The Heroic Legend of Arslan is a Japanese fantasy series of books by Yoshiki Tanaka that began to be published in the 1980s. In that regard it’s not too dissimilar to A Song of Ice and Fire. Just like A Song of Ice and Fire’s (the most popular being HBO’s Game of Thrones), so too has Arslan received a lot of adaptations. The most popular of which is probably the 2013 manga illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa (Full Metal Alchemist).

Now Koei Tecmo has announced a game based on the recent 2015 anime adaptation of Arakawa’s manga version, Arslan: the Warriors of Legend. As the name suggests, the game will be a Warriors game, developed by Omega Force. Koei Tecmo have already released an announcement trailer:

Arslan: the Warriors of Legend features cel-shaded graphics, not completely dissimilar to One Piece Pirate Warriors 3‘s graphics, but tweaked to mimic Arakawa’s signature art style. Even this far out, it’s already looking pretty wonderful in the trailer. I’ve said before with One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 that the Warriors series perhaps shines best with stylised cel-shaded graphics as opposed to the more realistic approach of the mainline games — and Arslan is making me feel the same way.

Originally written as a novella in the late 1980’s, the Heroic Legend of Arslan has been adapted to manga and anime numerous times, with the most prominent being the 2013 release of a manga series by famed illustrator Hiromu Arakawa (the creator of Fullmetal Alchemist). It tells the story of the young crown prince of Pars, Arslan, as he is forced out of his kingdom when his father, the king, is betrayed and defeated and his domain conquered. Arslan and his few companions must re-assemble an army and fight against overwhelming odds to regain his throne and liberate his kingdom. Through his exploits he reaches emotional maturity, while the series also tackles underlying issues of slavery, religious fanaticism, betrayal, and humanity.

Arslan: the Warriors of Legend will release physically on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and will receive a simultaneous digital-only release on PlayStation 3. There’s been no news on a Steam version, but given Koei Tecmo’s recent history I wouldn’t be surprised if they announce a near simultaneous Steam release soon. Also no news on a PlayStation Vita version.

The game adaptation of this magnificent story seamlessly blends the fast paced tactical action gameplay indicative of the Warriors franchise with a stunningly engaging narrative. Using cell-shaded graphics and basing all character design on the anime series Arslan: The Warriors of Legend delivers a gaming experience designed to fully immerse the player into Arslan’s universe.