Square Enix published new details for Octopath Traveler Tairiku no Hasha, the upcoming Octopath Traveler prequel for iOS and Android. Tairiku no Hasha, which can be translated to "The Continent's Champions", will be free to play and include micro-transactions, but the game is described as a "single-player RPG" instead of "social game", or the like, and should be closer to an actual RPG than a typical mobage.Here's a translation of the story pitch:

A few years before the tale of the 8 traveling heroes...

The continent of Orsterra was dominated by those who respectively reached the apex of wealth, power and glory. Their endless ambition plunged the continent into darkness. However, multiple individuals stood up against them...

As the one "chosen by the ring", you will travel the world, and meet those rebels. What will you feel, what will you grasp at the end of your journey? Go forth, towards the story you seek...And craft the legend of the Continent's Champions.

New illustrations for Octopath Traveler Tairiku no Hasha were revealed as well. The one above is by Naoki Ikushima, Octopath Traveler's artist and character designer, and depicts the individuals controlling Orsterra.

From left to right, we have the one who holds wealth, "The Witch of Greed" Helminia.

The one who holds power, "The Hero" Titus.

The one who holds glory, "The Playwright" Arguste.

Each one of these characters is an antagonist players will face depending on the story they pick at the start of the game. That choice is made on whether you decided to pursue wealth, power or glory, but it's implied you'll be able to do all three on one playthrough. Short introductions for each of these stories and portrait artworks for each antagonist were published as well.

In search of wealth, you will begin your adventure in the deep forests of the Woodlands region. The one who stands in your path is "The Witch of Greed" Helminia. The witch has embezzled an immense fortune in Valore, dying the town in darkness.

In search of power, you will begin your adventure in the snow-covered Frostlands region. The one who stands in your path is "The Hero" Titus. He controls the Red Wings, an organization made to rehabilitate ex-convicts. He rules over the town of Amberglow with an iron fist.

In search of glory, you will begin your adventure in the rich plains of the Flatlands region. The one who stands in your path is "The Playwright" Arguste. The citizens of Theatopolis, the capital of arts, all admired his work, but he ended up straying from the right path.

Octopath Traveler on mobile will also retain many gameplay features of the original game on Switch, including Path Actions usable on NPCs. You can check them out with new screenshots included in the gallery below.

Yasunori Nishiki, who composed the OST of Octopath Traveler on Switch also announced on Twitter he is returning for Tairuku no Hasha's OST.

There's a fairly high chance Octopath Traveler Tairiku no Hasha will get localized in the west, as nearly every mobile game by Square Enix do come over. Tairiku no Hasha has even higher chance seeing Octopath Traveler's success outside Japan.

The game has no precise release date yet besides 2019, and preregistrations are open on the official site. Square Enix is also accepting applications until March 17, and those selected will be chosen to participate in a test session of the game from March 26 to April 2. You need to make a Square Enix Members account first and fill up a form, and 1600 people will be chosen; 800 on iOS, 800 on Android.

The Octopath Traveler official Twitter has also already revealed that they're working on another Octopath Traveler game for consoles and that players eagerly awaiting it should play this mobile game prequel to wait until it releases. You can read their statement and check Octopath Traveler Tairiku no Hasha's first trailer in our previous story.

Please keep in mind all names in this article aren't official romanizations and are subject to change.