Worldbuilding Wednesday #5

This is it. We are hitting turbo on the campaign and not holding anything back!
This is our and your last chance to push for any extra content you can.
It’s worth noting while tiers may seem expensive due to needing some margin in order to develop the game, getting two AAA JRPGs for 37 dollars a game is much cheaper than what they will go for when released.
It really is a great deal!
The physical tiers are a bit more at 52 dollars per game when you buy the combo tiers but you should go online and look at the physical versions of the games our creators have worked on previously.
They are NOT CHEAP. So even at a price like this, it’s quite a bargain! So go out and make your voices heard where you can!
The more backers we get the more bang for your buck!

Campaign Updates

Important Fixes

・We have added in new “Special Thanks” tiers that can be purchased by backers who only bought a digital version of the game.
　This will be listed with a “digtl” or “digital” tag after the add-on name.
　Sorry, Kickstarter’s item name letter limit continues to plague us.
　If you are a physical backer you may see both add-ons but rest assured they are the same one so if you select one of those you will be included in the special thanks.

・The closing stream was initially listed as 6AM PST and 3AM EST. Unfortunately, as much as we wish, we cannot make time flow backwards.
　As you guessed, those numbers should be reversed.
　The closing stream will be held at 6AM EST and 3AM PST on September 30th.
　We apologize again for the crazy hours but Kickstarter’s rules mean you must end at the same point you began the campaign.

・You were RIGHT about the community goals.
　You did in fact clear them!
　We apologize for the miscalculation and now 20 additional pages will be added to the base art book!
　Thanks for keeping us honest!

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:

Stretch Goals

We are showing off the remaining goals for the campaign.
These are everything the developers could ever want but they aren’t cheap to make.
It will take a bit of a miracle and a lot of new backers to get there so spread the word, tweet out the #Armedfantasia and #Pennyblood and see if we can make these dreams come true.

Three New ARM Types(CLEARED)

We will add three new ARM types (Gunblades, Whips, and Chainsaws) on top of the six ARM types already in the game.
This means three more Roles that would be added, as well as skills for those ARMs.
This will make the battle system that much more in-depth and strategic than ever before.
And of course, by equipping these new ARMs, each character would get new poses and animations as well.

Survival Battles(180,000,000 yen)/[Approx. $1,250,000]

We will add another mini-game to the Battle Arena where players fight monsters back to back with no breaks in-between battles.
They would compete with other players online to see who can beat the most battles in a row.
The more battles you win, the better your rewards become.
But you might also find monsters you’ve never seen before, or unlock story events as well.

Prologue Chapters(190,000,000 yen)/[Approx. $1,320,000]

The three main characters meet up coincidentally at the beginning of the game.
But as can be expected of a game by Akifumi Kaneko, there are special introductory scenes from each character’s point of view.
These scenes would be told not solely by text, but would have their own dungeons, battles, and such.
It would lengthen the play time of the game by a decent amount.

BGM Customization(200,000,000 yen)/[Approx. $1,386,000]

After completing the game once, the player will gain the ability to play BGM from the game.
But not only that, we will be adding functionality that allows the player to customize what BGM plays where.
So you can play comical music during battles, take a scary song and make it a town’s theme, or whatever you’d like.
But wait, there’s more! We’ll also be adding 10 extra songs that won’t be used in the game, giving players even more music to mix and match!

Anime Intro(210,000,000 yen)/[Approx. $1,455,000]

We will produce and implement an opening animation that will start the game off.
This will introduce the world feel and characters, so players will feel a larger sense of immersion and understand the game better.

Challenge Dungeon(220,000,000 yen)/[Approx. $1,528,000]

This is a high-level dungeon with a difficulty level that surpasses even that of the story’s finale.
Here, your finger speed, trap smarts, and character strength will be put to the test.
This is the biggest challenge the game has to offer.
Completing this dungeon will net you a peak at the story that takes place many years before the main game, something that is connected to the main story.

Additional Force Breaks(????yen)

Force Breaks can be attacks, recovery, or buffs.
They can control the tide of battle, interrupting both friend or foe. With this, we’ll be adding additional Force Break techniques to your arsenal.

HINT: Out of this World(????yen)

We’ll only let you know what the upgrade is when you’ve cleared it.

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!

Community Game

As of the time of creating the text for this update.
No single goal has been reached.
This looks like a tough one for sure with an even shorter runway than previous monsters, things are looking grim for our heroes unless we are able to point the new last-minute backers towards the various goals.

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 video.
You’ll also get some final info from game, so hopefully you like what you see!

