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Subscribe from just £3 Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love Try a single issue or save on a subscription Issues delivered straight to your door or device From£9.99View GTA 6 trailer 2 Upcoming Switch 2 games Switch 2 pre-orders The Duskbloods Recommended reading Roguelike Games Skyrim and Fallout veterans' new open-world RPG is now a roguelike that's not open-world, after funding issues brought the team "down to a skeleton crew" Strategy Games Danganronpa creator would love to port his acclaimed strategy RPG to more consoles, but the studio is "still on the brink of going under" Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 head was "bored" at Ubisoft and hungry for a JRPG, and made the highest-rated game of 2025 – "Somehow it worked, which still makes no sense to me" It's "difficult to convince many people" that "your turn-based RPG will sell," Baldur's Gate 3 dev laments as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 sells 1 million copies in 3 days Platforming Games Naughty Dog won't do it, so this AAA dev and his wife made their own Jak & Daxter-inspired retro platformer – it feels great and crushed its Kickstarter goal 10 Games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 that helped influence its timing focused turn-based battles By channeling Bloodborne, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 fixes my biggest JRPG pet peeve – it's gloomy and proud 3 years later, these JRPGs from genre veterans are stuck in purgatory despite raising nearly $2.6 million in a combined Kickstarter campaign Kaan Serin 16 May 2025 The new games from Wild Arms and Shadow Hearts devs, Armed Fantasia and Penny Blood, have been getting love online recently When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Studio Wildrose) Two JRPGs from some genre veterans still seem to be stuck in purgatory, despite both having led a mega-successful Kickstarter campaign. First things first, some introductions. In 2022, two games from veteran developers joined forces to hold a 'Double Kickstarter.' Wild Arms writer and designer Akifumi Kaneko had announced Westernpunk RPG Armed Fantasia at his new studio, while Matsuzo Machida had done the same with Penny Blood, a gothic spiritual successor to the cult classic game Shadow Hearts that made him a notable name in the genre. Armed Fantasia - Official Kickstarter Trailer - YouTube The Double Kickstarter absolutely boomed, raising around 380 million yen (or around $2.6 million) and rocketing passed several stretch goals that promised to add things like console ports, prologue chapters, and "thrilling dog races" in the process. You may like Skyrim and Fallout veterans' new open-world RPG is now a roguelike that's not open-world, after funding issues brought the team "down to a skeleton crew" Danganronpa creator would love to port his acclaimed strategy RPG to more consoles, but the studio is "still on the brink of going under" Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 head was "bored" at Ubisoft and hungry for a JRPG, and made the highest-rated game of 2025 – "Somehow it worked, which still makes no sense to me" At the time, both games were expected to be complete and ready to launch in March, 2025. Alas, that month came and went without the two lovely-looking, almost completely different JRPGs. Penny Blood - Gameplay Trailer - YouTube In a Kickstarter campaign update in March, the teams announced that both projects had been delayed to some indefinite point in the future as they need the extra time to focus on development and, perhaps more crucially, find more partners. You see, just last year, Machida filed a lawsuit against former publisher Dangen Entertainment and its former CEO Ben Judd for allegedly unpaid production funds, seemingly in relation to money raised from the Double Kickstarter campaign that was then apparently withheld from the developers. The company had previously found itself in a dispute over royalties, while Judd was accused of sexual misconduct before supposedly resigning from his role. Thankfully, both games have been getting a little bit of love online thanks to a certain other J-inspired RPG hit. At least some fans on social media jumped aboard the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hype to platform both Penny Blood and Armed Fantasia, hopefully giving them a little more bargaining power. Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. "With the success of Clair Obscur, I want to mention that the Horror JRPG Penny Blood, the spiritual successor of the famed Shadow Hearts series still struggles to find a publisher to fund the game despite a successful Kickstarter showing people want more games like this," one writes. "Great minds think alike," replies another, saying, "I literally just posted this on May 5, to a publisher asking for game IPs to help publish." They share a screenshot of their old post, which says: "Seeing the recent success with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, turn-based RPGs are making their comeback hopefully. The OG director of the Shadow Hearts series has been struggling to find a publisher for his new project Penny Blood." If the huge crowdfunding campaign and the fresh