Atlus today announced an original 3D RPG for Nintendo DS. Titled Sekaiju no Meikyuu, the game will be heavy on dungeon crawling elements. Those dungeon mazes however can be created by the player himself, utilizing the DS' stylus and touchpad. The game will support up to five active party members. Players can choose among the following nine character classes: Swordsman, paladin, dark hunter, ranger, bushido, medic, curse maker, alchemist and bard. System-wise, the game will offer six commands during the turn-based battles: attack, defence, skill, item, boost and escape. Sekaiju no Meikyuu will not make use of the DS' WiFi-based network features.

The game's story was written by Shigeo Komori (scenario writer, Princess Crown and Devil Summoner Kuzu no Ha Raidou tai Chouryoku Heidan), while Yuuji Himuka was responsible for the character designs. Furthermore, Atlus hired Shin Nagasawa (Duel Monsters, Final Fantasy IX) as monster designer and Yuuzou Kojiro (Ys, Sorcerian) as composer. Atlus has confirmed that the game is currently 60% complete.

Sekaiju no Meikyuu will be available in Japan sometime this fall.

• Famitsu