October 20, 2005 - With a Japanese release set for this winter, Square Enix is getting more open with Seiken Densetsu DS: Children of Mana, the original DS entry in the Mana series. The title is featured in the latest issue of Famitsu, complete with story, character and gameplay details.

Children of Mana takes place in the land of Illusia, an island positioned at the world's center. At the center of this island grows a massive tree, so large that it almost seems like a forest itself. Years ago, a great disaster took the lives of many, but a young boy and girl saved the world using a holy sword. Time passes and, with newfound peace, the world begins the process of rebuilding. The holy sword and the great tree remain, and have come to be known as the Mana Sword and Mana Tree.

The story for this installment of Seiken Densetsu centers on the Mana Goddess, recently born, and the Mana Sword. It's the story of the children who've gathered at the Mana Tree.

We provided character details in an earlier look at Children of Mana, but Famitsu offers a closer look at the three main characters: Frick, Pop and Tumble. Frick, although a bright, energetic boy, lost his parents and brother in the great disaster. He was brought up to treat Pop and Tumble like siblings. Frick began honing is sword skills after having had his life saved by a knight.

The other two characters have some similarities to Frick. Pop, a small character who speaks his mind, knows no fear and does things at his own pace, lost his father in the great disaster and his mother at his birth. Tumble is of the same age as Frick, but has a more adult sensibility about her. She lost her parents and little brother in the great disaster.

As touched upon in our last update, Children of Mana features three primary weapon types: sword, bow and arrow and flail (which we mistakenly translated as "flare" last time). Each character can be equipped with these weapons, each of which has standard attacks, special attacks and limit moves. You use the weapons with the X and A buttons.

Swords are the easiest type of weapon to use. You can take out multiple enemies with a single blow and even chop blades of grass in order to find items. The sword's special move guards your character from incoming attacks and repels projectile weapons.

The bow and arrow is meant to be used as a long distance weapon. When you equip an arrow, the game displays a targeting marker, which turns red when a target is in your range, making it easy to aim. As its special move, the bow and arrow lets you inflict status abnormalities on enemies.

Serving as a middle ground, the flair offers both long distance and near-by attacks. In its most basic form, the flair is like a sword and can be swung at enemies. It can also be extended like a grappling hook to pull in items and enemies. This works across traps and can even be used to pull yourself up to walls.

Limit moves allow you to show off the special powers of each weapon. As you strike enemies with standard attacks, you build up a "Fever Gauge" meter. Build up this gauge to the max, and you can use your weapon's limit move. For swords, the limit move has your character charging forward, taking out any enemy in its path. The flair's limit move is an all-out attack against the surroundings, with the bow and arrow shooting out a volley of arrows at multiple enemies.

Square Enix expects players to work through the main Children of Mana quest in 25 to 30 hours, although this could rise as bonus features are added. Development on the title is currently at 60%, with the development staff now working on gameplay balance. All of this bodes well for a winter Japanese release, and hopefully a stateside release to follow in the not-so-distant future.