Persona Composer Shoji Meguro Officially Launches Guns Undarkness’ Kickstarter Campaign

As previously-tased, the Kickstarter campaign for the strategy JRPG Guns Undarkness has been launched.

You can find it here with a rather modest initial goal of $30,000 which will likely be achieved very quickly

One of the elements that make this game special is definitely the fact that it comes from the mind of Shoji Meguro, composer of several Persona and Shin Megami Tensei games, on top of Catherine and more.

This time around, he isn’t working just on the music, but he’s also developing the game directly as an indie developer.

The character design is handled by popular illustrator Ilya Kuvshinov, while lyricist and singer Lotus Juice is also part of the team.

The only stretch goal announced so far is at $50,000, including improved models and motion capture. Another will be unlocked at $80,000, but it has not been announced yet.

Below you can check out artwork and screenshots, on top of the initial pitch video, and read an official description directly from the press release.

CORE FEATURES

• A turn-based tactical RPG inspired by games like Metal Gear Solid and Persona
• A relationship system that boosts the main character as they grow closer with their teammates
• A story set in a futuristic world on the verge of global and societal ruin
• A meeting of the minds Shoji Meguro (Persona series, Shin Megami Tensei series), Ilya Kuvshinov (Ghost in Shell: SAC 2045, The Wonderland), and Lotus Juice (Persona Series)

GAMEPLAY

On the field, the player will control the main character and up to three allies. With the use of hand signal buttons, players can instruct their allies to hide at cover points and use the “Go” button to order them to cover their character.

When an enemy is spotted, the player can open fire. If the player’s team engages the enemy while totally hidden, it will activate an attack bonus. The more the player fires during this bonus, the more damage they will deal before the battle begins. Hidden or not, once the player fires on the enemy, the game will leap into turn-based battle.

In-battle commands include a range of choices such as basic ATTACK and SKILL, which packs more punch and costs SP. There will also be GUARD, MOVE, WEAPON, ITEM, ESCAPE and TAGS, which refers to the character’s defense suit.

Strategic gameplay can be employed by unleashing skills while attacking from behind cover, which will cost no SP. If the player manages to strike the enemy in a weak point, they can deal massive damage and be able to duck into cover.

The affinity of the character’s weapon and that of the target’s TAGS will determine how much damage is done. However, an enemy’s defense value can also reduce the amount of damage they take. In addition to powerful skills, there are also guns with special buff and debuff abilities.

Winning a will earn the player’s team two types of experience points: Character EXP and Gun EXP. Leveling up boosts a character’s stats and unlocks new skills for guns. Players will be able to enhance the guns they own by adding parts, and even acquire blueprints and materials that will let them build new guns as they progress through the story.

Outside of missions, players will spend their time in the Maroon hub, an amphibious submarine that the team uses as their hideout, which they can use to accept quests, visit shops or travel to other locations on the world map.

STORY

In the year 2045, humanity was in a state of abeyance that allowed technology to flourish. However it deepened the social divide between the rich and the poor, creating the “Haves” and the “Have Nots.”

Within the ranks of the latter grew a faction who planned the Great Reset–an event steeped in primitivism that would change the course of humanity.

The Thousand Plateaus launched two weapons of mass destruction, triggering a worldwide nuclear war.

And so, the Great Reset was accomplished.

Enter the protagonist, a rookie member of a private military company tasked with handling the deteriorating situation.

It is up to you to discover the truth of love in a world wracked by devastation, and whether or not humanity is capable of being revolutionized.