PixelJunk Monsters menacing PSN

In September, Q-Games released the first installment in its PixelJunk line of downloadable titles to the PlayStation 3's PlayStation Network, PixelJunk Racers. In a recent post to Sony's PlayStation Blog, Q-Games president and executive producer Dylan Cuthbert revealed the first details on PixelJunk Monsters, the second downloadable offering from the Kyoto, Japan-based developer and one of the first real-time strategy games to grace the PlayStation 3.

While PixelJunk Monsters will contain many traditional elements of a Western-style classic RTS, Cuthbert noted that the game is being tailored to appeal especially to Eastern audiences. "RTSs are historically controlled by a roving cursor (either a mouse or an analogue controller), and right from the start, I decided to take that away and replace it with a cute character you control," says Cuthbert.

Players will attempt to protect their bases from encroaching enemies by building and upgrading towers across more than 20 different map layouts. Cuthbert also noted that the game will feature "meticulously hand-drawn 2D art instead of 3D-modeled graphics" in an attempt to "re-create the feel of some of those [pre-PlayStation era] classics." Not entirely an ode to the past, the game will also feature online rankings, single and cooperative play, Dual Shock 3 support, and PSP remote play.

While the game has not yet been priced, Cuthbert notes it will retail for approximately the equivalent of "1.5 beers." PixelJunk Monsters is slated to arrive on the PSN in January.