Gaming News - August 2006

Redwood City, CA (August 23, 2006) - Konami today released new details on Lunar Knights for the DS.

From Konami:

The first Nintendo DS� game from Kojima Productions, Lunar Knights is an epic vampire hunting RPG featuring a unique night and day mechanic that lets players hunt down the armies of the undead around the clock using two playable characters.

Lunar Knights is set in a bleak future which mixes Gothic and sci-fi elements to portray a world overrun by bloodthirsty vampires. The two heroes – Lucian, a lunar-enhanced warrior of the night, and Aaron, a gun-toting fighter powered by the rays of the sun – must work together using their unique abilities to eradicate the dark threat.

During the course of the game, the top screen is used for the ‘paraSOL’ system which shows day passing into night. This mechanic introduces an innovative internal time system that cycles between night and day and generates real-time weather effects, granting additional power to each character’s unique abilities while impacting the types of enemies the two heroes encounter on their journey. The changing conditions have a major effect on the events in the game’s action, shown on the bottom screen of the Nintendo DS, with Lucian more powerful at night and Aaron growing stronger during the day. This system adds a layer of depth and strategy to the gameplay, where players must decide whether Lucian’s sword will be of more use during daylight hours or opting to use Aaron’s projectile weapons when he is weaker at night.

As the pair explore Lunar Knights’ levels they are accompanied by one of six Terrennials – elemental guardians that will help them find their way through the environment and also offer assistance in battle. Summoned via the Nintendo DS touch screen and microphone, players can unleash the unique power of their Terrennial in the form of ‘Burst Attacks,’ wherein specific movements will create elemental attacks to devastate the armies of the undead.

The gameplay of Lunar Knights is heavily element-based and made up of Sol, Dark, Flame, Ice, Wind and Earth. The enemies Lucian and Aaron encounter will also share these attributes, while two of the Terrennials (Nero and Toasty) can also embody these elements and transform the heroes into more advanced enhanced forms. This transformation is done via a ‘TRC Meter’ which is filled with every monster the pair dispatches. When the bar is full, a TRC button can be pressed in the Nintendo DS touch screen, transforming the chosen hero into their Dark Lucian or Sol Aaron alter-egos.

After defeating the game’s bosses, Lunar Knights sees the pair take flight in their Casket Rocket to dispose of their enemies’ undead remains. Through intense 3D space shooting levels, players will be able to use the Nintendo DS touch screen to guide their ship and unleash an explosive arsenal on their enemies. These stages get increasingly harder as the game progresses, requiring pixel perfect movement and fast reactions of the player. Terrennials can also be used on the Casket Rocket, giving the ship new abilities and attacks for dispatching Lucian and Aaron’s outer space adversaries.

Lunar Knights features a unique multiplayer mode, letting up to four players compete with just one game cartridge. Each player will engage in combat with the other characters, taking part in a fast-paced battle royale to see who can emerge victorious with the most combat points.