Magical Starsign EU date

'Twas a starry night of old that Nintendo did announce a European release date of 9th February for Magical Starsign. So, yesterday, in common speak.

It's an interstellar role-playing game for the DS, where players will be tasked with venturing to the ends of the Universe in search of a missing teacher and fellow students from the Will-o-Wisp magical academy.

Developer Brownie Brown is keen to utilise the the unique features of the DS, relying heavily on the stylus for player-input, whilst also offering Wi-Fi support for up to six players. Wirelessly you can enjoy the Amigo Dungeon where you can earn special rewards, or enter "Tag Mode," where you can grow unique "Egg" characters that hatch over time.

It seems we're largely in familiar RPG-mechanic territory here; your male or female protagonist will follow the story across the galaxy, battle monsters, level up and buy new gear.

The game's interesting twist comes from the "Magical Starsigns" themselves. Each character is linked to a particular planet by their Sign, which will determine the type of magic they use. The strengths and weaknesses of these will be dictated by the planets' positions in the solar system; becoming weaker when your planet is far away, and stronger as your Sign moves into prominence. However, monsters too will feel these effects, and the secret to mastering the game will be an ever-changing battle plan.

Fights themselves will work around a "Rank" system, which will allow two choices for attack. Using a wheel-menu and the DS stylus, players from the front rank will choose to assault individual characters either magically or physically, whilst players in the rear can attack multiple targets, but will be limited to magical offensives.

Hopefully all of this will make for a highly entertaining and tactical experience when the game launches across Europe on 9th February.