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| Derek Heemsbergen |
Bringing beefcake to the palm of your hand.
05.21.15 - 12:54 PM
We hear about RPGs coming out of Japan designed to titillate a straight male audience all the time, but what about the dudes who like... well, dudes?
Calm down, Kanji.
Up-and-coming Japanese developer Lifewonders is seeking to fill that particular niche with Fantastic Boyfriends: Legends of Midearth. This turn-based mobile RPG tells the all-too-typical story of a young man brought into another world and tasked with defeating a nefarious demon king. Along the way, he'll make a number of stalwart allies and potential romantic interests — the twist here being that they're all men. More "bara" than "bishounen," these characters were created by a gay audience, for a gay audience, making the game something of a rarity in today's market.
While Lifewonders plans on localizing the game regardless, they're seeking crowdfunding to speed the process up. They say that without fan support, the localization of Fantastic Boyfriends will depend on the success of their other titles. They issued the following statement regarding their overall aims as a developer:
We want to release products that we can be proud of, and that entertain as many people as possible!
This project’s success will show that there are many players who are looking for different kinds of romantic relationships in their video games.
We believe that more and more startups in digital media such as comics and games that include various kinds of romantic relationships will only enrich video game culture.
In addition, it is also one of our major goals to see more LGBT and ally developers in digital media.
From genres such as RPGs, adventure games, visual novels, action games, and shoot ‘em ups, to media such as novels, comics, and art books… We hope to see all these and more delivered to as many people as possible.
If you'd like to contribute to the localization of Fantastic Boyfriends, you can head on over to the game's Indiegogo campaign page. The team hopes to raise $20,000 in order to fund the project and bring it to iOS, Android, and Google Play in English-speaking territories.
