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New and revised characters for the popular fighting card game round out cast to 20 available characters throughout 2015
San Francisco, CA; January 16 — Today Sirlin Games announced that, having fulfilled all Kickstarter pledges, the entire roster of 20 characters for its fighting-game themed card game Yomi will be made available to the general public in a phased release beginning now through the end of July.
Yomi simulates the mind games and other strategic choices found in video fighting games without requiring that players have the dexterity required to master those games. In keeping with that theme, Yomi allows players to pick a character, represented by a unique deck of cards. Each deck includes different abilities and special moves, providing for a deep, asymmetric game with varied play as each match-up between characters has its own specific flavor and strategy.
Unlike customizable or collectible card games, however, each Yomi deck is complete and balanced, meaning once players have acquired a particular deck there is no need for them to buy more cards to improve their deck.
The total set of 20 characters includes 10 characters who were previously available in the first version of Yomi (published in 2011) and have been re-balanced and artistically polished for the new release. Currently, eight characters are available for purchase. These are sold in 4-character packs (called Yomi: Round 1 and Round 2) for a suggested retail price of $39.99.
Both Round 1 and 2 offer a great way to new players to begin playing, as they include everything needed for at least 4 people to play. Round 1 features returning characters Grave, Jaina, Midori, and Setsuki while Round 2 includes the new characters Quince, Onimaru, Bal-Bas-Beta, and Troq.
“I originally developed Yomi so that everyone could experience the kind of dynamics that happen in fighting games,” said Sirlin. “I’m thrilled that it’s appealed to the tournament crowd as well as casual players. This latest version has years of polish and testing behind it, so it’s a great time to dive in.”
Players looking to expand their options can purchase more characters according to the following schedule:
- March 6 (PAX East): Menelker & Persephone
- April 3: Rook & DeGrey
- May 1: Valerie & Geiger
- June 5 (Origins): Gloria & Gwen
- July 3: Lum & Argagarg
- July 31 (GenCon): Vendetta & Zane
Menelker, Persephone, Gloria, Gwen, Vendetta and Zane are all new Yomi characters. Individual decks will be sold for $9.99 each. All cards are printed on high-quality card stock with reinforced core and protective coating, making them very resistant to wear-and-tear.
Sirlin Games raised more than $217,000 — greatly exceeding its $30,000 goal — for the new and updated characters in a Kickstarter project which finished July 17, 2014. As the company has with both of its previous Kickstarters, all rewards were shipped on time by the end of December 2014. Backers who pledged for them have already received the new and improved character decks and other items; the above schedule applies only for general retail availability.
Also available as a result of the Kickstarter is the Yomi EX Powerup, an expansion for Yomi that comes with extra-powerful special moves and character cards for each of the 20 characters. These cards are not intended for serious competitive play but provide a “just for fun” alternative style. The EX Powerup expansion also includes a box designed to hold and display all 20 character decks for $39.99. It is currently available for purchase.
Finally, limited quantities exist of a special two-character package called Yomi Panda vs. G. Panda. Originally designed as a Kickstarter reward, it features a version of the Yomi panda character Lum rendered the same minimal art style found in Sirlin’s previous game Pandante, along with an all new “Gambling Panda” or “G. Panda” character.
Yomi can be purchased online from sirlingames.com (worldwide) and Amazon.com (US only) or from local game stores around the world. To find a game store that carries Yomi, see www.gamestorelocator.com. To try Yomi for free, visit fantasystrike.com to play online. It is also available through the App Store on both iPad and iPhone.
About Sirlin Games
Sirlin Games creates premium, designer games, specializing in asymmetric games—the kind where players control different characters, each with different abilities and personalities. Years of care go into these game designs to make sure they strike the right balance of depth and elegance and to make sure the characters are balanced against each other.