Tsumuji Hands-on

While much of what was shown at Electronic Arts' pre-TGS event wasn't new, the company did unveil a new Nintendo DS action role-playing game called Tsumuji, which features the exploits of a young ninja growing up in a town filled with other ninjas. Think of it as something like Naruto, but with less angst and ramen.

Who's Making This Game: EA Japan.

What The Game Looks Like: The first thing that comes to mind looking at Tsumuji, which is also the name of the game's main character, is that it bears a strong visual resemblance to Nintendo's Phantom Hourglass. Indeed, even the main character, as well as some other characters encountered early in a tutorial level, shares that same visual style.

What There Is To Do: The first area in Tsumuji is meant to serve as a large-scale tutorial that helps you come to grips with the way you play the game. One of the very first things you'll do is earn your initial weapon, given to you by what appears to be one of your family members. This first weapon is a rock, and you use it by double-tapping at the intended target--in this case, a precariously placed plate located at the back of the room. Once it's smashed, you can go outside and learn a few more of Tsumuji's abilities--one of which is his ability to hide. By tapping on Tsumuji, you can get him to crouch, which in turn lets him hide in tall grass, and if you drag the stylus while he's like this, Tsumuji starts crawling along on his stomach. This becomes useful later in the area when you're tasked with having to listen in on a conversation without anyone knowing. To do this, you have to climb into a hole that leads under the floorboards of a house. Once inside, you have to slowly crawl to the area where the conversation is taking place, but if you move too fast, you generate too much sound and alert your intended targets.

We also had the chance to check out some other puzzle and action elements in the game. One section has you pushing and pulling statues so that they fit in their proper slots on the side of a small hill. Another puzzle requires you to find a specific item to remove a cow that's blocking the path into different sections of the town. Unfortunately, we didn't see much beyond that. As for battles, we didn't see much of those either aside from a quick duel with a mole that has been terrorizing a local garden. The only way the mole will appear is if you're hiding in the tall grass. Once he pokes his head out of the ground, you can bludgeon his head with a toss of the rock in your inventory. It's interesting to note that while fighting and confrontations are a part of the game, we've been told that it's also possible to avoid them entirely by using stealth.

How The Game Is Played: Tsumuji is completely controlled via the DS stylus and feels quite similar to Phantom Hourglass.

What We Say: If you're going to borrow visual and design elements from any other DS game, it might as well be Phantom Hourglass, and Tsumuji doesn't try to hide it. Where it differentiates itself is in the theme and how that extends to the gameplay. If the goal of the game is meant to convey the sense of being a ninja in training, it's heading in the right direction, but we're eager to see how these elements get fleshed out later in the game and if some of the scenarios become more complex.