Today's issue of Weekly Famitsu included a spread on the upcoming JRPG by Sega Valkyria Chronicles 4. This time around, the focus is on the story.

The story begins in March 6th, 1935. In a flower field located within the territory of the Atlantic Federation the hero Claude Wallace has stopped his tank to take a break. The beautiful landscape seems completely unrelated to the war, but Claude has strong animal-like intuition and notices that something is amiss. An invasion force of the Imperial Army appears, but Claude prepares a counterattack leading his Squad E, repelling the enemy.

Instead of rejoicing for his victory, Claude feels pain looking at the flower field destroyed by the battle. This is an example of the kindness of his heart.

Three months after, the Atlantic Federation keeps losing battles against the Empire. In order to reverse the situation, a plan called Operation Northern Cross is put in action, with the goal of attacking the Imperial capital directly. Claude and his Squad E are chosen to participate, alongside Squad F led by his former classmate Minerva Viktor.

Unfortunately, their advance grinds to a halt as they reach an Imperial base in a fortified castle. Claude, who feels that speed of crucial to the success of the operation, decides to storm the fortress without waiting for reinforcements. His decision is influenced by the Imperial invasion of Gallia, which creates a sense of urgency. However, the defenses of the fort appear to be impregnable. Yet, Claude's childhood friend Riley appears to provide reinforcements with a new artillery weapon that can shoot long-range grenades.

Yet, the reunion between the two is not exactly pleasant, as Riley gives Claude a rather painful greeting.

On top of this, we also see a picture of the personnel overview menu that can be found in Claude's quarters. It'll be updated frequently as the story progresses, and it includes many details that you might miss, so you should check it out often. Claude's quarters also include a Weapons overview and a History book.

We also meet two new characters. Sergio Maskyura is voiced by Masaya Takatsuka (Naoe Kanetsugu in the Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi series). He is the military doctor aboard the Centurion and used to be a pediatrician at a town hospital before the war. He's a funny and kind person, but he can become scary when someone tries to escape treatment.

Andre Dunoa is voiced by Shin Aomori, a veteran actor known mostly for Kibito in Dragon Ball Z. He is veteran of thirty years in the Federal navy and the chief mechanic aboard the Centurion, having served with Captain Roland for a long time. He pushes his men to work harshly, but he knows his stuff about weapons better than anyone else.

You can check out the screenshots below, keeping in mind that they're from magazine scans, so the quality is not perfect. If you want to see more, you can enjoy the latest trailer, some videos and art featuring Kai and Raz, more videos revealing Zaiga and Ferie, similar  videos and art about Riley, abother reveal about Claude, the latest batch of screenshots focusing on the Snow Cruiser Centurion and her crew, an earlier trailer, some more screenshots from a couple of weeks ago, two recent gameplay videos from Taipei Game Show, the first gameplay footage, a recent trailer showcasing the crossover DLC with the first game, another showing a wide range of gameplay features, the previous batch of screenshots and information, the first trailer, more screenshots, more artwork and info, and the first gallery of images.

Valkyria Chronicles 4 will hit the shelves both in North America and Europe for PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One in 2018. It will release in Japan for PS4 on March 21st, 2018 and for Nintendo Switch later in the summer.