Let's take a minute to chat about (and ogle) Ikenie to Yuki no Setsuna's gorgeous character designs

I'm looking forward to putting loads of games--new and old--through their paces in 2016, but one of the former that I'm especially keen on playing is Square Enix's throwback RPG known as Ikenie to Yuki no Setsuna.

There are a ton of reasons for my interest in this upcoming PS4 and Vita adventure, of course. One is that it features a Chrono Trigger-esque battle system. Another is that it takes place (at least partially) in a breathtakingly wintry setting.

I also love that the in-game versions of Ikenie to Yuki no Setsuna's many party members all boast what can only be described as "stubby feet" à la Bravely Default and Bravely Second. (And, no, I'm not kidding.)

Speaking of the game's color cast of characters, they're also among the reasons I can't wait for my retail copy to arrive on our doorstep shortly after Feb. 18.

Seriously, take a gander at the illustrations found throughout this post and then try to tell me you wouldn't kill to play through a title that stars such beauties.

Setsuna, the ponytailed "hero" and Kuon, above, are my favorites, I've got to say, but I'm also quite fond of Julion, Yomi and Keele (or Kiel).

If I were forced to choose a favorite of all Ikenie to Yuki no Setsuna's currently known party members, I'd probably go with Kuon.

How about you? Which one is your favorite?

Also, are any of you also chomping at the bit to play some iteration of this retro-tinged RPG in the coming year?

See also: 'Square Enix's beautiful throwback of an RPG, Ikenie to Yuki no Setsuna, will be mine sometime on or around Feb. 18'

Square Enix's beautiful throwback of an RPG, Ikenie to Yuki no Setsuna, will be mine (and yours, too?) sometime on or around Feb. 18

If you're anything like me, you slobbered all over Project Setsuna's first trailer, which made its debut during a Sony Japan event held in September.

What's happened in the two months since? Not a whole lot--again, if you're like me. Although maker Square Enix promised this breathtaking PS4 and Vita RPG would hit the streets of Japan "early next year," that was too far away for my puny little brain so I pushed its released onto the proverbial back burner until the date was a bit closer.

Admittedly, it's still three months away as I type this post, but at least now those of us who are interested in the game have a solid release date--Feb. 18--to focus on moving forward.

We also have a final name--Ikenie to Yuki no Setsuna, which I've been told translates to something like The Sorrow of Sacrifice and Snow--a retail price (4,800 yen, or about $39) and a cover illustration.

The only thing we're missing at the moment: a handy pre-order link. OK, so Play-Asia has a pair up on its site--here's the one for the PS4 version and here's the one for the Vita version--but I prefer to buy upcoming and current Japanese games via AmiAmi, so I'm waiting for it to allow pre-orders before finally biting the bullet (on the Vita iteration, naturally).

Are any of you planning to buy one or more copies of Ikenie to Yuki no Setsuna? Or are any of you hoping it'll cross the pond and find its way onto the store shelves in your neck of the woods?

If so, please let me and others who visit this blog know all about it in the comments section below when you have a free second or two.

So, who else is frothing at the mouth over 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Danganronpa 3, Project Setsuna and SaGa Scarlet Grace?

Why am I wasting my precious free time talking about the four games named in the header above? Because I think all of them look freaking amazing, that's why.

OK, so little has been shown of these in-the-works offerings--one of which, SaGa Scarlet Grace, is going to be a Vita-only affair, while the others are being prepped for both Vita and PS4--so far. Still, what was shown of them during the Sony Japan event held a couple of days ago really piqued my interest.

Speaking of which, here's the first trailer for 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, which is being made by Vanillaware (and published by Atlus, I believe):



And below is the teaser for the next entry in the Danganronpa series (which apparently will be called New Danganronpa V3):



As much as I like the "footage" shown above, it pales in comparison to what's found in the following video, which is of Square Enix's sure-to-be-renamed-sometime-soon Project Setsuna:



Project Setsuna is set to hit Japan sometime early next year, by the way, so keep your eyes peeled if you're even half as interested in it as I am at the moment.



Sadly, the brass at Square Enix seemingly aren't feeling as confident about their next SaGa title (SaGa Scarlet, and now a 2016 release), as the trailer above provides fans like me with a glimpse of the game's logo, two of what I'm assuming are its main characters and ... basically nothing else.

Despite the distinct lack of actual gameplay snippets in this quartet of videos, I'm still very much looking forward to learning more about the title they're supposed to promote.

How about you? Did any of these trailers "trip your trigger"? If so, which ones--and why?