Today the Japanese arm of Square Enix released a large batch of screenshots and information on Lost Sphear, the new JRPG by Tokyo RPG Factory, known for I Am Setsuna.

Some of the images are new, while others are simply the Japanese version of those released a few days ago with the western launch announcement.

Notably, we get quite a lot of information about gameplay and features.

First of all, we take a look at the ancient "Machines"(basically mecha) left by a long defunct civilization. They enhance the abilities of the pilot dramatically and each has a "paradigm drive" feature unique to it. Their power on the battlefield is overwhelming.

They are extremely valuable weapons, and Kanata and his party will accidentally come across them during their adventure. It's basically Xenogears all over again, and I'm not complaining one bit.

All actions while using those mecha consume energy, and the gauge (shortened as "EN") is common to the whole party. When it reaches zero the machine is forcibly deactivated even during battle, so energy management is critical.

On the world map, you can freely get on and off your Machines without consuming energy, while during normal exploration you can use the "boost" feature to break through the enemies without triggering a battle.  The Machines can also destroy obstacles on the map.

In battle, you can board and disembark from your machine by using half of a character's ATB gauge, and offense and defense power raise greatly when piloting one.

We get to see two of the Machines that we'll en counter in the game. Fadir is Kanata's machine, and has superior command and control features. It can link equipment and data, and its Paradigm Drive is a powerful attack in collaboration with other machines.

Reggur is Van's machine, and it's supposed to be the original prototype. It can act together with Van's bits, and its paradigm shift transforms them into a summoned weapon that changes depending on various conditions. For instance when an ally performs a critical, it turns into a giant sword that strikes the enemies.

We also get to see the ship that will be used on the world map, that players can freely navigate in order to reach different continents and islands.

Last, but not least, the ruins left by the ancient civilization include various traps and tricks, and the party needs to overcome them in order to explore freely.

Lost Sphear will launch in Japan on October 12th, while North America and Europe will get the release on PS4, PC and Switch on January 23rd, 2018. If you want to know and see more, you can also check out a previous batch of screenshots and info.