Will we see enemy monsters roaming the environment and get to decide if we want to engage battle, or are the battles randomly encountered like in Shadow Hearts?
  - You will see the monsters and run into them, but some monsters may appear suddenly and surprise you. We want to put in some tricks like that.

Are there vampires in the game, and will one of them be a party member as with previous games?
  - Yes and yes. A very cool one.

I would like to know if the developers will consider modding support for PC community
  - If we have the time and means to, we want to.

Will the game have any connection to Shadow Hearts or Kodelkula?
  - Time - wise, it takes place afterwards, but there are no direct connections. It shares the same world, but no direct connections.

We will have a mentor like Roger Bacon?
  - Yes. Roger Bacon's mentor will also appear.

thank you machida-San for answering our questions! Will there be any music track samples done by Uematsu and Hirota that we will get to listen to in a future update like AF has been doing?
  - It will be hard to do that during the campaign, unfortunately. But I want to hear it too.

Machida-san, are you acquainted with Murayama-san or Igarashi-san?  If so, do they give you any advice or guidance on the Kickstarter?
  - I've never met them personally, but I have received advice from them through a proxy (campaign staff, etc.)

Will the crest system for magic make a return ? One that grants characters access to universal magic in addition to their innate skills ?
  - Yes. PB will have its own unique magic system.

Will the game be full voiced?
  - I want to do that, if it's possible. Full voice for ENG and JP

I'm really happy that you seem to be bringing back the battle system from Shadow Hearts: From the New World. I love the stock system and performing Double Combos. Is there a way to get even longer and crazier combos in Penny Blood?
  - PB's combos will be more impressive.

Shadow Hearts had push rings that required button mashing. Would a similar thing return in Penny Blood? Will an alternative be provided for those with tendon issues?
  - We are thinking of an 'auto input' option for PB's button input system.

We will have a reporter character that take photographs?
  - No. But Vito may have an ability that replaces that sort of thing...

Will the magi attacks have the same type of finish the standard attacks do when done perfectly
  - That would be cool if we could add it. But we're not to that stage of planning yet.

Will we see the return of "Yuri Vision" for crudely drawn flashback sequences?
  - That's everything shown from Yuri's perspective...and the chibi characters drawn by Kato-san for PB are the characters seen from Matthew's perspective.

what was it that got Nobuo Uematsu onboard?
  - Hirota-san and Uematsu-san are great friends, so that was how it started.

Will each character have a unique critical instant kill cutscene for each type of enemy in the game?
  - Characters will each have their own unique instant kill.

Will the game be rated M?
  - Yes

Will the spells have different names from the Shadow Hearts ones?
  - Yes, different names.

Will there be a challenge arena where battles have to be won under specific conditions and handicaps?
  - I want to put in something that will replace that mode.

The pennyblood trailer shows fluid cinematic camera angles and transitions during battles, almost like a movie. Is that something you're striving for in battles in the finished game?
  - We probably won't be able to do that for EVERY battle, but we want that to be the case for important battles.

can we expect endgame secret bosses for sidequests to return?
  - Yes. Those who fund at the Motofuji face stretch goal tier will appear as secret bosses.

will the fusion leveling be similar to Shadow Hearts with 3 per element or just 1
  - I want fusion monsters to have grades and transformations.

how many party members will be cute girls, very important
  - Cute "girls?" Only Candy and Suseri.Emilia is cute too though...

Will there be multiple endings?
  - 2 endings.

will there much fanservice, or will it be tuned down a little?
  - Panty shots seem to not be allowed these days... So there will be hardly any 'sexy' elements like that.

Candy seems to have a connection to a real - world individual. Is that something that'll happen for other characters in the game? Will famous real  - world individuals appear as NPCs during the story?
  - Yes, exactly.

Oh yeah, what was your inspiration for Candy?
  - Carrie A. Nation, an incredible historical figure, inspired me.

will there be a character who can shift forms (like Grand Papillon or Hilda's forms)?
  - We're not sure about that. Maybe.

(This is from a friend who can't be here) will we have fights in Atams carnival? (He was wondering if we can fight the moon lol)There will be a lot of creepy things at the carnival
  - There will be fights.

Will there be a chance to apply and be part of the gaming/visual development team? Would love to be able to work with the team on the game!
  - We're not at the phase where we need to increase our staff yet, but that time will eventually come.

