So PS Vita is officially out! Many of you are probably holding it in your hands right now, basking in that “new system smell” and lovingly polishing that beautiful screen to a glossy sheen. I know I am!
Still, PS Vita is dauntingly new and different from what I’m used to as a gamer. The touchscreen and the rear touch pad are like strange creatures to one such as I, having played mostly PSP titles since 2006. Even brief stints with other touchscreen devices couldn’t have hoped to prepare me for the subtle sensitivities and nuances of PS Vita – to say nothing of the way it harmoniously mixes its multi-touch functionality with traditional analog stick and button controls.
As more and more PS Vita games utilize these unique features (and game designs get more and more complex and challenging in the process), learning to switch between analog controls and touchscreen actions on the fly, or learning when and how to get the most out of the rear touch pad, will become absolutely essential to your gaming survival.
And that’s where Sumioni: Demon Arts comes in.
Due for release in North America next month, Acquire and XSEED Games’ Sumioni: Demon Arts is a 2D action/platformer with a classical Japanese setting and a general theme of using ink to thwart your enemies’ nefarious plans. And although your main character is controlled primarily through the left analog stick and action buttons, Sumioni also makes use of PS Vita’s touchscreen and rear touch pad in ways quite unlike any other title currently available or planned. And let me tell you, it really is a gratifying experience to walk with the left analog stick upon platforms you’re literally painting into existence on the fly, or to stand still for a mere moment amidst hellish chaos to restore vast quantities of “ink power” by furiously stroking the rear touch pad with every available finger. And don’t even get me started on how fun it is to set enemy pagodas ablaze with your pointer finger alone!
Sound a little too complicated for you? Well, take it from someone who’s always shied away from touchscreen gaming in the past: it’ll become second nature to you in no time, and you’ll have an absolute blast with it to boot. Not only will Sumioni: Demon Arts help get you used to the feel of Vita gaming in general, it may just help you get really good at it, too! In my opinion, no other game in PS Vita’s launch window library combines traditional and new control schemes quite so effectively. If any game can make a PS Vita master out of you, surely this is the one.
So make sure you’re ready for action next month! And if you don’t have PS Vita yet… well, what are you waiting for? It’s a truly amazing system, and you won’t be able to play Sumioni: Demon Arts without it!
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