Wizard of Oz spellbinds US DSs this fall

Although the iconic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz debuted in the US, the same can't be said for the DS adaptation, which first hit Japan last December under the anagram name Riz-Zoawd. However, the publisher Xseed Games announced today that the game would finally reach North America this fall. Under the new title The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road, this DS-exclusive role-playing game will chronicle the adventures of the ruby-footed heroine once she reaches the end of the famous colored pathway.

"Everyone knows the story of how Dorothy arrived in Oz, but this is a unique interpretation on what happened afterwards," said Xseed president Jun Iwasaki.

Although the game may take some creative liberties, gamers will notice that not everything has changed. The core cast of characters--Scarecrow, Tin Man, the Lion, and Toto--has remained intact, though the game features a new, original soundtrack and four evil witches (rather than two). Moreover, the game features a novel stylus-controlled trackball that commands Dorothy's direction and speed, as outlined in GameSpot's 2008 Tokyo Game Show coverage of the Japanese edition.