SAN FRANCISCO – August 11, 2022 – Kitsune Zero, the prequel to Kitsune Tails, the platformer styled after beloved classics and steeped in Japanese mythology while featuring diverse relationships, dashes to Steam on Monday, September 12. Experience a new story and 24 new levels in this reimagining of/expansion to Super Bernie World, the electoral activism platformer downloaded by more than 350,000 voters at the ballot box.
Created by developer Kitsune Games (MidBoss, Ultra Hat Dimension, Super Bernie World) in collaboration with publisher MidBoss™ (2064: Read Only Memories), revisit the original four worlds of Super Bernie World, now set in the Kitsune Tails universe. Experience new story sequences and voice acting from a cast including Michele Knotz, the voice of Misty, May, and Jessie from the English dub of the Pokemon anime. Sean Chiplock, whose credits include The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Genshin Impact, Spider-Man in Marvel’s Avengers, and dozens more beloved anime and video game titles, serves as Kitsune Zero’s narrator.
Tackle eight new worlds exclusive to the DLC, featuring new challenges and enemies like Edo soldiers ready to chase down foxy protagonist Yumi on sight. Conquer the new hard mode, featuring enemies zooming around at high speed. Enjoy the new quality of life features like jump buffering and continuing from any stage.
Dash, leap over, and stomp ghostlike creatures inspired by Japanese folklore standing in Yumi’s way. Collect powerups throughout each countryside and castle to grow in size, throw fireballs, and become temporarily invincible in this homage to the early eight-bit platformers that defined the genre for decades to come. Discover secret bonus worlds, overcome faster enemies in Hard Mode, and hop along to infectious, smile-inducing new music.
Defeat a sinister samurai gang to stop the clan’s war of conquest. Hear the cries of the local onmyouji, a wizardly bureaucrat assigned to keep the peace, and end the magical pact the samurai have with vengeful spirits. Only Yumi can break the alliance and restore peace… and maybe get to go on a date for her trouble. Gather the necessary ingredients to stop the dark pact’s magic and the leader of the samurai clan once and for all. But beware, for a damsel, err, dashing gentleman in distress might need rescuing!
Kitsune Zero sets the stage for the upcoming Kitsune Tails, launching next year. Young, inexperienced fox-human hybrid Yuzu (voiced by Kira Buckland, the voice of NieR: Automata’s 2B) must save her love interest from a dire fate and contend with a jealous member of kitsune nobility. Unlock powers in the form of cute outfits across six delightful worlds crafted out of a deep love of retro platformers.
“Kitsune Zero allows us to give fans an early taste of the Kitsune Tails world and expand on the platforming people loved in Super Bernie World,” said Eniko Fox, co-founder, Kitsune Games. “Speedrunners, know that we made sure that Kitsune Zero remains compatible with Super Bernie World any% speedruns, so it’s time to lower those times and start submitting to marathons!”
Kitsune Zero will be available for $4.99 USD as paid downloadable content for Super Bernie World on Steam and standalone on itch.io. Kitsune Tails will release in 2023 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 and 4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, and Windows PC and Linux via Steam and itch.io.
To learn more, visit the Kitsune Tails website or follow @KitsuneGamesCom, @MidBoss, and #KitsuneTails on Twitter.
About Kitsune Games
Kitsune Games is an inclusive indie video game development studio led by Eniko Fox and James Yarrow. Set apart by its queer founder, the studio strives to make the world a better place by offering quality entertainment with representation of people from all walks of life.
For more information, visit the Kitsune Games website or follow @KitsuneGamesCom on Twitter.
About MidBoss™
Based out of San Francisco (although not the Neo kind), MidBoss aims to make the world better, safer, and more inclusive for marginalized people, especially those across the gender and sexuality spectrum, by creating cool experiences through games and other forms of media which diversify representation, as well as becoming a platform for queer content around the world.
MidBoss expanded on the world it created in 2064: Read Only Memories with a Read Only Memories comic series in late 2019. The studio is also responsible for the creation and curation of Season of Pride, an annual month-long celebration of diversity in games featuring titles with good LGBTQ+ representation and an array of queer and POC content creators.
To learn more about the studio visit the MidBoss website, Twitter, and blog.
Article by: Susan N.
