Aoineko Studio's Presents .......Kitaru!

This week I sat down with Josh Taylor a level designer who is working on a project alongside Aoineko studios called Kitaru.

 Kitaru is a jRPG and was the brainchild of project leader Ben Steele back in 2006.

Now running on the Unity3D gaming engine , Kitaru has developed from your standard jRPG into a delicious cocktail of mini-games, Intuitive touch controls and turn based active-time battles resulting in a mix of post-modern story telling and classinc RPG gameplay such as third person exploration and conversation driven NPC interactions.

 Based in the heli galaxy on a planet known as Sen IV, The story takes place in Haifa, A war-ravaged country whih is home to four houses (reminiscent of factions in other games) which are in constant conflict with society in their struggle for money, control and power. These four houses are known as...

 Yuna - The house that controls the deserts with their mystical powers.

 Rham -The house that controls weaponry and the slave trade.

 Masel - The house that controls the drug trade.

 and Saph - The house that controls them all.

 Within this war for dominance, The only thing maintaining order and balance within Haifa is the House of Saph and their powerful team of deadly assassins led by prodigy Akai.

Akai is a beautiful girl but her pretty exterior houses a headstrong soldier who has exceeded all other trainees in every aspect, With only one exception.....Her sadistic mentor Qoss.

Akai petitioned to have greater freedom,But Saph's ruler insisted she prove herself worthy of this privilege before being granted it, But Akai had other plans.....

As she takes off for a taste of some real action she uncovers a plot that will see the house of Rham smuggle weapons inot the city of Haifa right under the Saph's nose. Mr Taylor ended this meeting with a short but highly suggestive statement....

"Is this Akai's chance to prove herself or is she way over her head? To what cost will her pride and impatience take her?"

Kitaru is currently seeking it's final section of funding through www.kickstarter.com and has 856 people backing it with over $22,700 donated already to fund this project. Aoineko studios only need to reach $25,000 for this project to be entirely complete. If you wish to donate visit...

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bensteele/kitaru/pledge/new?clicked_reward=false&logged_in=true&p=0&ref=category&v=u

There are various rewards to be had with your donation depending on the amount donated and they are..

$15 - FIRST MOVER – Pre-release copy of Kitaru for your platform of choice (PC, Mac, iOS, Android) AND an exclusive in-game object AND Official Supporter-stamped "Save the Game Designers" Digital Wallpaper and our heartfelt thank you!

$25+ -BEHIND THE SCENES - Exclusive access to Dev Blog, along with Pre-release copy of Kitaru for your platform of choice (PC, Mac, iOS, Android) AND an exclusive in-game object AND Kitaru Official Supporter-stamped Digital Wallpaper. 

$50+ - MEDIA PACKAGE - Kitaru Original Soundtrack Vol. I (for download) AND Digital Wallpapers for main characters AND limited-edition Kitaru Digital Comic Book AND the previous reward level!

$75+ - GAME DEV SCHOOL - Learn indie game dev tips from our experienced team via exclusive VIP access to the Kitaru Dev Blog and a monthly video conference call with key members of dev team! AND Kitaru Original Soundtrack Vol. II (for download) AND Honorable Developer Status recognition in game credits AND all previous rewards!

$100+ - JOIN THE BETA TEAM! - Participate as a Beta Game Tester during game development AND Ability to personally submit your game ideas via private Kitaru Team email address! AND Five Limited-Edition 4"x6" Character Cards AND Bronze Status recognition in game credits AND all previous rewards! (Please add $20 for international shipping)

$250+ - SWAG BAG - Limited-Edition Designer Kitaru T-Shirt from creator, Ben Steele AND Limited-Edition Kitaru Game Poster, numbered & signed by Ben Steele and the dev team (suitable for framing) AND Remastered DVD of award-winning Fragile Machine, signed by creator, Ben Steele AND Silver Status recognition in game credits AND all previous rewards! (Please add $20 for international shipping)

$500+ - GET INVOLVED – Have your Name or Handle Image placed in the game AND a 30 minute Video Conf with Ben Steele to discuss the development of the Kitaru story AND a ONE OF A KIND Kitaru Game Poster, featuring your screen shot, signed by Ben Steele and the dev team AND Original Kitaru Level Design Sketch by Danny Escoto (first 10 donors) OR Original Kitaru Character Sketch by Ben Steele (second 10 donors) AND Gold Status recognition in game credits AND all previous rewards! (Please add $20 for international shipping) (99 of 100 remaining)

$700+ - Have you ever played a game but thought to yourself, "Man I really wish I could pick up this (BLANK) and use it as a weapon", or, "Man, I really wish someone would invent s (BLANK) in game weapon." Your wish is now granted!!! At a $700 pledge level, you can now design a weapon of your choice, for the game KITARU, as well as receive the rewards at the $250 tiers and lower. (15 of 15 remaining)

$1000+ - THE NAME GAME - Work personally with our design team to name a character in the game AND a ONE OF A KIND Kitaru Game Poster, featuring your named character, signed by Ben Steele and the dev team AND Ten 4"x6" Character Cards, featuring your character to share with friends AND VIP and Beta access to all future releases of Kitaru! AND Get a Kitaru Voice Actor to personally record your voicemail! (Choices include Ben10/The Prince of Persia Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt from Bleach, Naruto & FFXIII) AND Platinum Status recognition in game credits AND all previous rewards at the $250 level and lower! (13 of 15 remaining)

$2500+ - BE A STAR! - Work with design team to create an in-game virtual character of yourself AND a ONE OF A KIND Kitaru Game Poster, featuring your virtual character, signed by Ben Steele and the dev team AND Ten 4"x6" Character Cards, featuring your personalized character to share with friends AND all previous rewards at the $250 level and lower! (10 of 10 remaining)

$3000+ - FEATURED PRODUCTS - Prominent in-game billboard and/or product placement (for yourself or your company), AND all previous rewards at the $250 level and lower! (5 of 5 remaining)

With only seven days and $3000 to go and a chance for you guys to get yourself some tasty rewards I can see Aoineko Studios and Kitaru paving themselves the way to great things. To view the entire project visit ...

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bensteele/kitaru?ref=category

to view the trailer on Youtube visit...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRpvhNE8iNw&list=UUHMmY5UAPOsUCENxD27-MiQ&index=9&feature=plcp or

visit Aoineko Studios own Youtube/web page...

http://www.youtube.com/user/aoinekostudios

http://www.aoineko.com/

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