New Pokémon games unveiled
All three for the DS.
Three new Pokémon games are in development for the DS, according to reports in Japanese magazine, Comic Korokoro.
Nintendo's monster-catching franchise will gain Pokémon Torouze, Pokémon: Fushigi no Dungeon Blue and Pokémon Rangers, all of slightly different genres and to be released separately within the next 18 months.
Puzzle-based title, Pokémon Torouze (loose translation: Get Pokémon) is the closest to completion, with a Japanese release date of October 20th. The main story mode has players taking the role of Lucy Lightfoot, who has to save the pocket monsters from a malevolent organisation via puzzle battles.
The objective is to erase falling puzzle pieces by vertically or horizontally matching the same kinds together. Each piece is shaped in the form of a Pokémon's face, with over 380 to collect by erasing them, to fill a specific quota given by the game. Both screens on the DS will be used to show the whole field of play.
Dungeon role-playing title, Pokémon: Fushigi no Dungeon Blue, will be the next game to follow, released in Japan this winter. While there are few specific details, it is expected to be an RPG with randomly generated dungeon maps, akin to Chunsoft's popular Fushigi no Dungeon RPG series. A Game Boy Advance version, Pokémon: Fushigi no Dungeon Red, is also expected to launch around the same time.
The final game revealed is Pokémon Rangers, an action-RPG in which players assume control of the titular Ranger, fighting to protect nature and wildlife by using Pokémon. The title is planned to interact with other forthcoming DS games, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, both of which will release just after Rangers, at an unspecified date next year. The action-RPG is also said to have a connection to 2006's Pokémon movie and anime series in Japan.
Pokémon Torouze, Pokémon: Fushigi no Dungeon Blue, and Pokémon Rangers all currently have no confirmed European or US release dates, but mid to late 2006 seems a fair guess.
