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After failing to bank even 40% of its Kickstarter funding goal<\/a> late last year, the campaign for political satire JRPG Citizens of Earth<\/em><\/a> appeared to be on the brink of doom. Atlus to the rescue!<\/p>\n

That’s right, my fellow citizens of video game land. Atlus has swooped in to help publish the title in North America and Europe as a digital download for Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Wii U, PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita. The game will be out this September.<\/p>\n

From Eden Industries, the indie studio behind Waveform<\/em><\/a>, Citizens of Earth<\/em> is described as a blend of Earthbound<\/em>, Pok\u00e9mon<\/em>, and Suikoden<\/em>. The game contains no actual politics, but in it you will play as the Vice President of the World and recruit citizens to join your party and do all the dirty work by battling monsters in classic Dragon Quest<\/em>-style JRPG combat.<\/p>\n

As it stands right now, the game features 40 different recruitable citizens, but Atlus is hosting a Nominate Your Citizen of the Year contest<\/a> to allow fans to create the wackiest citizen they can think of for the chance to make their goofball recruit playable character number 41. Submissions are being accepted until Friday, April 18th.<\/p>\n

Continue reading for a list of gameplay features, screenshots, and the announcement teaser trailer.<\/p>\n

Gotta Recruit ’em All<\/strong> — Every vote counts, and sometimes you have to do some pretty shameful things to get them… Citizens of Earth has 40 citizens to collect to fight in your party, each with their own unique play-style and out-of-combat world abilities. Everyone in town will lend a hand, from the way-too-jittery Barista and the ever-optimistic Weatherlady to the notoriously skeezy car salesman and the ridiculously shy (and totally real) Sasquatch!<\/p>\n

Occupy Earth!<\/strong> — It’s time to take back Earth from the opposition. There are no random encounters in Citizens of Earth; you’ll see every enemy on the field before you fight them. So go ahead and maneuver around those unwanted encounters or command your constituents to charge in for an ambush! As long as the VP’s got a party to do his dirty work, it’s all good!<\/p>\n

It’s D\u00e9j\u00e0 Vu All Over Again… But Better<\/strong> — Citizens of Earth has some serious nostalgic cues, but don’t worry, we didn’t skimp on the graphics for the sake of being retro. This title goes far beyond the 16-bit standard, with real-time lighting, HD art, a day\/night cycle, weather effects, and more.<\/p>\n

Four- or Eight-Year Terms<\/strong> — The depth of content in Citizens of Earth means you can play a quick and casual adventure or a white-knuckle, pray-you-survive-until-the-next-turn grind-fest! The game is filled with hours of bonus content to explore, optional side-quests, and of course, citizens waiting to be recruited!\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n