Does Machida-san have a dream feature he still wants to add to the game that we've not yet reached in stretch goals?
  - So many!! The "latter half" stretch goals are so awesome. I really hope we can reach them.

What fighting style does Matthew use?
  - He doesn't use karate or judo or anything like that. Original style + gun.

Will Matthew be able to use the magic system or will he be like Yuri and only use magic from fusions?
  - Matthew won't be able to use the magic from the special magic system, but the other party members will.

Will there  be time travel or maybe something like parallel worlds or dreams that take place in the dark side of the moon, that type of cosmic feel?
  - Another world will appear. Not sure about time travel.

Are there plans for difficulty modes? In Shadow Hearts becoming good with the Judgement Ring would make fights short and easy because of the boosted damage. Would be there be a kind of ''Hard Mode'' that scales up the enemy parameters to account for consistent perfect timed inputs?
  - There won't be difficulty settings like "Easy/Normal," but the player will be able to increase the difficulty of the Psycho Sigil in a risk/reward fashion.

how morally complex do you plan the primary antagonist to be?
  - The enemies will be revealed soon. I believe their ideals can be understood if you look at it from a certain perspective.

Are Harmonixers Inheritors?
  - Yes. People like wolfmen, Harmonixers, etc are all Inheritors. I wanted to give them a name, like how you have the word 'mutant' in X  - men.

cities in the old games were small environments compared to the dungeons, will the maps be larger this time?
  - There will be some big cities, and smaller towns.

are all the Psycho Sigils based on chess pieces?
  - No. The Psycho Sigils each express the characters' inner selves. No connection to chess

How many equipment slots will there be? Weapon, armor, accessories? Or will we have multiple armors for head, chest, legs? Multiple Accessory slots?
  - Weapon / Armor / Acc.... 4 or 5.

can we expect the classic step - counter quest and shop lotteries?
  - Probably...

Will Matthew have special abilities he can use when human?
  - No plans for that at this time.

If Square Enix gave you free reign to direct the next mainline Final Fantasy, would you be interested, or is that too much pressure?
  - My personality is probably too strong... The stories I write are too personal. It'd be quite an honor, but...probably not.

You don't see many love stories in games that are associated with horror/gore elements. Is there anything that inspired the love story between Yuri and Alice? I look forward to story between Matthew and Emilia, too ❤️
  - First, there will be a love story in PB. As for inspiration for Yuri and Alice... I can't really think of anything. There might have been something. But there's no exact story that served as a model.

Firstly, thank you for hosting this AMA Sorry if this has been asked already, but will we see old locations again? Like the Nemeton Ruins, for example?
  - Probably not.

Will Matthew get new guns or will he be only gloves like Yuri was?
  - He will get new shotguns.

What are your favorite horror movies/novels and is PB getting inspiration from any of them?
  - Horror movies: Hannibal, Seven. Horror novels: Lovecraft anthology. Seven and Silence of the Lambs really influenced me for PB.

since Jazz was born in  the 20's and Pioneered by African Americans will there be any African American major characters in the game?
  - Yes.

How many stretch goals do we have left?
  - 7 - 8.

How does Mathew travel across the globe to get to all the various countries? Does he maybe have his own Zeppelin or something that could serve as a mobile party "base" of sorts?
  - I'm thinking of giving them a vehicle, but I haven't decided yet.

Will the Emigre Manuscript (or another form of forbidden sorcery) be an element in the story?
  - Yes

is there more to Candy and her identity than you're letting on?
  - Candy is really strong - willed and energetic, so she's going to create a lot of funny scenes.

Will we get to visit the Vatican or the catacombs underneath it, etc? Those sorts of forbidden religious locations...
  - Probably.

What kind of puzzles does the team like to create the most?
  - There will probably be stuff like that in the game. I like making stuff that surprises/scares players.

Will you have a lot of dialogue options in the cutscenes or just stuff that let you decide how things turn out?
  - There will be dialog options.

Can you tell what Candy special ability will be?
  - Pulverizing enemies with her hammer. It's a Crandall Hammer

That minimap from the trailer won't be in the cutscenes, will it?
  - Yes

This is a bit of a biased question, since I like seeing Canada represented in games. Is there anything like that in Penny Blood? A character from Canada for example?
  - North American locations will be in the game, so a Canadian location may appear too

Will there be another trailer or video promotion before the kickstarter ends?Im dying to see something related to ingame footage
  - Hmmm.... It would be cool if we could release one more video. Everyone's doing their best. We will try.

