Valkyria: Azure Revolution is rapidly approaching release in Japan. In preparation for the impending launch, Sega has announced the release of the Valkyria: Azure Revolution Battle Demo Ver 2.0. This demo serves as an incremental update to the initial version, which launched earlier this year.

The Battle Demo Ver 2.0 will be available from October 6, exclusively in Japan. Access will be restricted to those who played Ver 1.0, or those who obtained a download code from the TGS show floor. Alternatively, participating in the upcoming promotional tour, or competing in a themed singing contest will provide access to the demo. This means that the player base will largely be restricted to earlier testers, and the overall pool of players will be limited. No plans have been announced to bring the demo to a wider audience.

The initial release of the Azure Revolution Battle Demo was met with a mixed response and sparked a great deal of feedback from the players. Much of this feedback has been addressed for the release of Ver 2.0, with Sega releasing a detailed list of improvements. Among the more significant changes are the addition of an Action Gauge to impose restrictions on movement and the addition of more than 10 playable characters. A range of minor changes were also implemented, including visual updates, item boxes and supply points, and a revision of the control scheme.

Azure Revolution initially met criticism from the fans for being a departure from the series’ roots. The Valkyria Chronicles franchise has been firmly rooted in the strategy-RPG genre, so the more dynamic, action-based combat of Azure Revolutions initially threw many fans off. If the list of improvements is any indication, many steps have been made to slow the combat down, bringing it more in line with its predecessors. For example, one of the key points is “The generally busy game tempo has been modified to a ‘Time to Think’ game tempo.”

Valkyria: Azure Revolution is currently slated to launch for both the PS4 and Vita on January 19 in Japan. There is no word yet on a western release.