Today Idea Factory International announced a western release date of the upcoming shipgirl-focused game Azur Lane: Crosswave.
The game will launch on February 13 on Steam both in North America and Europe, while the PS4 version will have staggered releases by regions. North America will get it on February 13 as well, while European players will have to wait for February 21 to play the game on Sony’s console.
Neptune from the Hyperdimension Neptunia (which shouldn’t be confused with Azur Lane’s own Neptune) series will also be made available as a day-one free DLC for a month after each release date.
During the first week the game will be discounted by 20%, while a 10% permanent discount will be applied to the DLC Bundle, Deluxe Bundle, and Complete Bundle.
The Deluxe Pack includes:
- PC Wallpapers (x5 designs available in 1280×720, 1600×1900, 1920×1080)
- Soundtrack (x16 tracks, the list is in the gallery)
- Azur Lane: Crosswave Desktop Theme
last, but not least, a few more shipgirls have been introduced with related screenshots:
Neptune (Hyperdimension Neptunia)
Neptune is the CPU of Planeptune, a nation in Gamindustri. She was summoned to this world for some reason. Her happy-go-lucky attitude and overall personality are set to full throttle as usual. She has visited many worlds and dimensions before, and this time, it looks like she’s teaming up with the girls of this world in order to offer them her full support.
Takao
A core member of the Sakura Empire who holds a simple, yet strong front, just like a samurai. She isn’t particularly interested in trends and can rarely be seen talking about such matters. She goes about her daily life being relied upon by many as a peer to Atago, and is also found acting as a mentor. Takao is on the opposite spectrum of Atago, often found being pushed around by her words, but it’s not like she has a problem with Atago; at the very core, they are great friends.
Nagato
Nagato looks towards the future of the Sakura Empire as the Miko, the most heralded position handling the most important of rituals. She is concerned that she lacks the experience when it comes to politics in comparison to older members, such as Akagi, but that also means she has admiration towards her seniors. She was sternly trained to become the flagship for the Sakura Empire, which has made her grow more powerful than before. The Joint Military Exercise is being conducted under Nagato’s will, and despite the event’s unforeseeable future, Nagato is accepting the challenges to come.
Bismarck
Bismarck is the leader of the Iron Blood fleet, but she disappeared from the frontline after the official battle against Hood and Rodney of the Royal Navy. She’s kept a watchful eye on the Sirens since they appeared, and was somehow able to gain access to the Siren’s technology. She’s calm and generally keeps to herself, so some mistake her as being cold-blooded, but, on the contrary, she is very passionate. She didn’t want the Iron Blood to get involved with the Joint Military Exercise, but Kaga and Bismarck’s younger sister convinced her to take part. What Bismarck will experience from the event is yet to be understood…
Ikazuchi
A part of the Sakura Empire, Ikazuchi is one of the twin sisters forming their fleet of destroyers. She can be told apart from her twin sister, Inazuma, by her distinct reddish hair. She’s quite precocious, and often tries to act mature using difficult words and terminologies. She has a habit of saying “I see,” but oftentimes she misconceives what she assumes to understand, and ends up being wrong. Because of this, her conversation with Inazuma usually end in complete disarray. It’s best to not think too deep of what Ikazuchi says. She is participating in the Joint Military Exercise to represent the twins.
Ise
A very masculine member of the Sakura Empire. She is able to carry the heaviest of armaments with ease, but her battle prowess is a bit excessive in this peaceful world. The Joint Military Exercise is viewed as an “Exercise” by Ise, so she’s taking the event quite casually. Too bad for her, since a certain incident will occur that will test Ise’s mettle!
Indianapolis
A member of Eagle Union and younger sister to Portland. She has tanned skin, long pink hair, and heterochromic eyes. Not only does she look gentle, but her personality is gentle too, unlike her older sister. She dons defensive armaments, and specializes in support. She is a bit concerned over her older sister, but in general, she places full trust in her. She’s looking forward to meeting others from the participating nations, and is proud that Portland is able to participate in the event.
If you want to learn more about Azur Lane: Crosswave, you should definitely read the interview we pubished a few weeks ago, in which Compile Heart President Norihisa Kochiwa talks in depth about the project. You can also check out more shipgirls revealed a few days ago, a second batch, a third one, and a fourth.
If you’re unfamiliar with Azur Lane, it’s is a free-to-play mobile horizontal scrolling shooter/RPG hybrid currently available for iOS and Android.
If you’re curious about the franchise’s popularity in Japan, you can check out my report about the recent anniversary event that pretty much literally invaded Akihabara.
