Idea Factory has announced Spectral Force Radical Elements, the newest installment in its long-running series of strategy RPGs. Taking place 400 years before the 1st Neverland War, the game's stage will be the small kingdom of Oltaded. Following a declaration of war by Rafarm, Oltaded seeks assitance from Milria, the country of the birdmen.

The game's protagonist will be Tonaty, the young king of Oltaded. The female lead is his childhood friend and court magician Tiria Levistan, grand daughter of the great magician Galena. Tiria has inherited a mysterious book from her grandmother, which contains all the knowledge of black magic. Adler Awis is a conservative birdman general from Milria. Some people even call him a radical. He has a weakness for girls. Dora Van Delnk is a maid with an excellent memory and an in-depth knowledge of the secretive activities going on in Tonaty's kingdom. She loves to drink tea with Tiria. Draxes Van Kurer is the king of Rafarm. Following the assassination of his predecessor, he becomes king of Rafarm and due to his excellent handling of the country's internal affairs, has received tremendous support from his people.

The game is split up in organization and battle portions. During the former you have to organize and improve the strength of your troops and strengthen your country's position. This is crucial to the game's progress, since the strength of your units in battle is determined by your country's overall strength. After a victorious battle, players have to collect "elements". Those "elements" differ from war funds and experience points, and are required for the creation of troops and commanders, construction of buildings and development of new technologies. Various buildings have different effects on the strength of your country. For instance, a magic stone refinery will improve your country's magic power and in turn the effectiveness of your magicians in battle. In battle, two armies of up to 1,000 soldiers each can fight against each other. When certain criteria are met, events will occur during the battles. When moving on the battlefield it is also possible to construct castles and fortresses.

Spectral Force Radical Elements will be available in Japan on August 19th. The standard version will carry retail price of 6,800 yen ($62.10 USD), while the limited edition will cost 8,800 yen ($80.36 USD).

• GameWatch