Citizens of Earth is a turn-based RPG from Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon devs

Inspired by Earthbound and Suikoden, Citizens of Earth has players in charge of the Vice President of the World, recruiting everyday folks to help him win political clout.

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Eden Industries, comprised of four members that made Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, are working on a new turn-based RPG called "Citizens of Earth." Inspired by Earthbound and Suikoden, Citizens of Earth has players in charge of the Vice President of the World, recruiting everyday folks to help him win political clout.

That last point is the big "twist" of the game. Characters like the village baker and your mom aren't relegated to NPC status. Instead, they can be actively recruited to join your party and fight your battles. Perhaps most intriguing, when they level up with you, they become better at their jobs, meaning you can help the entire community by getting everyone to tag along for the adventure.

It's clear that Earthbound is the biggest inspiration for the game, from its zany writing to its colorful cartoon graphics. However, even the combat takes a page from Nintendo's cult RPG series. At the start of every turn, you pick an action for each citizen. Battle commences once all your actions have been selected.

The playable preview that we saw was incredibly polished. However, Eden is taking to Kickstarter to raise funds to complete the game. Although most of the team has been working on the game in their spare time, additional funds will help the team contract out the additional art requirements the game demands.

The game is aiming for release on PC, but there are stretch goals for consoles--Wii U and 3DS first, given the studio's close relationship and familiarity with Nintendo. The team is currently looking for $100K (Canadian). Check out their pitch below, and then download the demo for yourself!:


Shacknews' crowdfunding policy requires games to have a prototype for front-page coverage.

Andrew Yoon was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

From The Chatty
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    September 23, 2013 5:00 AM

    Andrew Yoon posted a new article, Citizens of Earth is a turn-based RPG from Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon devs.

    Inspired by Earthbound and Suikoden, Citizens of Earth has players in charge of the Vice President of the World, recruiting everyday folks to help him win political clout.

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      September 23, 2013 6:21 AM

      ok that sounds cool

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      September 23, 2013 6:30 AM

      I kinda glossed over this until I caught "inspired by Earthbound". Sign me the fuck up.

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      September 23, 2013 8:50 AM

      Hey everyone I'm Ryan, the creator of Citizens of Earth. Thanks for checking out the game, and if you have any questions I'd be thrilled to answer them.

      Also, due to overwhelming demand, we decided to release the demo of Citizens of Earth on the Kickstarter page. So go grab it and give it a go if you're curious about the game!

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        September 23, 2013 9:00 AM

        Sweet!
        Hi Ryan.

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        September 23, 2013 9:04 AM

        teehee ryan of the cock teeheee

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        September 23, 2013 9:07 AM

        [deleted]

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        September 23, 2013 9:26 AM

        [deleted]

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          September 23, 2013 9:45 AM

          It's a little hard to say. We're constantly getting great feedback from the community, which helps us to make the game better and better. And since we want to make sure we put something out that's as high quality as we can, it's tough nail down precisely when that'll be. Basically, it'll be done when it's done :)

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        September 23, 2013 9:28 AM

        Dear Ryan,

        Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon was really awesome. You deserve a pat on the back.

        Best Regards,

        -atom519

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          September 23, 2013 9:44 AM

          Thanks! And hopefully you'll find the same high degree of craftsmanship in Citizens of Earth :)

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        September 23, 2013 9:31 AM

        "Earthbound" was the magic word for me (my favorite game, ever), and Citizens of Earth even looks like it. Awesome.

        Beyond the presentation, what aspects of Earthbound were your biggest inspirations? Do the mood-shifts in Earthbound (light and cheery to dark and melancholy) factor in? That contrast between the the bright, colorful art and the gravity of the mood has always been one of my favorite things about Earthbound.

        Also, thanks for posting! Always good to see devs reaching out to the community.

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          September 23, 2013 9:43 AM

          Thanks for the kind words! And regarding Earthbound, there was a ton that inspired us.

          So probably some of the most notable things are the art (as you noticed) and some mechanics that we implemented that were great in Earthbound (auto-win, nearby enemies coming to join the fight) that nobody since seems to have used!

          Now those are some obvious things, but there are other influences as well. The modern setting, the light-hearted environment, and yes, even the shift to a much more intriguing story down the line that contrasts the more light-hearted environment.

          So I feel like inspirations from Earthbound really run the whole spectrum from the obvious to the subtle, and combine to (hopefully) achieve the same type of spirit that Earthbound so magnificently achieved.

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            September 23, 2013 10:12 AM

            Yup, I'm definitely backing this. Thanks for the info!

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        September 23, 2013 9:34 AM

        Cool will check it out!

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        September 23, 2013 9:44 AM

        Looks awesome, will back. Good luck with it.

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      September 23, 2013 10:04 AM

      Did you ever consider naming it Citizens of Earf?

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      September 23, 2013 11:43 AM

      That looks awesome. Definitely going to back this.

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        September 23, 2013 2:39 PM

        Thanks! That's awesome. Share the game with friends too and let's keep the word of mouth growing!

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