You're not dreaming: Atlus announces Knights in the Nightmare

3:10 PM on 02.11.2009   |   Dale North

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Here's a not-so-rude awakening for a sleepy Winter afternoon: Atlus has just announced Knights of the Nightmare, a kind of genre-busting DS role-playing title set to release this June.

Look at the pretty pictures in our gallery. Keen eyes will notice a style that reminds of Yggdra Union, a PSP title we reviewed awhile back. Knights in the Nightmare is developed by the same group, Sting, and maintains much of the talent that made that game Union. That's great in my book, folks.

This title mixes up role-playing standards a bit, throwing in action, touchscreen control and tactical play, like...like a strategy RPG and a shooter mixed together? I don't know, but that's what Atlus says. There's over 100 playable characters and two roles to play the game as. Sounds pretty cool, though I think I'd have to get my hands on it to fully understand what's going on here.

So we'll look forward to June 2nd, when Knights in the Knightmare releases. Check out more game details after the jump.

About Knights in the Nightmare:

Somewhere between heaven and the underworld -- in the center of a quiet lake -- stood an ancient castle known as Aventheim. One night, without warning, denizens of the netherworld emerged and slaughtered the kingdom; nary a soul was left alive.

Within an abandoned, long-forgotten church deep in the woods, a wisp is set free. Bereft of memory, it is drawn toward the monster-infested castle and re-awakens the souls of the vanquished knights, leading them back towards the fallen stronghold to confront the very forces of evil that took their lives.

Key Features

* An experience unlike any before it -- Incorporating strategy RPG, real-time strategy, and shooter elements, you've never experienced a game like this. Control a Wisp with your stylus and activate the souls of deceased knights to aid you in destroying foes on the map. Enemies fire bullets in multiple directions, making it vital for players to master the unique touch controls.

* Over 100 playable characters -- Find and recruit the ghosts of seven different classes of knights from your kingdom, and learn of their pasts, hopes, dreams, and untimely deaths. Sacrifice their souls to one another to balance their skills and create your ultimate party.

* A tale from two perspectives -- This twice-told legend entangles you in a dark and brooding tale that is simultaneously examined through events both past and present. Complete the adventure to unlock the ability to play through the game with a new narrative twist, placing the antagonist in the starring role.