This Week in Games - Armed Sakura
Welcome back, folks! A recent hyperfixation of mine is getting a hard-modded Game Boy Advance. Color backlight, rechargeable battery, Type-C connection, that sort of thing. Folks know that I'm quite attached to the GBA; it was pretty much my console of choice up until the Nintendo 3DS dropped backwards compatibility with GBA games for good. Once the 3DS released, considering how little of the GBA library is on the Nintendo Switch Online service, and how many of the games missing are games I never got to finish or play (I never played Shining Soul), I'm interested in having a "better" GBA. Obstacle the first: a hard-modded GBA goes for three figures. I can swing that. Problem the second: all of my beloved GBA games are back in Puerto Rico, and it's unlikely I'll be able to send for them anytime soon... I know there are workarounds, but the plain and simple truth is that nothing compares to an actual cartridge in your hand. Especially if it's Boktai, because emulators can't recreate the experience of playing it outside and having to cover the solar sensor for certain bits.
Sun Sets on Wild Arms Spiritual Successor
Fans have spent a few years fretting over the state of Penny Blood and Armed Fantasia. A pair of spiritual successor RPGs, they were lumped together in a Kickstarter campaign in an attempt to bring back some classic PS2-era sensibilities. Penny Blood featured some talent from the Shadow Hearts series and promised to bring back the classic gothic-horror gameplay with rhythm elements, while Armed Fantasia continued Wild Arms' legacy of anachronistic science-fantasy mixed with Westerns. It's been rough going for Penny Blood, seeing as they've struggled to find a publisher for their game and have had to sue their former publisher over allegedly unpaid funds. Armed Fantasia seemed to be going fine... until it wasn't, and news of its cancellation broke out this past weekend.
The news is that we found out that the publisher chosen for Armed Fantasia was 505 Games. A "vertical slice" of the game (think of it as a concept demo) was allegedly shared with 505 Games this past March. But according to a financial statement by Digital Bros., the company that owns 505 Games, the fees needed to bring Armed Fantasia to fruition are simply too much of a risk in the current market, leading to the game's cancellation.
Understandably, people will have a lot of questions about this. One thing I've seen folks bring up is why these Japanese RPGs would be left by the wayside when Expedition 33 was such a critical darling. The reasoning is simple: Expedition 33's success doesn't guarantee the success of other games. For one thing, Shadow Hearts was already an obscure series; Expedition 33 staff name-dropping the game were proving their credentials by doing so because there are plenty of RPG fans who've never actually played Shadow Hearts, let alone heard of it. (I could never find a copy of it back then.) So trying to sell folks on a game inspired by an already-obscure franchise was not a sure-fire a hit. Not to mention, Expedition 33 had a lot of other exterior factors going for it that aren't necessarily replicated in Armed Fantasia—said plainly, Expedition 33 has a realistic art style; Armed Fantasia would be far more niche by virtue of its colorful anime styling. Anyone who doesn't think this is a factor is welcome to experience the saṃsāra of the Buddhist hell that is trying to get someone in North America to play a Dragon Quest game. (I hear tell you can melt Geoff Kighley's skinsuit and send his soul back to its home dimension by placing a copy of Dragon Quest anywhere on his exposed flesh.) Remember: all of the caterwauling for more turn-based Final Fantasy titles hasn't led to people playing the turn-based games Square Enix does publish, like SaGa or Live-A-Live or Bravely Default or Fantasian Neo Dimension or Various Daylife. And my hopes aren't exactly high for Final Fantasy Resonance either.
The other major concern for folks is the fate of the US$2 million in funding that these games earned in their campaign. And, likely, this money has long been spent. I don't blame people for wanting a refund, but you're not getting it, and it's not because you were "scammed." A lot of people look to modern indie games and think you can make a reasonable game for cheap; this is true. But there are a lot of asterisks to that statement; it's one thing if it's a team of, like, three people. It's another when it's a whole studio of people, trying to make an AA title. Now consider factors like how Kickstarter takes a percentage of the money you earn in funding, and an additional percentage is taken as taxable income. And in the case of Penny Blood and Armed Fantasia, which were part of the same campaign, the money would've been divvied up between the two of them. So both games would've likely had way less than US$1 million. I'm going off the top of my head, but even US$750,000 seems like it'd be high-balling it. That's enough money to get a team of developers to make a "vertical slice" you can sell to a publisher in the hopes of securing funding for a full game. That's not enough money to make a full 40-hour RPG, unless you already secured some amount of funding.
