The latest issue of Weekly Famitsu has first details on SaGa: Scarlet Grace‘s characters and systems.

The PS Vita RPG follows four protagonists, each with different personalities and circumstances. Players will choose one from among them and travel the world. Depending on which protagonist you choose, the story will change significantly.

The four characters include:

Urpina A cheerful young woman who, while a little air-headed, has a strong sense of justice. She was born to the Uranius family, a samurai nobility, but she has yet to master the secrets of dual sword techniques. Leonard A young man and farmer who can skillfully handle farming tools and devices. He is quiet and unapproachable. One day, he hears a collapsed woman living in the village muttering about “going to Ai-Khanoum,” so he sells his land and heads for the legendary city of Ai-Khanoum in her place. Taria A woman potter. In dealing with pottery, she notices that the distortions in the world are also causing distortions in her own creations. She decides to face those distortions head on and goes on a journey to understand their origin and identity. Balmaint A courtroom executioner. He carries out the executions when Sigfrey, the administrator of Cohan Castle, executes many people. When Sigfrey is arrested as a political opponent, it is Balmaint who is responsible for his execution. Sigfrey predicted that, “I will be resurrected seven times and justice will be served,” and was executed. So Balmaint goes on a journey to remove Sigfrey’s head seven times.

SaGa: Scarlet Grace uses a “free world system,” which means you’re free to do anything on the map. “Thousands” of events are being prepared, and the choices you select will significantly affect their development. There are no dungeons, but various things will occur on the world map instead.

In battle, your turn order is shown in a timeline on the bottom of the screen. You’ll be able to see what actions enemies will take. Up to five characters can be in a party and will share BP recovery each turn. Depending on how your characters are arranged, you may get bonus effects such as a status boost. There are nine types of weapons, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, but any weapon can be equipped to any character. Sparks are also in the game.

In an interview with the magazine, SaGa series creator Akitoshi Kawazu shared a few additional tidbits:

The game is about 30 to 60 hours for a single playthrough.

It’s close to SaGa Frontier since the story changes significantly per character

You’ll have more than six allies at the start of the game. Everyone you meet in the story can become an ally.

Even if a character’s LP becomes zero, the character will not disappear.

While there are no plans for a demo release, there are plans for public hands-on events.

SaGa: Scarlet Grace is due out for PS Vita in Japan on December 15. If you missed it yesterday, catch the prologue outline and latest trailer here.

Thanks, Hachima Kikou.