Shadow Hearts Spiritual Successor ‘Penny Blood’ Shows Off Gameplay and New Concept Art

Developers Yukikaze, Shade, and Studio Wildrose released an update for the development of Penny Blood, which ran a successful Kickstarter in 2022.

Currently, the team is pitching the game to publishers. It seems some places are interested, while others are still reviewing the concept. The team is working on new art for the villains.

A blog posts shares where each team is at:

Kato-san has shifted over from the main characters to the villains. The Hellhounders are finally being awakened, and as usual, despite being the one who thought them up, I’m discovering new things about them and thinking “Ohhh, so THIS is the kind of a person you actually are!” It’s a lot of fun. Incidentally, you’ll be able to see the new versions of Candy and Goliath in this update.

From this month, Hanya-san has been working on the earth fusion monster. I can’t touch upon it too deeply, but it has one of “those” lively feelings to it… Going back in time a bit, back when this year first started, I had Hanya-san design several monsters based on those that appear in the Cthulhu mythos. I had him use the characteristics of famous monsters that everyone knows and arrange them with unique PB-esque flair. Today we’ll be showing you the PB version of the “Dark Young.”

Watanabe-san is also working hard on creating image boards. Unfortunately, however, we won’t be able to show you any of his art during this update, because recently I had him draw a “very very important location.” It has a very sad atmosphere to it, and it’s a place I hope that everyone reaches in the game.

Further, the team shared new concept art:

Additionally, new gameplay was shown depicting a conversation between Matthew and Emilia. There are no voiceovers done, but the developer promises they will be there in the final version:

In Penny Blood, Matthew will explore several corners of the world, such as America, Japan, China, and Europe, and encounter countless individuals reacting to the new plight differently. However, “Penny Blood tells the tale of a man who must become that which he seeks to vanquish.”

The world map has a bird’s-eye-view, acting as a conduit for players to reach detailed areas housing merchants and countless odd happenings. Combat utilizes the Psycho Sigil battle system, where players must react at the right time during attacks to maximize damage output. Additionally, the Fusion system allows party members to transform and use more destructive skills.

Sanity Points are lost when interacting with demons too frequently, ultimately causing allies to succumb to madness. Their common sense deteriorates with the benefit of drastically increased strength, which might just turn the tide of battle.