Developed by Gust, Mana Khemia 2: Fall of Alchemy is of course the sequel to Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis. New subjects have been added to Al-Revis Academy's curriculum, and two new students share the focus of the story, Ulrika the alchemy student and Raze the combat student, each with their own story to play through. One can expect entertaining turn-based RPG combat and tons of detail-intensive alchemy recipes to collect and create.

The game is hitting the PlayStation 2 on August 25th, and NIS America is packaging it in a premium box, seen here, along with a double-sided poster and the game's soundtrack.

The first Mana Khemia stands as one of my favorite roleplaying games for the PlayStation 2, so I'm barely exaggerating when I say I am awaiting this release surrounded by an ever-increasing puddle of drool. Check out the promo trailer at the link below while I fetch some paper towels.

Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! and Mana Khemia 2 [PlayStation Blog]

The first Mana Khemia took a bit of a hit in the ratings for being long-winded. But with screens this pretty, I may not mind sitting through long, tedious conversations half so much. At least as long as they're not about homework, that is.

Mana Khemia 2: Fall of Alchemy will also feature a different type of turn-based battle system where you can switch both attackers and supports in and out of combat. There are over 100 items to craft in the game and two separate story lines for the main characters.

The game is due to land on North American PlayStation 2s in the Fall of this year. Here are some screens: