Stunning pixel art JRPG Bloomtown: A Different Story finally has a release date, and I can't wait to dive into its monster catching and social sim goodness next month.
Bloomtown was first revealed last year, and it combines loads of my favorite JRPG elements with party-focused turn-based combat, the ability to befriend wild creatures, and a mysterious story at its center. You step into the shoes of Emily – a girl who's spending her summer vacation in the cozy, idyllic Bloomtown where her grandpa lives. Except it's not quite as cozy as it's made out to be, as children are starting to inexplicably disappear, and it turns out that there's a whole demon world growing directly beneath the town à la Stranger Things.
This demon world is called the Underside, and it's full of monsters made from the townsfolk's own fears. Only Emily and her friends can stop this growing threat before it's too late, using unique abilities and summoning their own inner demons to face off against the darkness that's creeping into the town.
It sounds pretty great, right? Well luckily, there's not too much longer to wait for it, as a new trailer shown during Future Games Show at Gamescom Presented by Sid Meier's Civilization® VII has confirmed that Bloomtown: A Different Story will be launching on PC, as well as Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Series X|S on September 24.
Personally, I'm most excited to see how all of the familiar-looking elements in Bloomtown blend together to create something new. As previously mentioned, you're able to recruit monsters – those aforementioned demons – to fight by your side, which sounds very Pokemon and Shin Megami Tensei-like. Then there's the Persona-like elements, like being able to summon your inner demons and fight against the manifestations of peoples' fear and vices. Just to top things off, there are activities like gardening and fishing to do in the town itself, and combined with the lovely pixel art visuals, it's hard not to feel a glimmer of Stardew Valley coming through there. What a truly delectable mix.
There's just over a month to go now until Bloomtown: A Different Story's release, so get those calendars marked, JRPG fans.
If you’re looking for more excellent games from today's Future Games Show, have a look at our official Steam page.
