Sega’s mech combat series Cyber Troopers Virtual-On will return to game consoles in 2018 with the release of A Certain Magical Virtual-On, a crossover with the Japanese light novel series A Certain Magical Index, Sega announced this week.
A Certain Magical Virtual-On appears to be a narrative-focused spinoff of the Virtual-On series, according to a translation of the news from Gematsu, though high-speed mech combat will still be the game’s focus. Characters from A Certain Magical Index will see their supernatural abilities complemented by the mechs, called Virtuaroids, of Virtual-On.
The PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita game will be written by A Certain Magical Index author Kazuma Kamachi.
Publisher Dengeki Bunko and Sega collaborated on a Virtual-On/A Certain Magical Index crossover in the light novel series in 2016. The companies have also worked together on a fighting game starring Dengeki Bunko characters, Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax. The 2D fighter featured featured A Certain Magical Index characters Kuroko Shirai and Mikoto Misaka.
Sega’s Virtual-On series started in 1996 with the release of the arcade game Cyber Troopers Virtual-On. The most recent entry in the franchise, Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Marz, was released on PlayStation 2 in 2003 and later re-released for PlayStation 3.