Overview
Poncotsu Roman Daikatsugeki Bumpy Trot 2 (Great Romantic Junk Adventure: Bumpy Trot 2) was the direct sequel to Irem's open-ended action adventure game known as Steambot Chronicles outside of Japan. The game was first announced as a PlayStation 2 title at Tokyo Game Show 2006 featuring a young boy and girl in snowy environments with its presentation and gameplay appearing to be very similar to the previous Steambot Chronicles. However, the following year, Irem revealed at Tokyo Game Show 2007 that the title had shifted development to the PlayStation 3. While retaining the snowy setting shown in the previous trailer, the game now featured new designs for the main characters as well as cameos of people and locations from the previous game, including Basil and what appears to be the Aphrodite Bar from Neuhafen.
After years of almost no updates on the sequel, expect for the occasional reassurance from Irem that the game was still in development, Bumpy Trot 2 was finally canceled on March 31, 2011. The cancellation of Bumpy Trot 2 happened a few weeks after Zettai Zetsumei Toshi 4's cancellation due to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. In an interview with 1up.com from 2012, series producer Kazuma Kujo revealed that Irem had been planning on existing the gaming industry for some time. They wanted to refocus on developing slot-machines and used Zettai Zetsumei Toshi 4's cancellation as an opportunity to finally leave the industry and cancel all of its titles that were still in development. Kujo also explained that Bumpy Trot 2's gameplay for the Trotmobiles had been completed but that the game's scenario was only half finished when it ended production.
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