Today Sega sent in a press release giving a deeper look at the setting of Valkyria: Azure Revolution, that will be released in the west as Valkyria Revolution.

Keep in mind that the original press release is in Japanese, so English translations of certain names could and most probably will vary.

Around the middle of the 18th century, a technique that allowed to extract various magical effects from the blue ore named Ragnite was discovered. The technique was named Magic Art, and those who practiced it were named Mages.

About a century later, a "revolution" happened in the world. In september 1837, a machine named Magic System was invented, allowing the masses to take advantage of the benefits of the Magic Art, which was industrialized as Magical Industry, bringing many advantages to the people.

This industrial revolution was named "azure revolution" due to the color of Ragnite that powered it. However, this changed the history of mankind into a history of battle over the control of the primary resource, ragnite.

This marked the beginning of an era of imperialism where powerful individuals took control of the destiny of nations.

Ragnite research has become more and more advanced since the discovery of magic art, and then magic industry. It has now become systematic. The power of ragnite depends on its size and purity. Pieces with low purity and size are named "Ragnite Fragments."

The Azure Revolution changed the value of ragnite dramatically.

On September 4, 1853 a conflict named the "Liberation War of Miracles" began. A small country named Jutland Kingdom suddenly declared war on the Ruzhien Empire, which was one of the five largest powers in Europa. Jutland forces raided the front line Ruzhien base of Molda, which was once in Jutland's own territory.

Before this attack, Jutland was under pressure due to an unexplained economic embargo by the four powerful empires of Ruzhien, Britannia, Francaise and Haptoria, named "BRuFH" from the names of the nations imposing it. Jutland wasn't conquered, but it suffered greatly.

To the mighty empires, this sudden declaration of war appeared reckless, yet, due to the success of Captain Amleth Grencaire's elite unit named Vanargand, Jutland managed to put up a surprisingly good fight. The people of the small country were proud of their new hero.

Yet, the five young people who led the country to victory and liberation from colonial rule were not heroes. History called them "the five grave sinners." After the war, they were tried and judged guilty of deceiving the princess and the people into attacking the neighboring empire due to a personal grudge, and they were sentenced to death.

The player has two tasks within the game. One is to lead the anti-valkyria unit Vanargand to defeat the army of the Ruzhien Empire and the Valkyria. The other is to discover and relive the truth behind the "Liberation War of Miracles" in which a small country defeated an Empire.

Are the Five Grave Sinners heroes, or they're really villains who launched a war of aggression due to personal revenge? Only those directly involved know, and the player will finally be able to unveil the secret.

The Kingdom of Jutland is a constitutional monarchy governed by a parliament including a House of Representatives and a House of Lords. It's a small country with scarce Ragnite resources, but it can count on superior technology due to the hard working national character of its people.

The nation was led to war by the Five Grave Sinners, each of which operated in a different field.

Amleth Glencaire was the leader of the Five Grave Sinners. He swore to exact revenge on the Ruzhien Empire, that took something valuable from him. He spent ten years plotting the way to bring Jutland into the war. He is extremely good at fighting, and became the captain of Vanargand, with which he fights in the field.

Ophelia Augusta A Jutland is the Princess of the Kingdom of Judtland. Since she was young, she was a gifted songstress, adored as an idol among the people and as a symbol of the country. Due to her pride and duty as the princess, she did not yield to the pressure from the Empire, and she took the sword herself to fight on the front lines. That said, her innocent personality causes her to be overwhelmed by the war, at times.

The four remaining Grave Sinners are Suleiman Kahlenberg, the politician, Basil Savanju, the industrialist, Fleat Eriksen, the propagandist, and Violet Sand, the spy.

The Ruzhien Empire used to be a much smaller country lacking in resources and technology, but quickly gained power due to acquiring the help of a Valkyria. Assimilation of neighboring countries became part of its strength. At the time in which the game begins, it's a military powerhouse with both resources and technology.

Brunhilde, the Valkyria, is feared as the "God of Death," and is the strongest enemy standing on Amleth's path. She seems to have no personality, all cold beauty and mystery. She can control a mighty art named "the song of death."

Claudius Pavlovich Kiev is the Emperor of the Ruzhien Empire. Once he acquired the help of a valkyria, she suddenly pushed for an expansion based on military strength. Due to his brutality, he has many enemies abroad and at home, but many also believe in him due to his energy and charisma. He has a steady personality, grounded by realism.

Another relevant character is Maxim, former second prince of a country assimilated in the Ruzhien Empire. Since his chances of becoming king were low, he used to help his father and brother as a general. When Claudius invaded the kingdom, he was impressed by Maxim's talent and took him in as a subordinate. His body was surgically augmented with Ragnite affinity, and he was given magical weapons.

The game's LeGION battle system is designed to convey the exhilaration of defeating armies with a small group of people. Its axis is based on conventional RPGs. It involves ruling the battlefield with smoke grenades, attacking and recovering with magic, and dominating the battlefield with swords, guns and special techniques.

When the player pulls up the "battle palette" time stops automatically, and restarts again when the action is selected. There are several techniques that allow to deal large damage to multiple enemies, and custom equipment.

There will also be boss battle against large machines owned by the Empire, commanded by the four highest ranked Ruzhien officers.

You can check out all the screenshots below. Valkyria Revolution will be released in Japan on January 19th for PS4 and PS Vita, while a western release will come for PS4, PS Vita and Xbox One next Spring.

If you want to test the game for yourself, you can check out the demo for PS4 and PS Vita on the Japanese PlayStation Store. There is no word, for now, about a western release of the demo, or one for Xbox One. As usual, you’ll need a Japanese PSN account to download them, and you can read how to make one on our handy guide.