The sad truth that people haven't really internalized since the disaster that is Mighty No. 9 is that crowdfunding a game doesn't guarantee its development; you've just taken the place of the corporate investors that would normally be responsible for signing the checks for a game. And unfortunately, some projects just don't come to fruition for a variety of reasons. Stuff happens, especially in a time like today where publishers are all the more antsy about investing in a game. So no, people weren't "scammed." There was always a chance of failure, and we unfortunately rolled snake-eyes on this one.
Now, there is some hope; one of the comments on PC Gamer claims that the story is still developing on the official Armed Fantasia Discord, with the dev team both preparing a statement and insisting that the game isn't officially dead, in spite of the report. At the time of writing, we have no further details; I'll keep you all posted.
Former Vanillaware talent reveals new title:
Ah, Vanillaware. Whether you've enjoyed their work from day one with titles like Odin Sphere or GrimGrimoire or are one of the few fans trying to get people to play Aegis Rim: 13 Sentinels (the less you know going in, the better), the studio commands respect. Their titles are usually small in scope, and it's only with the upcoming Muramasa: Revenant Blades that they're finally releasing a title on PC. But a combination of their luscious 2D animations and fun systems makes their RPGs beloved by many. They've laid fairly low since 2024's Unicorn Overlord; not a bad game by any means, just a bit simple. But outside of the hope of Dragon's Crown's porting or the annual celebrations of 13 Sentinels' success, we're coming up on a good two years since they've released a new title. Enter Takafumi Noma; formerly of Vanillaware, they turned heads earlier this week with the one-two punch of revealing their new studio and a new IP: from Ignisphere Studios comes Dawngazer.
It's hard to glean what Dawngazer is supposed to be about, so far; all we have is this teaser to go off of. The Vanillaware influences are readily apparent, what with the lusciously animated 2D characters on a 2D plane. There is also a great variety in character design, from the many animal-people. Some sort of tragic story is afoot, given the trailer implies our woman-knight protagonist is avenging some dead royal family. But that's about all we have so far; no hints on systems or when the game will even release.
In an interview with Automaton Media, Noma explains that the project is intended to encompass more than just a game; Good Smile Company is collaborating on the project, as well as Kadokawa. The latter is because it is hoped the Ignisphere project, of which Dawngazer is a part, will also encompass light novels published through Kadokawa's Fujimi Fantasia Bunko.
While I'm impressed at the ambition, I'd be lying if I wasn't a bit worried. Call it a long-time apprehension left over from the likes of Dead Space, Advent Rising and Mass Effect; I've seen what happens when people try to kickstart a whole IP through a game, and it isn't always pretty. Part of what makes Vanillaware games so engrossing is that they're quite self-contained, after all. Still, we can watch with interest as Dawngazer develops, and follow its updates on the studio's official Twitter page.
This isn't the only game released by Vanillaware alumni recently; earlier this summer, we saw the release of Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle, an RPG produced by Yoshio Nishimura. Nishimura had his own 30-year career in gaming, including many of Vanillaware's biggest hits, but they retired from the company a few years back and moved to a village out in rural Japan. And even then, the desire to create came to them; after six years and several hundred illustrations, they produced Veritas Tales, an RPG styled after old RPG books like Fighting Fantasy. While I haven't finished it, I experimented with it. Veritas Tale is a phenomenal experience, framed as an RPG book where you track your stats and item uses with a pencil and paper, and a kindly wizard occasionally interrupts you to spice things up by timing your next segment with an hourglass. You also have the option of two different playstyles: a warrior or a sorceress. It's out on Steam and totally worth looking into, especially if you're like me and fiending for something to scratch the old Crimson Shroud itch.
Grasshopper Manufacture is fully independent again
It's a tough time for a lot of studios out there; either it's hard to get a project approved, or you're dodging the terminations forced upon you by the very publisher that bought you out in the first place. But we can have one happy ending here. Grasshopper Manufacture, creators of such titles as Killer Is Dead, No More Heroes, and the recent Romeo is a Dead Man (I'm already hearing the song again), was purchased by NetEase back in 2021. And plenty of folks have been worried for the house that Travis Touchdown built, seeing as they had shut down no less than five studios as of last year. While Romeo is a Dead Man was a rollicking fun time, it was also a decidedly smaller-scope title—it doesn't even have a physical release (at least, not yet at the time of writing). The good news is, Gōichi Suda—alias "Suda51"—and the other fine folks at Grasshopper Manufacture were apparently able to reach a cordial agreement with NetEase and regain their independence. Suda51's reaction to the news is as follows:
— SUDA51 (@sssuda51.bsky.social) September 30, 2026 at 7:46 AM
Grasshopper Manufacture promises to continue to deliver games in their own unique "NO GAME NO LIFE" style, bolstered by some of the knowledge they've apparently gathered up until now. We're still currently waiting on a new project on their behalf, but in the meantime they're likely still trying to get their ducks in a row regarding giving Romeo is a Dead Man a physical release. And maybe a Switch 2 release while they're at it? Here's hoping for the best for Grasshopper Manufacture!
