New Nintendo DS title lets you play Doc

TOKYO--With a stylus in their hands, some developers can't help but think "scalpel." Hot on the heels of Atlus' announcement of its Nintendo DS surgery simulator Caduceus, Japanese developer Spike has announced its own medical/surgery DS game. Playfully titled Tendo Dokuta, the title is billed as an adventure game that features anime-style graphics and, of course, it uses the handheld's touch screen to examine, then cut up, patients.

Tendo Dokuta follows an ER-style storyline: a young intern named Dokuta Tendo (Dokuta is a Japanese first name that happens to sound like the English word "doctor"; his last name is written with the last two kanji characters of the word Nintendo) is lacking in experience but is determined to save the life of his patients. Since he has just graduated from a mediocre medical school and doesn't have much to offer except for hard work, he must heed the advice of senior medical staff. What's more, the hospital that he has been assigned to is one of the best, so there are a lot of patients with serious problems.

The basic gameplay of Tendo Dokuta centers around examining patients and writing up charts so that you can diagnose their illness and perform an appropriate surgery. During examination, you can talk to your patients by dragging and dropping their chart onto them, which will make them explain the details about their illness. You can also drag and drop the chart onto other doctors, who might give you new information or useful items that will help in diagnosing your patient.

Aside from talking to your patients, you can examine them by bringing them to a hospital bed and performing physical examinations with the use of the handheld's touch-sensitive screen; if the patient reacts with pain, that's the area with the problem. Once you diagnose your patient's illness, you'll perform surgery, which again is done by using the touch-sensitive screen. You'll use your stylus as your knife to cut open the patient, and you'll need to be accurate and decisive for operations that are life threatening.

The game's official Japanese Web site went live today. A release date has not yet been set for the title, but it seems to be in the advanced stages of production.