Today Atlus released some new information and screenshots about the upcoming PS3/Xbox 360 fighting game Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena.

First of all two new characters have been officially introduced, and despite the title of the game, they're actually both from Persona 3: the beautiful rapier-wielding student council president Mitsuru Kirijo and the powerful captain of the boxing club Akihiko Sanada. Both join the cast in an infiltration mission to recover a stolen item. They will appear in the game together with their Persona Artemisia and Caesar.

New Information have also been shared about the gameplay. The UI has been detailed: the Burst Gauge is near the lifebar, showing when the option is available. The Persona Gauge is under the lifebar. The SP Gauge is at the bottom, and increases when a character hits an enemy or successfully guards.   The Status Gauge (on top of the SP one) shows special conditions that can affect a character due to special attacks.

One of the most interesting elements of the game is that each character can attack with his Persona, but that's not all there's to it. Each Persona also has it's own lifebar (the Persona Gauge), so it will be a viable tactic to actually attack the Persona. When the lifebar of a Persona is depleted, it cannot be used in the battle anymore, leaving the character much weakened and vulnerable to attack.

You can see a gallery with all the new screenshots and artwork published today below: