Japanese-style role-playing games are hardly a rare commodity, offering players all the big hair and surfboard-sized swords they can handle. Japanese-style real time tactical RPGs on the other hand, not so much, though this is exactly how little known Montreal dev Studio Archcraft describes its long-in development Project Exile, which was this week picked up by publisher Graffiti Entertainment for release next year.

The JRTTRPG was originally announced several years ago as Black Sigil, and in 2004 was planned for release on the then-hopping GBA, though the project was eventually moved to Nintendo's touchable DS handheld, which we assume is its current platform of choice, but really who can be certain? A press release announcing the game's continued existence simply states that it's expected to ship for "a major video game system" in the first quarter of 2008. Honestly Archcraft, why all the mystery? Still, the game's early screenshots give off a warm Alundra feel, which is cause enough to keep this one on the ol' radar.

[Via press release]