Wild Arms, Shadow Hearts Creators to Launch Double Games

If you’re looking for a spiritual successor to a beloved game series, Kickstarter is the place to be, and that’s about to prove doubly so in just a matter of hours. The latest to strive for similar revivals are Wild Arms creator Akifumi Kaneko and Shadow Hearts creator Matsuzo Machida, who are working on spiritual successors for their respective series and are about to launch a Double Kickstarter campaign to fund two games with one crowd.

For Kaneko, the Wild Arms spirit will live on in Armed Fantasia: To the End of the Wilderness. While the lead game designer says none of the story or characters from Wild Arms will carry over, the new game features a setting of “a wilderness on the brink of destruction” and a story mixing Western and Fantasy genres.

Gematsu has an interview with both creators that you should check out for more on what makes Armed Fantasia similar to and different from its initial inspiration.

Other key staff members from the Wild Arms series will be joining Kaneko for the project, including the new game’s character designer, composers and directors.

The Shadow Hearts spiritual successor is titled Penny Blood, which lead game designer Matsuzo Machida says connects to the classic with its horror elements, modern setting and exploration of the shadows of history. New aspects include the investigation and solving of bizarre murders, and Machida promises a “very sad, tragic story that overarches everything,” and “represents my own thoughts on life and the world rather than something I’ve carried over from a previous work.”

Machida also aims to see how far he can take things by restoring “the creepiness and grotesque atmosphere that gradually faded out from my previous series,” which he can do now since this is a project aimed at adults from the start. So far, other returning staff members from the Shadow Hearts series include character designer and art director Miyako Kato and composer Yoshitaka Hirota, with a “high possibility” that more will join along with the new staff members.

Both projects are currently in the prototype phase, and you can look for the Double Kickstarter to go live on August 29.

Via Gematsu