It’s always great when we get a new entry into a video game series. If we can’t get those, seeing a spiritual successor come to light is excellent. One of my favorite series of all time is the Shadow Hearts series. Recently, I backed another Kickstarter project which happened to be a double Kickstarter. So, I’ll be providing monthly updates for those just like with Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. This article is going to start the monthly updates for the Shadow Hearts spiritual successor known as Penny Blood. We get to see the developer’s project diary, some images, and a message from Hirota-san.
Dev Project Diary
When it comes to the Project Diary for Penny Blood the developers mentioned the current things they are dealing with and said this:
Good evening, everyone. In this season, “every day is really hot” seems to be the motto, and Niigata finally hit the 38℃ mark as well. Beneath the blinding sunlight, I can feel my HP depleting, even from a short walk to the post office. Now, for this month’s Penny Blood project updates. This month, we’re still in the middle of negotiating with our publisher candidates. Having many different people look at our project and give us their feedback allows us to learn about various viewpoints. So I’m very thankful for these chances.
Recently, I’ve cemented the overall outline for the scenario in stone. So I’ve been thinking daily about how I can make the climax as exciting as possible. As you know, Penny Blood is set in the time period where the nightmare of the eventual World War II looms on the horizon. Rather than having Matthew’s group heroically save the world, I want to make it something where they see the cogs of fate turning and slowly pushing things toward destruction and can’t stop it. But still intend to fight on and attain victories that they can personally accept.
Character Illustrations
In this Diary they also went into details about the villains of Penny Blood being drawn and said this:
Kato-san is still working on drawing the villains, while Hanya-san is drawing fusion monsters. Lately, Kato-san has been carrying her iPad around and eating delicious ice to stave off the heat, which also serves as her motivation. Going to a shaved ice shop called Nitoya, which is famous even in Niigata, is her most recent goal. This month, we’re showing off Hanya-san’s second Penny Blood-style Cthulhu monster, “Quachil Uttaus.” It’s an Old One the size of a short human who has the power to induce age. Finally, Watanabe-san is drawing the attic of the BOI office building.
This is the room that Emilia uses for jewel alchemy in order to create her powerful hereticores. We’ll be revealing that image board this month as well. That concludes this month’s update info. There is a saying in Japanese: “atsusa samusa mo higan made,” or “no heat or cold lasts beyond the equinox.” It still seems like we’ve got a ways to go until we reach the equinox. Please be careful you don’t get heatstroke. See you all next month!
Matsuzo Machida
Words From Hirota-san
Hirota-san provided a message regarding Penny Blood and talked some about development news and said this:
Good evening. The hot days aren’t over yet, but it feels like there are some moments now where I can feel a comfortable breeze while walking. Little by little, the season is definitely changing. The other day, I went to see “The Pope’s Exorcist.” I hope to talk about my thoughts with Director Machida on Penny Blood Creators Radio. As for sound development news, I’ve been researching interactive music and doing experiments in applying it. There are a lot of places in the design stage where I have to find out what works well, and I’m focused on applying things in a way that properly fits the game world. By applying interactive elements to the songs, I aim to give players a feeling that they’re actually participating in the story through the music.
As for composing progress, there are many songs where the composing process may change based on the interactive approach. Due to this, the fact is that I’ve found myself with a lot more songs that have yet to be completed. But this process is part of my creative experiment. I’m enjoying exploring this unfamiliar sound world. Before I conclude, I’d like to let you all know that I plan to do a composing stream in the afternoon on Sept. 3rd. Sorry, it’s taken so long I’ll post more on the details at a later date. I hope you’re all excited. I’m having a lot of fun in my days of exploring a new world and feeling my way through various things. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart and will continue to do my best in my work.
Wrap-Up
I believe that spiritual successors are a great thing to be able to experience. As I mentioned earlier the Shadow Hearts series is one of my favorite of all time. Shadow Hearts: Covenant is in my top 5 all-time games. So, when I had the chance to back the spiritual successor in Penny Blood I jumped all over it. If this game is as good as its predecessor fans are in for a real treat. Especially since many of the developers are returning Shadow Hearts developers. I will be talking more about the game as more updates roll in.
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