Atlus recently sent me a playable version of their forthcoming game Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja, and I haven't been able to pull myself away long enough to write this preview. Fortunately, the battery in my DS finally gave out, and since I left my charger at home, this leaves me the only opening I have to actually get some work done. My boss, Captain Almighty, will rue the day when a DS ships that runs on solar power. Then again, that would mean I'd have to go outside.

Atlus continues to crank out some of the more original titles for the Nintendo DS, securing licenses for Japanese games that, on paper, tend to make little sense. I mean, explaining a game like Trauma Center borders on futile, though once you play it you become hopelessly addicted. Perhaps more importantly than finding original games for importing is Atlus' stellar localization, altering Japanese phrases to closely match Western sensibilities without losing the original meaning. While this aspect of cross-culture gaming is lost on most consumers, the effect of proper localizing has a lot to do with the success of a game.

Izuna is a retro-esque action-RPG that stays true to its heritage of fast-paced gameplay, while injecting a much-needed dose of humor along the way, something that is often in short supply in RPGs. You know you're dealing with a different type of game right at the outset, as your character, Izuna, has a pretty sharp tongue and wit. Unlike most RPGs that find you starting out as an innocent villager, Izuna finds your character existing in a world that has since vanquished all conflict. In essence, everything is humming along without any problem, and all the heroes of old are stuck doing menial jobs because, well, there just isn't any evil to slay anymore. Your character is one such hero, an unemployed Ninja living in a small village of like minded citizens. Before long, you screw up and interfere with the town crystal, which sets everyone on edge, including the Gods who are now really ticked off. Way to go!

The upside to irritating the Gods is that you have now created some work that needs to be done. And so it begins, as you set out in an attempt to make the various deities happy and restore some semblance of balance to a world you've knocked off-kilter.

One of the many nice features of Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja, is that the tons of dungeons you'll encounter are all randomly created. Which is a good thing, because if Izuna dies then you are transported back to the village, losing all items you collected on the way. You'll head back to the dungeon for another try, and that's where random dungeons keep the game feeling fresh, as everything from monster placement to loot is entirely randomized.

Some people would consider Izuna to be a turn-based game, but that's not really accurate. This isn't a game of make a move, wait for monster to move, then move again. Instead, everyone moves simultaneously, so if you move Izuna a few steps, then the creatures will move the same. What this little gameplay nugget achieves is a nice sense of strategy as you try to navigate dungeon corridors looking for an opportunity to land a first strike instead of being struck first. It's a great little system and works well.

You won't find any shortage of items to pick up along the way, and before you know it your inventory will be bursting at the seams with everything from weapons and armor to scrolls, special items and healing orbs. A little later in the game you'll be able to do some custom crafting, using rare Talismans to enhance the abilities of your weapons, influencing everything from special effects to increasing damage and defensive modifiers.

With its off-beat humor and fast-paced style, Izuna is looking to be the perfect game for those of you who are getting a little tired of Final Fantasy and its brethren, which generally involve copious amounts of uninspired grinding in order to get anywhere. Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja could be the perfect game for short sessions, making it a natural for the Nintendo DS.

Izuna is slated for release on February 20th, 2007.