MonkeyPaw Games and GAIJINWORKS Test J-RPG Fan Power and Announce Partnership for $500,000 Kickstarter campaign
Hokkaido, Japan – March 29, 2012 - MonkeyPaw Games Inc., in partnership with GAIJINWORKS, today announced a collaborative partnership for a new Kickstarter campaign that aims to raise $500,000 to help pave the way for a hybrid digital/deluxe physical release for the first of many Japanese RPGs.
MonkeyPaw Games announced they are picking up Class of Heroes 2, created by acclaimed Japanese developer Acquire Corp., for release in the US and Europe. They will use Kickstarter to fund additional improvements to the game as well as offer a premium Deluxe Pack physical release of Class of Heroes 2 on the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system. The campaign is a call to arms for all J-RPG fans with the hope of being able to bring even more import titles to Western markets in the future. The offers aims to satisfy hardcore game collectors with an old-school premium Deluxe Pack physical release in limited edition, that will only be available to Kickstarter supporters.
Class of Heroes 2 will be the first PSP® system title to test J-RPG fan power across Kickstarter. The game is a charming take on the Wizardry-style dungeon crawl games with a twist – all the party members are drawn from a pool of newly-enrolled students at a Sword and Sorcery School. The game features 10 classes to choose from: Novice, Fighter, Swordsman, Ranger, Monk, Ninja, Sorcerer, Puppeteer, Idol, and one Mystery Class. Once the party is created, quests are offered. The party can choose their adventure path, unlocking ever more distant and dangerous areas to conquer as they grow in power and confidence.
Monster parties can be more than one level deep in a single combat episode, leading to epic encounters of up to 12 or more monsters at a time. Managing a party's ranged and melee skills can be the difference between victorious life and an ignominious death. No dungeon crawler would be complete without an occasional boss, and CoH2 excels with nail-biting super-encounters littered on the path between your party and ultimate victory.
PLEDGE for the Class of Heroes 2 PSP® system Deluxe campaign here.
The numerous bonus pledge tiers include:
- Custom gold-sealed letters acknowledging pledged hardcore JRPG support from Victor Ireland
- Class of Heroes 2 Deluxe Pack for PSP® system with bronze/silver/gold commemorative pins per tier
- Class of Heroes 2 Limited Edition character plush toys
- Class of Heroes 2 Poster signed by the entire team
- Inclusion in the game's credits and ability to choose credit placement level with pledge
- Class of Heroes 2 Limited Edition Pocket Watch
- Class of Heroes 2 Limited Edition custom music box
- Grand Tier: All previous tiers and 2-night stay in LA with one hosted day at E3 2012 and dinner with MonkeyPaw Games and GAIJINWORKS
- Two tiers off Kickstarter allow a trip to Japan hosted by MonkeyPaw Games and GAIJINWORKS to meet the Japanese creators and another that allows fans to be drawn as a character in the game that will ship.
Fans of GAIJINWORKS President Victor Ireland's prior Deluxe Packs at Working Designs know they're in for something special. Numerous pledge tiers on Kickstarter will reward backers with an unprecedented amount of rare, limited edition collectables that won't be available anywhere else.
“This is the craziest Deluxe Pack I've ever done. And if you know my work at Working Designs, you know that's a pretty high bar already,” said Ireland. “Fans of things like the Star Dragon Tower theme from LUNAR, Alundra's opening, and the Dragon Force demo theme will be happy to know that Bill King, who made those memorable themes and many others in the Working Designs days, is handling the arranged soundtrack that will be part of the Deluxe Pack. Fans are really in for a treat.”
“Bringing games from East to West requires an active user base. Kickstarter offers the chance to localize titles that we know our fans will appreciate,” said John Greiner, President of MonkeyPaw Games. “Japanese RPGs are a unique breed of game that need representation in the West. Now we have a way to finance the expensive localizations that have prevented so many from appearing in our market. It's a great day for RPG fans.”
More Classics From MonkeyPaw Games
MonkeyPaw Games will continue to bring even more classic and import games to North American digital markets at must-buy prices. Fans of import games are encouraged to voice their suggestions on our social networks for their most-wanted retro or import titles.
Previously released titles courtesy of MonkeyPaw Games include the tactical RPG classic Vanguard Bandits and the re-invented BurgerTime World Tour. From Working Designs, Vanguard Bandits is an addictive strategy RPG complete with branching storylines and different endings. BurgerTime World Tour is a re-envisioning of the classic arcade game with multiplayer modes, enhanced power-ups and online play. Both of these games are available on the PlayStation®Network at the affordable price of $9.99 each.
LIKE MonkeyPaw Games on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/monkeypawgames
FOLLOW MonkeyPaw Games on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/monkeypawgames
Media Requests
Qualified media may contact Ray Almeda, PR Manager at [email protected] to request redeemable review codes for any of MonkeyPaw Games' digital download titles. Please note that codes are limited and are served at a first-come, first-served basis.
For more information on these MonkeyPaw Games products as well as tips and tricks on each of our titles, please visit www.monkeypawgames.com or contact the MonkeyPaw Games Public Relations team at [email protected].
About MonkeyPaw Games
MonkeyPaw Games, Inc. is a digital distribution-focused videogame publishing firm that specializes in bridging Japanese and Western markets. MonkeyPaw Games has introduced numerous true Japanese imports to Western and European markets, including Cho Aniki, Galaxy Fight, and Rapid Angel, as well as classic RPGs such as the Alundra and the Arc the Lad series of games. MonkeyPaw Games revitalizes these Japanese experiences on the PlayStation®Network. MonkeyPaw Games also supports titles on Xbox® LIVE Arcade, Nintendo® WiiWare, Nintendo® DSiWare and PC gaming digital distribution platforms. MonkeyPaw Games maintains offices in San Jose, California and Hokkaido, Japan. For more information on all MonkeyPaw Games products, please visit www.monkeypawgames.com or follow the company on Twitter at www.twitter.com/monkeypawgames.
About GAIJINWORKS
GAIJINWORKS was founded by Victor Ireland after spending more than 15 years as President of console game publisher Working Designs, where he innovated deluxe packaging, special premiums, pack-in soundtracks and game documentaries for their highly-rated RPG products. Many of the practices he innovated have become standard in the RPG segment, and console games in general. GAIJINWORKS is focused on continuing a tradition of fan-service for game fans in both the digital and physical media markets. GAIJINWORKS can be contacted at www.gaijinworks.com.
"PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc.
