Blue Dragon goes real-time for DS

Clearly it was going to have to undergo some changes for its release on Nintendo's handheld, but until now we had no idea what developers Mistwalker and Feel Plus had in mind for the rumoured Blue Dragon on DS.

But according to scans that have cropped up online, taken from the latest issue of Japan's Shounen Jump magazine, Blue Dragon DS will be an RPG with a real-time battle system.

Fans of the original Xbox 360 game will be pleased to know the characters appear to be the same, with Shu again in the lead role. These characters are also still accompanied by their shadows which, according to reports, play an even bigger role in battle.

The screenshots so far revealed look very pretty, and the game appears to feature high quality cut-scenes in between battles (as it did on Xbox 360).

Blue Dragon DS is down for release in Japan some time in March 2008. With Dragon Quest IX and Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings due here next year, too, it's going to be a big year for RPG fans on DS. Although, of course, there's not much chance Europe will get Blue Dragon until much later in the year.