Booth Tours and Updates
We got a quick look at the DS lineup, starting with Elebits: Aventures of Kai and Zero. The new game is hardly a sequel to the strange gravity-manipulation game that graced the Wii's launch.
Instead, this is an overhead view action-adventure title that uses the touch screen. You must force the titular Elebits creatures from their hiding places and then tap them quickly before a timer runs out to collect them. Don't count on this title appealing to the exact same audience as the original, but if there's some solid level design to follow through, the format may work.
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia was undeniably the bigger of the two handheld offerings. While some have grown weary of these retreads of the same foundation laid so long ago by Symphony of the Night, Konami does really put in the effort to refine and rethink the gameplay each time.
Shanoa is a very different character, and attacks are now entirely magic-based, using "glyphs" that can be absorbed and equipped. Some of these effects are projectile-based; others simply produce weapon effects like swords. You can equip one in each hand, with an action button for each, allowing you to whip out combo attacks. Despite the overall structure of the game being well-trodden territory, Shonoa plays differently enough to keep the series fresh.
By
Travis Fahs
CCC
Game Journalist
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