success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has taught us anything, though, it's that there's still a massive group of gamers willing to turn out for old-school-styled turn-based adventures. I hope publishers see the same lesson, too. In the meantime, be sure to check out our roundup of the best JRPGs you can play now. See more PS5 News Xbox Series X PlayStation Freelance contributor Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Skyrim and Fallout veterans' new open-world RPG is now a roguelike that's not open-world, after funding issues brought the team "down to a skeleton crew" Danganronpa creator would love to port his acclaimed strategy RPG to more consoles, but the studio is "still on the brink of going under" Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 head was "bored" at Ubisoft and hungry for a JRPG, and made the highest-rated game of 2025 – "Somehow it worked, which still makes no sense to me" It's "difficult to convince many people" that "your turn-based RPG will sell," Baldur's Gate 3 dev laments as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 sells 1 million copies in 3 days Naughty Dog won't do it, so this AAA dev and his wife made their own Jak & Daxter-inspired retro platformer – it feels great and crushed its Kickstarter goal 10 Games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 that helped influence its timing focused turn-based battles Latest in JRPGs Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii lead avoided ship-based games like Sea of Thieves and Assassin's Creed to make "something uniquely Yakuza-like" After a year of living vicariously through translated screenshots, Persona 5 fans are going feral as The Phantom X finally has a global release date – but there are already gacha concerns Dragon Quest 12 creator is still "putting lots of work" into the JRPG despite there being hardly any news for the last 4 years, promises it will "be great" Persona 5 spin-off The Phantom X is finally releasing in Japan "this summer," available on both PC and mobile platforms Amid Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's turn-based hype, Square Enix asks JRPG fans "what's the best combat system" in its catalog and shares "some games with brilliant battles" JRPG sickos, I hate to get your hopes up again, but Yuji Horii says he's "starting to contemplate" a Chrono Trigger remake Latest in News Bungie runs an hour-long Marathon "PlayMA" with zero gameplay footage while scrubbing the art for plagiarism as the game's art director offers a "personal apology" to the artist whose work was lifted Longlegs star Maika Monroe replaces Margaret Qualley as the villain in gothic horror movie Victorian Psycho Former PlayStation exec says "$70 or $80" games are a "steal": "As long as people choose carefully how they spend their money, I don't think they should be complaining" REPO devs "always take a look at glitches that become popular or even mods" as a sign of what needs changing in the game, starting with a response to the "dearly missed" health glitch Wanda Maximoff meets God and takes on a gang of demonic bikers in Vision and Scarlet Witch #1 New Rambo origin story movie from Sisu director and Black Adam writers takes the franchise to the Vietnam War, predating events of first film GAME REVIEWS MOVIE REVIEWS Dune: Imperium - Bloodlines review: "Make it a default part of your games" Doom: The Dark Ages review: "Some may appreciate the greater focus on close-quarters, but others will find themselves nostalgic for the simple joys of double jumps" Empyreal review: "This looter slasher's often beautiful, hand-designed levels and robust challenge kept pulling me back to go one more round" Revenge of the Savage Planet review: "An underrated sci-fi platformer gets a beautiful third-person sequel, but I'm left cold by shallow busywork and an over-reliance on toilet humor" Articulate review: "Still worth playing in 2025" Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning review: "Wraps up this spy franchise in spectacular style with Tom Cruise in peak condition, even if its villain lacks terror" Final Destination Bloodlines Review: "Meticulous murderous mayhem" Thunderbolts review: "Makes good on the promise of a new start for the MCU" A Minecraft Movie Review: "Jack Black's irrepressible star turn helps elevate this video game adaptation" The Electric State review: "Although this may be their most visually stunning movie yet, it looks like the Russos are yet to find their footing outside of the MCU" Doctor Who season 2, episode 5 spoiler review: 'The Story & The Engine' is "one of the most original and ambitious episodes this show has produced in years" Doctor Who season 2, episode 4 spoiler review: 'Lucky Day' has a "genuinely surprising" mid-episode reveal The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 review: "Almost 350 episodes into this franchise, it's nice to know it can still surprise us" Doctor Who season 2, episode 3 spoiler review: 'The Well' is a "ruthlessly gripping" installment that challenges Belinda Andor season 2 review: "Every bit as stellar as its predecessor – at times, it even surpasses it" GamesRadar+ is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. 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