Anomalies

They’ve been sighted in every area of Londenium.
Organisms different from those native to the land. Anomalies.
While their origins are unknown, what is known is for some reason they’ve caused changes in native creatures.
Low-to-mid level Anomalies that acted like native creatures managed to mate with creatures of similar species and others, and are now entrenched in this world.
But make no mistake, these creatures are still a threat.
Because of this, these Anomalies are referred to as “alien species from a different reality”.
But higher-level Anomalies no longer act like the creatures they resemble, and are more supernatural.
Because of this, it makes it much harder for them to live under the laws of nature in Londenium, so it is thought that most of them die out in one generation.
Nonetheless, perhaps out of some basic instinct, these Anomalies have tried to devour native creatures and take their features into them in order to live in Londenium as long as they can.
Anomalies are a threat to civilians and their livestock, and so it is up to the Order and the Pathfinders to destroy them.

Xibalba

Its name refers to the underworld beyond the gates of hell, so it is also known as an insect from the world of the dead.
It is slow and has an armored, flexible husk, making it difficult to defeat.
Its attacks can cause paralysis, and once its victims are unable to move, that’s when they learn that it is a carnivore.

Pandagruel

There are many myths and legends in many of the existing parallel worlds about a giant bear of light.
Pandagruel is one of the sources of those stories, and is capable of incredible damage.
It is frighteningly strong, and while the knowledge is unsourced, it is said to possess the strength of 50 Indian elephants.

Vouivreguivre

Vouivre and Guivre are said to have branched off from similar native creatures then turned into Anomalies.
Both of them are considered different parts of the dragon subspecies.
Those two species have crossbred, causing a reversion to their ancient ancestry, while creating a sort of “final form”.
This form has been endowed with special characteristics of both species at the highest levels.
Some have said that this species is so strong it goes beyond what defines an Anomaly.

Iconocluster

Meaning “destroyers of the sacred icon”.
Much as the name would imply, they are a secret society of anti-Order insurgents.
They see the Order’s control over the world as domination and evil.
However, while their sole target is the Order itself, their activities often result in destruction, affecting the lives of the general populace.
But to Iconocluster, it is for the greater good.
They also claim to be the ones responsible for unlocking the future of Londenium.
Despite their numbers being far inferior to that of the Order, their possession of heretical technologies discovered in the ruins, combined with their penchant for guerilla warfare, makes them a force to be reckoned with.

These four form the core of Iconocluster, but there are whispers of a greater ringleader to whom even they are not allowed an audience.
Are they friends? Or foes?
It looks like the Order are not the only barrier that Ingram and his party will need to cross in their journey.

New ARM Types

ARMs are common in the wilderness.
Most of them are created under the authority of the Order of the Sacred Key.
However, there have been illegally modified Bootleg ARMs, and also ARM types that are different down to the architectural level from those obtained by the Order.

These include:

• Gunblade ARMs that increase the defense of the user and specialize in counter-attacks.
• Whip ARMs that specialize in powerful debuffs that prevent your opponents’ actions.
• Chainsaw ARMs that take the amount of damage you’ve taken and turn it into lethal offensive power.

They are much stronger than normal ARM types but are that much harder to use.
Who developed them, and for what purpose?
How will the Order of the Sacred Key deal with these new unknown ARMs created without their permission?
The appearance of these new ARMs will push Ingram and his friends even further into the story of the game.

---

Where did your inspiration for Armed Fantasia come from?

This story starts when I was still working as a guest writer for an anime that has yet to air.
I didn’t have very much free time back then.
But I figured before thinking about things myself, I’d ask Chief Director Ishii “What kind of game would you like to make?” That’s the beginning of it.
Ishii replied “I want to make something that puts a lot of effort into the World Map”…
Back when we worked together on Wild ARMs 4, various circumstances caused us to have to omit a World Map from the game entirely.
That must have left a bad aftertaste in his mouth.
And of course, I felt bad about it as well. So I agreed with his idea immediately.

Afterwards, once my anime job had settled down a bit, I had to think.
I had to understand what the Wild ARMs series was all about.
And overcome my own question of “What is a spiritual successor exactly?”

First, let’s leave the spiritual part aside.
Actually creating a successor to Wild ARMs would be difficult.
Obviously, if the publisher were to make a sequel, that would be an actual part of the series.
But the unique brand of passion back then, not only from myself but from everyone on the team is what caused that miracle (accident) of a series to be what it was.

Armed Fantasia has a lot of staff from the previous Wild ARMs games on it.
But many friends from those days are also working for different companies or in different industries entirely.
Without them, we can’t do a proper continuation of the series.
We just can’t.
It’s because of working with them that I feel such a special affection towards the Wild ARMs series.

But I had already started planning.
Started having all kinds of wild ideas.
And we wanted to make up for the world map issue from WA4.
The issue was what to do from there.

