Azure Striker Gunvolt, an upcoming 2D action game for the Nintendo 3DS, is influenced in part by a number of shounen manga and anime, which should make western fans of that genre feel righ at home. Nevertheless, developer Inti Creates have made a couple of slight changes to the game for its U.S. release this Summer.
Siliconera readers brought to our attention that Inti Creates have slightly altered the design of the Gunvolt character himself, doing away with his bare midriff and ponytail for the game’s U.S. release. You can see the difference in the two designs above. It isn’t a big change, but it was noticeable enough for people to pick up on it.
I asked Inti Creates CEO Takuya Aizu just why the change had been made, and Aizu explained:
“During the development of Gunvolt, we researched what kind of design would appeal to boys between the ages of 10 and 14—who we assume will be the game’s main purchasers—in North America.
“As a result, we changed Gunvolt’s design, because braided hair and a bare midriff were unpopular among them. However, these changes are not final. We will continue to do research into the matter.”
Azure Striker Gunvolt will be available this Summer via the Nintendo eShop.
