Namco today revealed some new information regarding its DS RPG Tales of the Tempest. The three newest additions to the game's cast are named Tilkis Barone, Forest Ledoyen and Arria Ekberg. Tilkis is the 18-year old prince of a small kingdom. In order to solve the mystery behind the natural disasters occuring in his kingdom, he travels to the capital of the Kingdom of Aleura. On this journey he meets up with protagonist Caius and the female led Rubia. Forest is a member of the Likanz tribe whose members have moved to Tilkis and have since become loyal servants to the royal family. While they look somewhat frightening, they are very nice people. Erika is a monk with the Church. She questions the persecution of the Likanz tribe. The skilled magic user has held back the monsters that appeared near the capital all by herself.

System-wise, Tales of the Tempest will offer a new system related to cooking. By collecting recipes and ingredients, players will be able to make food. Before the collected bread, meat, cheese, onions and salt can be turned into a tasty hamburger however, the ingredients have to be cut with a virtual knife which is operated via the DS' touchscreen. For the food making to succeed, it will be necessary to move the stylus up and down on the touchscreen 10 times during a 10-second period.

Tales of the Tempest will be available in Japan on April 13th for 4,800 yen ($41.09 US).

• Dengeki Online