Shin Megami Tensei Persona series composer Shoji Meguro announced a Kickstarter campaign for Guns Undarkness, his new 2021-announced gun RPG.

The new Kickstarter campaign for Guns Undarkness is launching in a few days – on September 12, and will have a modest funding goal of $30,000 to make the game for PC. There will naturally be stretch goals to do Guns Undarkness ports on Xbox, Switch (or a new Switch), and PlayStation.

It’s worth reiterating Guns Undarkness is Meguro’s first game after leaving Atlus as a full staff member, and going freelance.

“Through Kickstarter, I would like to make Guns Undarkness an even better game with the support and early feedback of the fans,” Meguro said in a press release. “With the help of our backers, I hope to fix the visual problems and brush up on everything, so please lend me your support!”

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Here’s a rundown on the game:

Guns Undarkness

Guns Undarkness is a strategy JRPG that combines stealth elements with command driven turn-based combat in a futuristic sci-fi universe. The player takes the role of a member of the PMC (Private Military Company) in the year 2045 who must carry out operative missions with their peers in a devastated world after a nuclear war. The game’s story will focus on the main protagonists as they fight to revolutionize the human race and move closer to the idea of true love.

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.

First revealed in November of 2021, Guns Undarkness is Shoji Meguro’s first official post-Atlus project as a freelance game developer. Known mostly for his compositional work on the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series, Shoji Meguro also served as creative director for the Persona games on PSP and has been developing indie role-playing games by himself for a number of years.

In addition to game design, Meguro will be composing and producing all of the music in Guns Undarkness. At his side on this project are character designer Ilya Kuvshinov (Ghost in Shell: SAC 2045) and lyricist Lotus Juice (Persona series) whose ties with Meguro date back to Persona 3 in 2006.

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)