Aoineko Studios, an award-winning gaming and animation studio based in Phoenix, Arizona, has reached the 68% funded level on their Kickstarter campaign, with over $17,000 raised and just over two weeks to go. Today Aoineko is officially announcing that, as a special reward upon reaching their $25,000 goal early, an A-list voice actor in the gaming community will make a special appearance in an upcoming update video to thank supporters and announce their stretch goals for Kickstarter.

Aoineko Studios has also released the very first in-game footage of Kitaru’s Active Time Battle system to their Kickstarter project profile. This has been heavily anticipated by Kickstarter supporters, and the development team has been working hard to establish these foundational battle components. The Aoineko team has also released a new update video that shows insider insight on the in-depth process of character creation, from preliminary model concept shoot to the art of animation.

“We also have a gift for all the lovers of old-school actioners like MegaMan and Gunstar Heroes. Check out the Kickstarter page for a sneak peek of the Sherman5 arcade mini-game that Akai will be able to play in one of Kitaru’s in-world arcades.” — Ben Steele (Creator of Kitaru, owner of Aoineko Studios)

Additionally, on Memorial Day weekend, Aoineko Studios team member Lisa Palenica, who plays ‘Agent Qoss’ in Kitaru and is the owner of Platinum Assassin Film & Multimedia, will be attending Phoenix Comicon as a panelist for female filmmakers in sci-fi. Those interested in an in-depth breakdown of Kitaru are encouraged to attend her panel and to set up time afterwards for additional questions. She will be speaking on Saturday, May 26 at 10:30 a.m. in the Remington BC at the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. You can see the Kickstarter fund via this link.