Archime-DS Revealed

via ign

"Remember, this is never, ever a single-player game," states the official website for Archime-DS, launched this week in preparation for an official unveiling of the project soon. The odd little "game," if we can call it that, is created by small development upstart Route 24, led by former Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG team member turn Chibi Robo director Kenichi Nishi. With his track record, we can see why the quirky undertaking is already raising eyebrows, even if nobody quite understands what it's all about.

Archime-DS purportedly puts a fresh spin on the classic Japanese Game Oogiri. The game's website offers a slightly deeper explanation. "In this game, the leader poses a question or challenge that the players try to answer within the time limit. Answers are revealed and everyone awards points to players with the best answers."

It goes on to state: "Since there are no rules or pre-defined questions, Archime-DS is an excellent tool to sharpen your wit, brush up your comedy skills and showcase your sense of humor. It's also a great way to get your creative juices flowing -- use it as a group brainstorming tool for new ideas." The title is designed to be played by up to four players, but, again, never alone.

With all due respect, couldn't the same results be gained from a standard PictoChat connection, software available with every DS sold? We'll wait until more on the game is revealed until we pass judgment because, frankly, Nishi has not disappointed yet.

I read on another site this game is going to be priced very cheaply, like around $10. The developers aren't trying to pass this off as some major title. It's just a niche title they felt like developing as a side project. Nothing more.