Japanese VR studio MyDearest and Los Angeles-based Sekai Project launched a Kickstarter campaign last month to fund the development of a new VR manga game. Dubbed TOKYO CHRONOS, the VR visual novel game is now one step closer to coming to users of HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, PSVR, and Oculus Go.
Update (August 22nd, 2018): Tokyo Chronos has blasted past their $75,000 funding goal, with $90,625 in total. The campaign reached their funding goal only last week.
The article detailing the Kickstarter follows below:
Original Article (July 10th, 2018): Lead by Kazuma Miki, a producer behind VR-centric anime series Sword Art Online (2012), TOKYO CHRONOS is said to offer users a VR visual novel mystery adventure that blends visual animation with a comic book-style UI.
The story follows 16 year-old protagonist Kyosuke Sakurai (voiced by Yuto Uemura); one day Kyosuke finds himself in the “Chronos World”, a deserted Shibuya frozen in time.
According to press release obtained by Anime News Network, the narrative involves “8 childhood friends separated from the reality of this world, and trapped in an empty Shibuya, barren of any other souls.”
The statement continues:
“As time and space seemingly comes to a halt, the eight begin to disappear, one by one. What has happened to this world? What is happening to the ones trapped inside this hollow void? Who is the culprit that set the mystery in motion in a space that stands still.”
TOKYO CHRONOS’ director Haruki Kashiwakura previously created 3D graphics for anime such as Rakuen Tsuihō – Expelled from Paradise (2015), Mobile Suit Gundam AGE (2011), and Blassreiter (2005).
MyDearest is a Tokyo-based VR developer specializing in adventure games. Established in 2016, the company has already released several titles including the interactive manga Innocent Forest (2017) and Innocent Forest 2 (2017) for Oculus Rift and mobile VR platforms Oculus Go and Gear VR.
The creators are targeting a funding goal of $75,000, and are estimating a February 2019 delivery date of digital keys. The lowest ‘Early Bird’ funding tier of $30 gives users access to either a Steam code (Rift, Vive) or PSN code (PSVR).
You can check out the Kickstarter here.