Forever Blue Details

via ign

Ever since Nintendo first showed off footage of its mysterious Wii title Forever Blue, we've all been curious about the title's premise. Early videos showed scuba divers swimming deep underneath the sea and interacting with a variety of fish, some deadlier than others.

Sources tell IGN Wii that the game is being developed out of Japan by Arika. A little research on our part revealed that Arika is no stranger to underwater-based videogames. In fact, the studio released Everblue and Everblue 2 for PlayStation 2 in 2001 and 2002 respectively. Both games look very similar to Forever Blue for Wii. Indeed, we'd be willing to wager that the upcoming Wii title is very likely a direct sequel, if not an enhanced port.

Arika's official website features a brief description of the titles, which can be found right here.

IGN reviewed a copy of Everblue 2 on PS2 three years ago. The title scored a 5.7 and was described as an underwater action game with RPG elements. Apparently the effort presents a realistic and sometimes-beautiful scuba diving experience, but comes up short on story and character progression. Here is a description of the PS2 games from our sister site:

"Explore the Magic of Deep-Sea Diving. Follow heroes Leo and Zucco as they explore the truth behind tales of the Caribbean's Bermuda Triangle and Coral Reef inthis expansive underwater role-playing adventure. Uncover the sea's mysteries, as you freely explore sunken treasure ships, play with dolphins and other underwater sea life, wander the great Coral Sea and avoid shark attacks."

Nintendo has not officially confirmed that Wii's Forever Blue is related, but considering Arika's history, we don't see how it couldn't be.

It's worth noting that Arika has worked on other projects, including everything from Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha for PlayStation to Mega Man Network Transmission for GameCube.

More information as it becomes available.