Square Enix London Studios (formerly Eidos and now a part of Square Enix Europe) announced late yesterday that the sequel to the 2006 open-world action game Just Cause will be releasing in late March in North America, EMEA (Europe, Middle East Africa) and Australasia regions on the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

Just Cause 2 is being developed by Avalanche Studios (which handled the first game), and features an open-world play space comprising 1000Km² (or 400miles²) set on the South East Asian island of Panau, with a diverse number of locations such as “[s]now-capped mountains, sun-kissed beaches, dense jungle and arid deserts.” That’s one huge island!

In Just Cause 2, you play as one Rico Rodriguez, supposedly “the Agency’ most powerful weapon,” who must infiltrate the island’s military regime to track down his former boss and mentor, Tom Sheldon, a rogue agent who has stolen intelligence and millions of Agency cash.

Rodriguez will have access to “a unique grapple and parachute combination” which allows him to climb anywhere and jump off of anything – the sky almost literally is the limit.

This freedom has the potential to allow players to tackle missions in almost any way they can think off, with provided gameplay examples such as grappling a passing plane, hijacking helicopters, and BASE jumping off of buildings and mountains, while over 100 vehicles and “countless upgrades and collectibles” extend this freedom of movement and ability.

General Manager of Square Enix London Studios, Lee Singleton said of Just Cause 2:

“Just Cause 2 offers the freedom to explore and tackle the world in any way you choose. The grapple and the parachute mechanic will change the way you play open-world games, allowing players to be in the air in seconds, tackling missions from above and using the aerial advantage.

“If you prefer to stay on solid ground, the choices offered by the grapple are limited only by your imagination.”

Just Cause 2 releases on March 23rd in North America, and March 26th in EMEA and Australasia regions, on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

You can watch the grapple and parachute combination in action in a developer walkthrough below, and watch a previously released trailer for Just Cause 2 while you’re at it:

Mechanics Walkthrough

No Ordinary Mission Trailer