Developer Vanillaware has a special place in the heart of 2D-loving gamers, with past titles like Odin Sphere, GrimGrimoire and Muramasa: The Demon Blade under their belt. Next up is the turn-based RPG Grand Knights History, which XSEED Games has announced for a North American PSP release this winter.

XSEED Games President, Jun Iwasaki, had the following to say about the announcement: "Vanillaware is renowned for their beautiful and striking hand-drawn 2D graphics, and with its stunning visuals and strategic gameplay, Grand Knights History will be a must-have for all PSP owners with a taste for deep, engrossing RPGs."

Grand Knights History takes place in Listia, a land plagued by conflict, with three nations vying for continental domination. Players must choose an allegiance with one of the three factions, then progress through offline questing and "intense 30-hour online skirmishes." The customization is deep, with everything from race, sex, appearance, job class, sub-class and weapon type freely alterable for every team member. 

The RPG will be available both on UMD disc and as a download through the PlayStation Store. Grand Knights History will also be released in Europe through Rising Star Games.