
Fhathast beò (Penny Blood Main Theme -First Edition)
This is my first draft for the main theme of Penny Blood. It’s meant to represent the hearts of those who aren’t merely at the mercy of the harrowing time period/environment, but also their strong determination to keep moving forward. I hope it’ll become a track that helps to tie our hearts together with those of our ancestors from 100 years ago. I also plan to make several arrangements to fit different scenes.
Vicious 1923 (Normal Battle01 -Proto Ver.)
This music represents fighting and adrenaline. When Matthew opens a portal to the otherworld and faces off with evil creatures, I imagine he’ll sounds that distort and twist just like this.
Glitter with Malice (Motofuji Battle -Proto Ver.)
After seeing several cuts of the characters fighting with powerful enemies, I came up with the idea for this track. The violet, electric sound here is meant to represent the battle against primordial malice.
Matthew Farrell (Theme of Matthew -First Edit)
This is Matthew’s theme. I came up with this song after hearing some words that Machida used to describe Matthew: “The sublime fredom to carve out your own path, no matter how fleeting it may be.” I used bass instruments such as the cello and percussion to deepen the track. I also plan to make several arrangements to fit different scenes.
MUSIC
Hello. I’m Hirota, a composer. Since this game is set in the 1920s, I’ve been studying music from the time as I work on my tracks.
At the time, NY was becoming the center of the world, and saw a lot of immigrants from places like Ireland. Therefore, I’d like to work in their folk songs and ballads into the game’s atmosphere, as I’m sure it served as an anchor for them. At the same time, I’ll be working in ominous music and electric music/rock from our own time period.
Just like now, our ancestors from a century ago had their own trials and tribulations to overcome, some of which may seem very similar to what’s going on now… No matter what time period it is, the emotions and willpower of the human race never change, and I believe there’s a key that can help tie the two time periods together.
I hope to work together with some very talented guest composers and performers to find that key as we build out the tracks. We’re going to work hard to balance this fusion in the sound effects as well the songs and ambient tracks that fill the game, so I hope you’re excited!
Fhathast beò (Penny Blood Main Theme -First Edition)
This is my first draft for the main theme of Penny Blood. It’s meant to represent the hearts of those who aren’t merely at the mercy of the harrowing time period/environment, but also their strong determination to keep moving forward. I hope it’ll become a track that helps to tie our hearts together with those of our ancestors from 100 years ago. I also plan to make several arrangements to fit different scenes.
Vicious 1923 (Normal Battle01 -Proto Ver.)
This music represents fighting and adrenaline. When Matthew opens a portal to the otherworld and faces off with evil creatures, I imagine he’ll sounds that distort and twist just like this.
Glitter with Malice (Motofuji Battle -Proto Ver.)
After seeing several cuts of the characters fighting with powerful enemies, I came up with the idea for this track. The violet, electric sound here is meant to represent the battle against primordial malice.
Matthew Farrell (Theme of Matthew -First Edit)
This is Matthew’s theme. I came up with this song after hearing some words that Machida used to describe Matthew: “The sublime fredom to carve out your own path, no matter how fleeting it may be.” I used bass instruments such as the cello and percussion to deepen the track. I also plan to make several arrangements to fit different scenes.
Matsuzo Machida
Overall game designer & Scenario Writer
Miyako Kato
Character Design & Art Director
Yoshitaka Hirota
Main Composer
Akari Kaida
Composer
Tsuyoshi Watanabe
Visual Director
Nobutaka Hanya
Monster Designer
Masato Watanabe
Concept Artist
MONAKA
Mastermind
