Koei developing Wii RPG

Though the Wii has become popular on the strength of its party, sports, and adventure titles, the console isn't exactly well-represented in the role-playing genre. This week, though, Koei announced its intention to change that--in Japan, anyway.

At a Tokyo press conference, the Dynasty Warriors publisher announced it had hired Arte Piazza, a studio founded by former staffers on the Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy series, to develop an all-new Wii RPG. Titled Opoona, the game is set to ship this summer in Japan, with releases elsewhere to be determined.

According to an English-language fact sheet issued by Koei, Opoona is a "lifestyle RPG" set on the fictional planet Landroll. It will require the player, as the titular character, to interact with non-player characters while holding down a job. Said profession will allow Opoona to explore the various colonies on Landroll in order to find his missing brother and sister and help his hospitalized parents. Images from the game indicate it will have a very Japanese, cartoonish visual style, with gameplay centering on "Active Bonbon Battles" that will have the hero pelt opponents with "Energy Bonbons."

GameSpot will have more details on Opoona as they become available.