The latest installment of Mana Khemia is heading to the PSP as well, this according to NIS America in a press release sent out today. According to the press wire, Mana Khemia: Student Alliance will be making its way to the PlayStation Portable on January of 2009.

The new title brings you back to the Al-Revis Academy, where your alchemic future begins. For this iteration, a wi-fi system is included so that you can play with your friends, as well as more synthesizable items. Also debuting in this version is the data installment features which installs part of the game onto the memstick to ensure faster load times.

Here, you play the student Vayne Aurelius, interacting with classmates and professors with the aim of completing academic quests.

Here's the list of key features, according to the press release:

• Multi-player - A co-op mode where you can battle monsters to get rare items
• Jump Start - Install part of the game on the memory stick to make loads faster
• Academic Quests - Players will take on quests that the professor assigns. If you fail your mission, you may have to stay after school. Also depending on who you work with for your assignments, the outcome of the story will change.
• Avatar Crafting - Personalize your characters by "crafting" skills and stats instead of just leveling up through combat. Crafting skills and stats allow the player to create unique characters like a warrior that excels in summoning magic or a magician that's an expert at snipe shooting.
• Item Crafting - A comprehensive item/ weapon crafting system. Create anything from healing potions to swords through alchemy.
• Team Crafting - Craft items using your team's recipe
• Symbol Encounters - No more random encounters. Visually confirm and engage enemies.

That's all the update there is for now on Mana Khemia: Student Alliance. But we do have screenshots for you to check out. Enjoy, and be sure to keep checking back here for more updates on this new RPG release.