Veteran JRPG creators behind Wild Arms and Shadow Hearts have launched a joint crowdfunding effort to bring two new large-scale role-playing games to life.
The “Double Kickstarter” campaign, which went live on August 29, 2022, seeks a minimum funding goal of $750,000 to support Armed Fantasia and Penny Blood, and includes an early stretch goal to fund a version for Nintendo’s current hardware at release — whether that is the Nintendo Switch or its successor.
Armed Fantasia: Westernpunk JRPG with ARMs
Armed Fantasia is positioned as a large-scale party-based JRPG built around a Westernpunk setting.
The game follows Ingram, a young Pathfinder from Londenium who sets out with his ARM (Aether Reaction Maximizer) weaponry after a personal loss.
The title emphasizes a sprawling World Map, high-speed traversal by land, sea and air, and dungeon puzzles that require switching between party members’ unique Gadgets.
Combat is turn-based with a fast tempo, centered on a Cross Order Tactics system where successive actions form Chain Order and Force Breaks can interrupt enemy turns.
Akifumi Kaneko, the Wild Arms creator who will lead game design and scenario writing on Armed Fantasia, said he was intrigued by the Double Kickstarter format as a new development option and has formed a veteran team to pursue the project, asking for community support to move forward.
Character design for Armed Fantasia is handled by Tomomi Sasaki, with music contributions planned from Wild Arms veterans Michiko Naruke, Noriyasu Uematsu and Elements Garden.
Penny Blood: Gothic horror JRPG set in the 1920s
Penny Blood channels gothic horror amid the turmoil of the 1920s.
Players follow Matthew Farrell, a private investigator working for the Bureau of Investigation in New York, who uses inherited fusion transformation abilities to battle nightmarish creatures.
The story sends players across the globe — from the United States to Europe and Asia — and explores the era’s cities, sanitariums and streets via overworld and field maps.
Lead designer and scenario writer Matsuzo Machida, best known for Shadow Hearts, described this project as a rare second chance to make another game in this vein and asked fans for their support.
Character design is by Miyako Kato, while composers Yoshitaka Hirota and Akari Kaida are set to deliver the score.
Penny Blood’s Psycho Sigil battle system blends traditional turn-based strategy with reaction-based mechanics; interactions with demons affect characters’ Sanity Points, influencing combat performance.
Double Kickstarter structure and rollout
The campaign allows backers to fund Penny Blood, Armed Fantasia, or both, with collaborative rewards and a shared Combo Meter system that unlocks content across both projects.
The Kickstarter page launched with trailers added on August 29, 2022.
The campaign explicitly notes a plan for a version on Nintendo’s latest hardware at release if stretch goals are met, bringing these JRPG projects into the conversation for Nintendo Switch-era audiences.
With teams staffed by established JRPG veterans and a combined crowdfunding approach, Armed Fantasia and Penny Blood aim to revive large-scale, auteur-driven Japanese role-playing experiences for modern platforms and audiences.
The “Double Kickstarter” campaign, which went live on August 29, 2022, seeks a minimum funding goal of $750,000 to support Armed Fantasia and Penny Blood, and includes an early stretch goal to fund a version for Nintendo’s current hardware at release — whether that is the Nintendo Switch or its successor.
Armed Fantasia: Westernpunk JRPG with ARMs
Armed Fantasia is positioned as a large-scale party-based JRPG built around a Westernpunk setting.
The game follows Ingram, a young Pathfinder from Londenium who sets out with his ARM (Aether Reaction Maximizer) weaponry after a personal loss.
The title emphasizes a sprawling World Map, high-speed traversal by land, sea and air, and dungeon puzzles that require switching between party members’ unique Gadgets.
Combat is turn-based with a fast tempo, centered on a Cross Order Tactics system where successive actions form Chain Order and Force Breaks can interrupt enemy turns.
Akifumi Kaneko, the Wild Arms creator who will lead game design and scenario writing on Armed Fantasia, said he was intrigued by the Double Kickstarter format as a new development option and has formed a veteran team to pursue the project, asking for community support to move forward.
Character design for Armed Fantasia is handled by Tomomi Sasaki, with music contributions planned from Wild Arms veterans Michiko Naruke, Noriyasu Uematsu and Elements Garden.
Penny Blood: Gothic horror JRPG set in the 1920s
Penny Blood channels gothic horror amid the turmoil of the 1920s.
Players follow Matthew Farrell, a private investigator working for the Bureau of Investigation in New York, who uses inherited fusion transformation abilities to battle nightmarish creatures.
The story sends players across the globe — from the United States to Europe and Asia — and explores the era’s cities, sanitariums and streets via overworld and field maps.
Lead designer and scenario writer Matsuzo Machida, best known for Shadow Hearts, described this project as a rare second chance to make another game in this vein and asked fans for their support.
Character design is by Miyako Kato, while composers Yoshitaka Hirota and Akari Kaida are set to deliver the score.
Penny Blood’s Psycho Sigil battle system blends traditional turn-based strategy with reaction-based mechanics; interactions with demons affect characters’ Sanity Points, influencing combat performance.
Double Kickstarter structure and rollout
The campaign allows backers to fund Penny Blood, Armed Fantasia, or both, with collaborative rewards and a shared Combo Meter system that unlocks content across both projects.
The Kickstarter page launched with trailers added on August 29, 2022.
The campaign explicitly notes a plan for a version on Nintendo’s latest hardware at release if stretch goals are met, bringing these JRPG projects into the conversation for Nintendo Switch-era audiences.
With teams staffed by established JRPG veterans and a combined crowdfunding approach, Armed Fantasia and Penny Blood aim to revive large-scale, auteur-driven Japanese role-playing experiences for modern platforms and audiences.
