Studio Wildrose and Matsuzo Machida revealed some new information about the story and characters of Penny Blood. This is the game that is part of Double Kickstarter with Armed Fantasia. Most of the above staff Penny Blood are those who have worked on Dark heart series. Penny Blood will be a dark and tragic gothic horror JRPG set in the 1920s. [Thanks, Famitsu!]
While Penny Blood will not be a sequel or spin-off to Dark heart series, there should be some hint from it in its story and characters. According to an interview with designer and writer Machida, Penny Blood took place in the 1920s because Dark heart ignore it. Koudelkaset of is the late 1890s, while the early two Dark heart games from 1913 to 1915. Dark Heart 3 omitted about 1929, suitable Penny Blood Between indenture and From the new world.
Despite all the marketing around Penny Bloodinfluenced by gothic horror, there will be an element of humour. It will have a balance similar to Shadow Hearts Covenant. Serious story, but with funny characters and side quests.
The plot follows Matthew Farrell, a private detective. During his investigation at a mental hospital in New York, he encounters some peculiar monsters. He uses his hidden strength to defeat them, and travels from America to Asia to Europe to solve a case. Some of the locales he will visit include North Tarrytown (AKA Sleepy Hollow) and Asakusa.
I don’t know how many party members will appear in Penny Blood but so far we know about three. Matthew is an Irish-American and a man of his own accord. He is a veteran from World War I, and can use Fusion to turn into a monster. According to an interview with Machida, the team created Matthew to have a different perspective from Yuri or Johnny from Dark heart.
Emilia is the game’s heroine, and a member of the British secret intelligence force. She visited Japan as a bodyguard for the US ambassador. Emilia is also part cyborg. Machida had said that Emilia might be the strongest member of the party in terms of battle.
The third character that we know of is Suseri Otsuki, a Japanese teenager who is also the “miko strategist” for Kamuzumi. Kamuzumi is a Japanese organization dedicated to defeating monsters. She joins Matthew and Emilia after they save her in Japan, and she uses the holy mirror in battle. Unlike the more aggressive Emilia, Suseri is the quiet “yamato nadeshiko” type.
Penny Blood will launch on PS5, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC sometime in spring 2025. It could launch on Nintendo Switch depending on whether Nintendo releases new hardware and whether Kickstarter backers pick it up or not.
