Today Sega released a brand new batch of screenshots of the upcoming strategy JRPG Senjou no Valkyria 4: Eastern Front, which will be titled in the west as a more familiar Valkyria Chronicles 4.

This is definitely a tank-centric update, and we get to meet first and foremost the crew members that will man them.

Miles Aabek is a tank driver and a mechanic of Squad E, 32nd Armored Ranger Batallion, 1st Battle Brigade, 101st Division of the Edinburgh Army. He was an honor student at the military academy and Claude's junior. Back then he was rather restless and made friends with everyone, but had no deep involvements. He majored in tank piloting and maintenance and has a steady arm while driving. He makes a good team with Claude, who he trusts as a commander, and as the person who can draw out the most potential out of a tank. His hobby is photography.

Dan Bentley is an armored troop transport driver and crew supervisor of Squad E, 32nd Armored Ranger Batallion, 1st Battle Brigade, 101st Division of the Edinburgh Army. He loves armored vehicles, and he was a pilot before joining the Federal army. Nobody knows much about him, but he used to be active as a pilot while moving through several units. Maintaining tanks is like a hobby for him, and he'll repair anything if someone asks. About maintenance, he believes that it's best if one does everything himself, including refueling. He doesn't talk much, but he can be a good friend.

Ronald Albee is a lieutenant and tank captain of Squad F, 32nd Armored Ranger Batallion, 1st Battle Brigade, 101st Division of the Edinburgh Army. Since his Captain Minerva doesn't command from an armored vehicle, he serves as commander of the unit's tank. He used to be her junior at the academy and had a crush on her chivalrous spirit and strong willpower. Ronald also respects her because she gathered the members of her squad and made it into an elite unit. He believes she will climb to the top ranks of the federal army.

Tanks have very high offensive and defensive power. They receive almost no damage from infantry other than lancers unless weak spots are targeted, so they can act as a mobile defense to protect allies. However, since the ragnite radiatior behind a tank is a weak spot, it can be damaged by ordinary guns. It's necessary to pay attention so that the enemy doesn't get behind your tank.

Vehicles, in general, can destroy protections like sandbags and can crush anti-personnel mines without damage, but they will be seriously damaged if they drive over anti-tank ones.

Half-track armored troop transports have a command that allows them to carry infantry. They can transport more than one soldier, protecting them from interception fire. The "Carry" command can be used both in command mode and action mode. Since they're not as armored as tanks, they can be slightly damaged by machine gun fire. If your armored troop transport is destroyed, all the soldiers it's carrying will be withdrawn from the battlefield.

Tanks have three different attacks. Armor-piercing bullets can penetrate the thick armor of a tank and have a straight trajectory. Grenades are designed to attacking infantry and unarmored targets. They draw a parabolic trajectory and explode affecting a large area. Machine guns are suitable to attack infantry that got too close and is in the blind spot of grenades. They can also perform interception fire. Armored troop transports can be equipped only with machine guns.

At the R&D Center players can develop new equipment for Squad E. Infantry equipment such as rifles, machine guns, and armor is mass-produced and can be equipped by all of your soldiers of a certain class once researched.

You can also enhance the performance of vehicles by developing parts. You can strengthen guns and armor, and additional elements like suspensions, weak point protection, and attack support. Although certain optional parts are very effective, each has a set size, and only a limited amount can be fit on a vehicle. Since you cannot equip everything at once, you have to balance size and position according to the situation.

Claude's Hafen can be decorated with stickers that will slightly improve performance. In addition, the color scheme of each vehicle can be changed depending on the situation.

You can enjoy the gallery below. If you want to see more, you can check out the first gameplay, 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 release both in North America and Europe for PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One in 2018. It will launch in Japan for PS4 on March 21st, 2018 and for Nintendo Switch later in the summer.