Rondo of Swords brings move-and-slash to DS

US publisher Atlus has confirmed it will be bringing a new role-playing adventure to DS. The game, called Rondo of Swords, is described as a fantasy strategy RPG and is exclusive to the Nintendo console.

On the surface, the game admittedly sounds a bit on the familiar side, in no small part because its plot manages to encompass every single RPG staple: a sacred blade, a princess in peril, a kingdom in turmoil, yadda yadda.

Set in a land called Bretwalde, disaster has struck as its king has mysteriously died. Further bad news arrives for the people of Bretwalde when the neighbouring Grand Meir Empire invades their land to take the empty throne and quickly conquers its capital city. The only hope for the kingdom seems to be a lost sacred blade known as the Spanta and this, clearly, is where you step in.

The story then doesn't seem to offer much in the way of uniqueness, but hang on because the first screenshots and video of the game show it's looking quite lovely.

The action varies between 3D exploring and 2D side-scrolling sequences. The game also promises a unique combat system, which relies on you choosing an attack movement through enemies, and a Momentum Counter that allows you to both gain stat bonuses and control who your enemies target.

A deep party management system will let you send spare members of your party off to run errands; and the game's skill system is described as both complex and fully customisable. Finally, there are both multiple storylines and endings which change depending on the decisions you make during the game and the character you become in the process.

You can see a short trailer here;

A US release date of April 15th has been confirmed for Rondo of Swords too, so there's not long to wait, although the likelihood of a European release has yet to be confirmed as Atlus typically is a US-only operation. Click 'Track It!' to be kept in the picture on further updates.