I eventually came to the obvious conclusion that I should do what I always do, which is make a new work filled with all of the things I love in it.
I started to dream up a new RPG set in the wilderness, with no connections to past Wild ARMs characters or stories.
And by making the world map a central part of the story, there’d be no way it could be left out. We’d figured that out.

Right now, everything is simply armchair theory, or wild ideas from inside my head.
But with the skills and strength of Ametsuchi and bee tribe at my side, and the support of all you backers out there, Armed Fantasia doesn’t have to stay that way.
I believe it can become a reality!

* Oh, and one more extra story.
When I originally came up with the planning document for this game, the title was “Gun Horizon”.
However, the campaign team said it wasn’t cool enough, and wouldn’t work well in the overseas market.
So after a lot of fuss, we eventually decided on the title Armed Fantasia.
But still, I liked the title Gun Horizon.
I plan on having the phrase show up in the game somewhere as an important word in the story.
But for now, just file that away in the corner of your minds.
Even if all you do is laugh at it and go “Oh, it’s the rejected title!”, that will be enough to make me happy.

New Field Test Video

As we near the end of the campaign, we have another field test video from bee tribe!
I bet you’re all looking forward to what they have in store for us this time.
Just like last time, the terrain and actions are all part of a test environment, and swaying objects on characters and shaders aren’t included.
The lighting is also temporary, but will be different from the previously released video.

Mari Shimazaki Interview

And we have a mini-interview with the Art Director from the company that brought us this wonderful video, bee tribe!
Her name is Mari Shimazaki.
Please enjoy.

Q:
First, can you tell us your name and what your career has been like so far?

A:
My name is Mari Shimazaki. I do freelance design work.
I’ve been working in the game industry for about 20 years.
I’ve worked on many games.

Q:
What is your job title for Armed Fantasia?
What sort of work do you do?

A:
I’m working with bee tribe as their Art Director. Mainly, I get art from Kaneko-san and I do all the visual work needed for it to get into the game in 3D.
This applies for backgrounds, UI, and visual effects.
I also supervise and help create basically anything visual.
In short, I do all the odd jobs on all the visuals so that everyone can create what they need to without issues.

Q:
As an Art Director, what do you have in mind when you’re creating visuals for Armed Fantasia?
Tell us your processes or end goals.

A:
Armed Fantasia is all about what Kaneko-san likes. So it has the spirit of a young boy as a base.
Honestly, I just felt like everything he was doing for this was very cool.

So for this PV, the background is the wilderness.
So first, the ground is red and the skies are blue! They want that easy to understand, simple 90s anime aesthetic with strong colors.
But they want to do it with modern game specs and high resolution. That was the first thing they asked of me.

The character models were handled the same. I used Sasaki-san’s art as a base, then tried to bring out some anime-style processing in the image.
I started by using modern modeling and shaders and adjusted from there.

For Anomalies, there’s a lot of background information.
So I wanted to get as much detail in as I could.
I used the art and modelers to try and compliment the original design wherever necessary.
When I started working on that, it felt like working with monster designer Ishii-san that we would be able to pull off some great work together.

Overall, the original art is amazing.
So I try to create them without losing what makes them special.
I try to keep things simple.

Q:
Out of all of the things released so far, which one is your favorite?
What do you think the charm of Armed Fantasia is?

A:
My personal favorite is the background art called “Westernpunk Settlement”.
We used materials and information from Sekiya-san to create it, and me and the lead art developer kept consulting with them as to how to interpret and complete it.
And as soon as we showed it to Kaneko-san, he immediately gave his approval and we were so happy.
When we actually revealed it, everyone reacted so positively and I was so glad they liked it.

In terms of character design, all six characters have their cool parts and are awesome.
But my personal favorites and Soleil and Sigurd.
Please, everyone help support the campaign so we can see the stories of all six characters!
I think the charm of the game is that it feels like shonen manga, and it looks really cool.
It’s full of Kaneko-san’s style and spirit.
So it’s gonna be a lot of fun exploring the field maps and solving puzzles in the dungeons… Or at least, that’s my impression.

Q:
Finally, please give a message to the fans out there waiting for Armed Fantasia to come out.

A:
When I asked Kaneko-san what his plans were for this game, I came away feeling like there were so many things he wanted to do!
Almost like he was being greedy, but in a good way.
Kaneko-san and all of the staff working on this new title are all highly motivated to make something that will make you all very pleased.
So please, consider more support for the campaign!

Mid-Development 3D Models

And finally, we were given some mid-development 3D models from Shimazaki-san.
So we’re going to reveal them here. We hope you’ll enjoy the different feel they have from the character illustrations.