The Phantasy Star Nova demo will be releasing on August 12th, 2014 at the Japanese PlayStation Store. The demo will feature a battle against the Gigantes "Agrios" and support Ad-Hoc gameplay with up to 4 players.
Phantasy Star Nova will be releasing for the PlayStation Vita on November 27th, 2014.
Phantasy Star Nova
For now, here's a fairly short article that briefly touches upon base customization and a newly revealed Gigantes.
Gigantes Alcyone
Gigantes "Alcyone" (Alkyone) is quite different from the ones we've seen so far. It's a floating octopus with the ability to regenerate its tentacles. It has several tricks up its arsenal like smokescreens, flamethrowers, and timebombs.
Customizable Base
Though it starts out rather empty, the player can use the Gran they've gathered to develop various facilities around the base; for example, a Beauty Salon.
New Characters
Phantasy Star Nova, releasing later this year, will feature new aspects never before seen in Phantasy Star Online 2. With a new class and new weapon types, players will get to experience the thrill of battling the Gigantes on the ground and in the air. Famitsu got their hands on a demo which will release in August at the Japanese PlayStation Store. Parts of the information within this article are gathered from Famitsu's personal experience and magazine articles. All screenshots and renders below are press materials and are not from the demo.
Busters are an all-purpose class that can wield a wide variety of weapons, including halos and piles. "Piles" are harpoon-like weapons with a "stake" attached to the end, that are fired into the enemy's skin. Attacking the location where the stake landed will allow players to deal heavy damage. However, one negative aspect about these weapons are their slow attack speeds. So it might be best to switch to a sword to drive in the stakes directly.
Halos are another new weapon type that have an interesting new feature. Not only can they do long distance attacks, but they can also create scaffolds in the air to let players ascend to new heights.
The Gigantes is a biomechanical beast that fires missiles and bullets as it approaches. Considering that its armor is strong, you'll have to focus on its weakpoints that emit a yellow light. Attacking those locations can break off the armor exposing a wider vulnerable area. Hammering in the stakes around the weakpoint can also deal heavy damage.