Level-5's The Starship Damrey Now Available On 3DS

The critically acclaimed developer behind Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch and the Professor Layton series has released a new downloadable title on the 3DS eShop, which aims to take players on a strange sci-fi adventure.

The Starship Damrey is the first game from Guild02, a program designed to bring small downloadable games to the 3DS (a trio of trademarks suggests the developer may be prepping a Guild03 as well). Level-5 describes The Starship Damrey as a "sci-fi suspense horror game," but players shouldn't expect a lot of action; the Japanese team behind the downloadable title is known primarily for text-based adventures and "sound novel" games, so storytelling is the main focus.

What that story entails is a complete mystery, which The Starship Damrey's writer Takemaru Abiko says is by design: "Back in the day, games didn't give players much to go on, and you could get stuck right at the beginning," Abiko says in the video below. "That's kind of what we were going for on this project... In such a harsh environment with no information to guide you, you'll have to depend on your exploration and instincts." Level-5 also says that The Starship Damrey "offers no tutorials, explanations, or hints," so figuring out the mystery is all up to you.

The Starship Damrey is available to North American 3DS owners for $7.99 on the Nintendo eShop. Players who have also purchased one of the Guild01 games (Liberation Maiden, Aero Porter, or Crimson Shroud) can unlock bonus content in The Starship Damrey. For more from the game's writer, check out the video below.

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