Kadokawa Games announced the release date of Relayer, a new simulation RPG from the team behind God Wars: Future Past. The game will come out on February 17, 2022, in Japan for PS4/PS5. The game will support English, Japanese, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Korean, and Traditional Chinese. The worldwide release date is yet to be announced.

You can check out the brand-new gameplay trailer below (Japanese-language only).

Relayer is a new mech SRPG with a turn-based battle system that centers around tactically maneuvering the units of different mech types and jobs, along with a hate system that visualizes how likely each unit will get targeted by enemies.

The game takes place in the year 2051. While humanity’s expansion into outer space is in full swing, the Earth is in the midst of an invasion by mysterious extraterrestrial beings called Relayers. Synchronously, a group of “Starchildren” who possess special ability to use the planets’ gravity, have awakened. Ruins of an ancient, advanced civilization were also found.

The protagonist Terra, who is also a Star Child herself, will command the Stellar Gears, new anti-Relayer humanoid mechs designed for Starchildren, and Asterism, a test ship capable of interstellar navigation, to fight back against the Relayers who threaten the existence of the whole universe. The game features an epic SF story set in space, as well as characters based on Greek mythology.

Battles will take place on various planets including the Earth, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, and Europa. You’ll also visit locations such as giant satellites, ancient ruins, and debris fields. The battle maps are grid-based, but there’s an option to turn off the grid display for more immersion.

There are four mech types: Assault, Tank, Sniper, and Scout. Each type has different strengths and weaponry to choose from. Assault is a frontline soldier type that excels at melee combat. Tanks are defensive units, and they are the only mech type that is capable of equipping a shield. Snipers are midline units specialized in attacks using firearms. Scouts are support units that are good with healing allies and applying buffs/debuffs.

Some of the special attacks introduced in the new trailer are Big Bang, Backstab, and Overkill. Big Bangs are basically Ult abilities, and one of them is a wide-range attack that consumes the Big Bang gauge to deal massive damage to enemies. The gauge is shared by the entire squad, and it accumulates when one of the units attacks or takes damage.

Backstab is a pincer attack that can be performed by Assault and Tank units. Overkill is a one-hit-kill attack that can be performed by Snipers and Scouts. It is triggered at a certain rate and destroys the enemy with a single blow no matter the remaining HP.

There are six categories of weaponry: one-handed swords, two-handed swords, machine guns, rifles, bits, and shields. Weapons are customizable and upgradable. There’s also a progression system called Star Cube, in which you can choose from five different jobs depending on the mech type and unlock skills and abilities using job points acquired in battles. Each job offers different advantages.

Skills consist of active skills and passive skills. One of the active skills showcased in the new trailer is called Warp, which allows you to specify a location and move there instantly. Decoy and Super Decoy can summon a decoy with high hate parameter, so it can attract enemies and act as a diversion.

Expect more information to come out during TGS2021, as multiple appearances are scheduled at the event.

・Relayer official website (JP)

written by Ryuki Ishii

AUTOMATON WEST

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