This week’s Dengeki PlayStation (via Hachima Kikou) has revealed some very interesting tidbits for the newly announced Valkyria: Azure Revolution.

The news comes via an interview with game director Takeshi Ozawa and chief producer Youichi Shimosato, who confirmed the game has permadeath, among other things.

“We’ve talked about this quite a lot, but now there is a theme of death,” said Ozawa. “If a character doesn’t die, there isn’t any fear put upon the player. So we’ve taken this risk.”

“We’re working on a story for all the characters, including side-character events and the like, so we want players to be encouraged to not kill anyone,” said Shimosato.

“The main story will progress, however events pertaining to those characters will be gone,” said Ozawa when asked if a character dies prior to story events. “Coming from this, just like in Valkyria Chronicles, you can try again. We want those who put in the effort to be able to experience all events.”

Ozawa talked up the game’s difficulty. “There are challenges in the game that we are considering without making them too easy. We do plan to include something akin to an easy mode, for those needing help with challenging scenarios.”

The pair discussed the game’s demo, and how it’s coming a bit earlier than usual. “We previously released demos right before a game’s launch, because of this any feedback we received had no real impact on our development,” said Shimosato. “That’s why now we’re releasing a demo earlier with the hope of making the game even better. We want to develop it with the fans.”

Ozawa cautioned for those expecting something being released in an unfinished state. “Please don’t misunderstand, this is not a beta release. The hope is to win you over right away.”

“We’re calling it a ‘Battle Demo’ because it’ll give you a taste of the new LeGION battle system. We’re also including leveling elements, so you can get a feel of progression,” said Ozawa.

Valkyria: Azure Revolution is launching for PlayStation 4 in Japan sometime next winter.