While Deus Ex: Mankind Divided might've had the better (and infinitely more bizarre) viral campaign, the existence of Star Ocean 5 was the more exciting announcement made by Square Enix over the past few weeks - at least for hardcore Japanese RPG fans. It's been almost six years since Star Ocean: The Last Hope, the most entry in the series, hit the Xbox 360; since then, there's been nary a peep regarding tri-Ace's long-running sci-fi RPG series, leading many fans to believe that the franchise was dead in the water.

Fear not, true believers. Thanks to a mysterious website (and some leaked information, courtesy of the Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu), gamers now know that Star Ocean 5, or Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, is on its way to both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. For many fans, that's enough, but Famitsu isn't stopping there. Thanks to the legendary publication, Star Ocean aficionados have gotten their first taste of the game's story and characters.

As previously revealed, Star Ocean 5 takes place on a planet called Feycreed, where a conflict is brewing within the Galactic Federation. As Star Ocean 5's prologue says, "the deep abyss of space doesn’t allow for peace of mankind," before going on to elaborate:

It’s been several centuries since leaving behind Earth, and the humans that surpassed countless struggles have created the “Galactic Federation,” with the hope of obtaining unified order and peace.

However, flames of new war have begun to ignite anew.

That's still fairly vague; thankfully, Famitsu also introduced readers to two of Star Ocean 5's main characters, which helps fills in some of the blanks. Star Ocean 5's protagonist is named Fidel Camus, the "most well-known swordsman throughout all of Reslia Kingdom," who uses his skills to protect Starl Village, the town where he grew up. Miki Sorvesta joins Fidel as a healer; the two grew up together, and have a brother and sister-type relationship.

Starl Village is part of Vesteel, Feycreed's largest continent, and home to the sprawling Reslia Kingdom. As Star Ocean 5 begins, a 300-year peace is slowly crumbling, leading residents to refer to the past few years as "the Seven Years of Darkness." Technologically, Feycreed resembles Earth in the 15^th and 16^th century, with the addition of both wind power and magic.

Combat remains mysterious, although Famitsu claims that the mechanics (particularly outside of boss fights) will stay faithful to previous Star Ocean games. Screenshots depict Fidel and an unknown warrior facing off against a group of skeleton warriors, as well as Fidel and Miki taking on a group of bandits.

In addition to the plot details, Famitsu has released a collection of new screenshots. Star Ocean 5 is still in early production, so expect more information - and a release date - as development continues.

Star Ocean 5 is currently under development for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4.

Source: Famitsu by way of Siliconera