Sakura Wars creator insists he's ready to make a new one
This week (specifically, this past September 27) represents the Sakura Wars franchise's 30th anniversary. At one point a pillar of Sega's branding (in Japan), the games tell the story of armies of soldiers masquerading as opera troupes piloting mechs to battle demonic incursions in pitched strategy battles. The games got anime, stage shows, albums, and even a long-running themed café for ages. But the franchise unfortunately lay fallow for a few years. What a shame, for a series that gave the world Segata Sanshiro's girlfriend.
Series creator Oji Horoi spoke with Famitsu Magazine in honor of the anniversary, where he assured readers that a treatment does exist for a sixth Sakura Wars game. And while he doesn't have it on his PC, someone else does, and he's ready at any moment to actually produce it as a title "if asked to make a prototype and paid for the work." This is paired with Sega's Akira Nishino, longtime Sega dev, current project supervisor and former Sakura Wars dev, assuring fans that Sega has some interest in bringing the franchise to modern platforms—as well as continuing the storyline from 2019's Sakura Wars. Evidently, there are obstacles to either of these things, but at least the recent Sakura Wars received a recent stage show...
Sakura Wars has always been a white whale for American fans. Like many visual novels, the appeal is the protagonists. Sure, many of them are your typical anime archetypes, but a combination of sharp writing and character designs from Kōsuke Fujishima (creator of Ah My Goddess) helped the series win the war for players' hearts. It helped that the games encouraged meaningful interaction between the player character and the party members/love interests; certain interactions were timed, so you couldn't waffle on choosing what to say to a character without them potentially losing standing in their eyes for being so indecisive. You could also interact with the love interests via clicking, and they did not appreciate having their chests ogled.
The series got its start on the Sega Saturn, which was already a kiss of death. Not that the Saturn was a bad console, but Sega of America's support was pretty terrible; even if the PlayStation didn't completely eat the Saturn's lunch in terms of library and price, the Saturn received terrible support. It never even got a dedicated Sonic the Hedgehog title. The Saturn already forewent a lot of its major Japanese releases, which sadly included Sakura Wars. The series went on to be a huge hit in Japan and stayed so for a long time, well into the Wii's lifespan, when Sakura Wars V: So Long, My Love released and explored the existence of a Flower Troupe in fictional steampunk New York. (Gemini Sunrise is one of the most adorable love interests ever, I just wanna say.) That one thankfully released stateside. The series lay fallow until 2019's Sakura Wars, which only released on the PS4 and traded out long-time contributor Kōsuke Fujishima's character designs with Tite Kubo. That's pretty much been it for the series, outside of myriad OVAs, anime, and stage shows. Oh, and that time Sakura and Segata Sanshiro were reunited in Project X Zone 2.
There were hopes that the 30th anniversary of the franchise would bring news of a new Sakura Wars game. And... well, we haven't gotten that. But we've at least gotten confirmation that the desire to make a new game still exists. The question is whether Sega will even bother. They've taken a lot of heat for just being the Persona, Sonic, and Yakuza guys while leaving everything else to wither on the vine. Only time can really tell if the Sakura Wars faithful can get through to Sega... but in the meantime, at least we can bide our time with the 2019 game?
Let's wrap up with some quick tidbits:
That'll do it for this week, I think. With this column's release, it's officially October, so we'll have to get some stuff planned for the spooky season. Hopefully, we can all look forward to carving pumpkins and busting ghosts. Between Silent Hill: Townfall and Resident Evil: Requiem, we've had a good year for horror games, so there's plenty to set the mood. So keep the lights handy and give your good sweaters a wash; it's sure to get chilly in a hurry. Be good to each other; I'll see you in seven.
This Week In Games! is written from idyllic Portland by Jean-Karlo Lemus. When not collaborating with Anime News Network, Jean-Karlo can be found playing Japanese RPGs, eating popcorn, watching VTuber content, and watching tokusatsu. You can keep up with him at @ventcard.bsky.social. The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of Anime News Network, its employees, owners, or sponsors. discuss this in the forum |
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