Shanghai Heaven seems like a no-no, but is it safe for builder cards and such? I'm curious if there's one in PB!
  - Erotic elements are difficult to implement due to compliance. Such items will be handled with caution.

Is Matthew taller than Yuri? And which is the lower INT value?
  - I think Matthew is taller and more intellectual.

What is the "New Game Plus" for the common stretch goal?
  - When playing the 'New Game Plus', I would like to be able to include new monologues from the characters that were not present in the first playing.

Regarding the party members, we currently have 6 members announced, but what is the maximum number?
  - We are expecting 8 members, but depending on the budget, we may prioritize and narrow down the list.

Is there any chance that Southeast Asia will be in PB?
  - Yes.

My pet is a bird. Is it difficult to get pet rewards?
  - It's okay. Even snails are okay because they manage to be like rocket launchers. However, cockroaches are a personal no-no.

Even if the budget is not achieved in KS, can it be luxurious with the cooperation of the publisher's appearance?
  - Yes, there is. However, how much excitement KS has generated will also affect that, so we are working hard on that.

Are there any media that I should keep in mind to prepare for PB and enjoy it more?
  - I am referring to works around the 1920s. I think it would be helpful to look at The Great Gatsby, NHK's Century of the Moving Image, Seven, etc.

I was very surprised by Uematsu-san's participation in the PB. Are there any other participants who will be revealed in the future?
  - I was surprised too. Hirota-san has a wide network of sound-related contacts, so we may have other connections.

Will there be any monsters with designs reminiscent of Amon?
  - Yes.

Regarding rewards, do I send you drafts or photos of voices, ensembles, pets, etc., and your staff will work on them from there? Or do we have a mutual hearing and then work together to finish it?
  - We will start production after receiving a reference photo first. Since it is difficult to reproduce the image perfectly, it will be somewhat deformed.

Does Monaka-san participate in dog races?
  - She will not participate in the dog race, but will appear in the PB.

Can I do live performance and distribution?
  - Yes.

When was the interview recorded?
  - It is about the middle of July.

Any hints as to what the "Tower of Babel" is!
  - Not about the Man Festival. It means as it was described in the Bible. *Rewards released and language additions (Chinese and Korean) confirmed.

Are there likely to be additional elements through DLC after the game's release?
  - Probably.

I'm so glad Candy has such a cute design! Will she pull out the signboard and use it as a weapon?
  - She doesn't pull the signs off!

Did you write the description portion of the builder card and other items?
  - I remember that it was supervised, not by me.

Could it be that Matthew's character is as mischievous as Yuri?
  - Unlike Yuri, I think he is a nice young man.

What is the CERO likely to be?
  - CERO Z.

I know I can choose between a packaged and downloadable version in the pledge, but do you have any plans to sell the packaged version as a regular product?
  - I think it will be sold normally; the specifications will be different from the KickStarter.

Do the motofuji-face backer scan faces?
  - We will think of a plan from now on. We will ask them to take pictures from various angles and model them.

I heard that the monster designer of Shadow Hearts has 7a sixth sense'...what about the monster designer of PB?
  - He is a person who is striving to gain that.

Will there be big dogs and wolves like Blanca?
  - I think the wolves will leave.

Is it full of parodies like the Black Triumvirate?
  - Yes, there are. Someone have noticed that Vito's name from 'The Godfather'.

Are you planning to unveil the characters that appeared in the poll after they have been readjusted before the game is released? Or is it likely to be confirmed by actually playing the game once it is released?
  - Even after the campaign is over, we plan to keep everyone informed at least once a month, so there may be an opportunity to unveil it there.

Is the sound collaboration between Hirota-san and fans an attempt to start after the KS is over?
  - Yes.

I'm curious about you, little Cthulhu! What will be the system?
  - The system will be used to feed and nurture the baby in various ways.

Will there be more breaks for you after the Kickstarter period is over!
  - I think it will increase. We will do our best to keep up the pace during the period.

I'm looking forward to it because 1920s America is the home of Cthulhu.
  - If you are interested, please read on.

Are there any mythological creatures other than Cthulhu?
  - Maybe.