Falcom released new info on the lore of Ys IX: Monstrum Nox along with new characters details and screenshots. A new screenshot showing the game's GUI for the first time was also shown on Twitter.

But first off, we got some more details on Ys IX's story. The main setting of the game, the city of Balduq, actually includes a force opposing the Monstrum, an organization called the Star-carved Knights.

The Star-carved Knights are part of the Star-carved Church. The screenshot above shows the church building of the Star-carved Church in Balduq. The Star-carved Church is the main religion of the Romun Empire and the biggest religion of the continent of Eresia, where the Ys games take place. The inhabitants of Balduq are strong believers and the church is full during the mass every week. We've already seen members of this church in Ys: The Oath in Felghana and Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana.

The city of Balduq also has a monastery for the Star-Craved Knights, where they train. It's one of the few monasteries like these in Eresia. The Star-carved Knights have always been part of the church, but nowadays they cooperate closely with the Romun Empire. The Star-carved Knights stationed in Balduq help the Romun soldiers to maintain the city's security and fight against the Monstrum.

Multiple new characters appearing in Ys IX: Monstrum Nox were also revealed by Falcom:

Chatelard, voiced by Yuki Ono. Chatelard is the commander of the Star-carved Knights located in the Gllia region, where Balduq is located. The Star-carved Knights' duties include maintaining public order and preaching the teachings of the Star-carved Church. Chatelard is a firm believer of the Star-carved Church, and his beautiful looks also made him popular among Balduq's inhabitants.

He's very interested in Adol's adventures and wishes to learn more about the various lands Adol traveled to.

Berger, voiced by Takahiro Shimura. Berger is the chief of Balduq's prison, and he's part of the Romun Empire's army. He might seem like a rough man, but he has a strong sense of justice and is admired by his subordinates. Berger has outstanding leadership skills, and has no pity against the Monstrum, as he considers them a danger for the peace of the city.

Ingrid, voiced by Natsuko Hara. Ingrid is an inquisitor from the Romun Empire dispatched to Balduq. She's the one in charge of interrogating Adol after he was arrested the Romun Empire. She's a realist and doesn't believe in all the fantastical adventures Adol claims to have lived through.

Marious, voiced by Shuta Morishima. A young man imprisoned in Balduq's prison. He has good judgment despite his young age and has a friendly personality. He seems to have lost his memories and doesn't remember why he was imprisoned in the first place. Adol meets Marious in the prison.

Margot, voiced by Kujira. Margot is an old lady who loves cigars. Margot is also actually the leader of a resistance organization called the "Liberation Bell", which operates in the Gllia region. The goal of the Liberation Bell is to make Balduq independent from the Romun Empire. During a revolt several years ago, Margot was captured and she's been imprisoned in Balduq's prison since then. She also seeks to contact the various Monstrum for a certain purpose.

Falcom also released a map of Balduq, as it's part of the various Ys 9 shop-specific pre-order bonuses goods in Japan.

Lastly, a new screenshot was published on Twitter, revealing for the first time Ys IX Monstrum Nox' GUI. One interesting thing in it is the Nox meter. In the previous trailer, it's been heavily hinted at that the Monstrum characters all have another self, who are five of the game's side characters. The trailer also seemed to show Doll slowly transforming back at some point, so it probably has something to do with the Nox meter gauge.

Up until now, all the previously released Ys IX gameplay featured no GUI as Falcom mentioned they didn't finish its design yet. They weren't done with the sound design yet either, hence why the Monstrum ability gameplay videos had no sound.

Lastly, in the same tweet with this new screenshot, Falcom announced that the Ys IX Monstrum Nox official website will get updated again this week with new details.

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox launches on September 26 in Japan, exclusively on PS4. Falcom isn't planning to bring the game west for now as they're currently focusing on finishing the game itself. This doesn't mean a western release won't be decided later on though. You can read more by checking out our interview with Toshihiro Kondo.