Freedom Wars: PS Vita exclusive previewed in Famitsu, 8-player battles confirmed

Freedom Wars developer Sony Japan Studio has discussed the ins and outs of its PS Vita exclusive with Famitsu. The game formally known as 'Panopticon' will support eight-player squads and a slew of augmented reality functions.

You can watch the game's official reveal trailer here, which confirms a 2014 release date.

Reporting on the pages of Famitsu, Polygon confirmed that Freedom Wars is set in a dystopian future where humans live in walled-off 'Panopticon' cities, where they must live out a million-year prison sentence from birth, as a way of controlling population numbers.

To reduce their sentence and earn penance, citizens must help save other humans from beasts known as Abductors, and together you and a customisable robot sidekick - called an 'Accessory' - must fight to earn your freedom. An Accessory is a lot like a Pawn in Dragon's Dogma, and it can be tailored ot fit your play-style and strategies.

Battles take place in a similar real-time fashion to Monster Hunter or Soul Sacrifice, and the emphasis is on saving humans, rather than simply slaying monsters. Augmented reality will also play some part in the fights, but it's not yet clear how.

What do you think? Sounding good? Let us know below.