When we got our handson the latest version of RPG-shooter Lunar Knights, we were prepared to write a majorly updated series of impressions. Turns out, not a lot's changed from the E3 demo weplayed in May, but a barrage of new screens and few new details should suffice.
Gameplay may be unchanged, but an updated trailer did show off Knights' element-themed Terrennial helpers - little demigods that power-up our two heroes, gunslinger Aaron and gothed-up swordsman Lucian. When the game starts, Aaron can't even fire his gun and has to avoid enemies while searching for lost friends in a ransacked building. Once he stumbles across a girl in trouble, his burst of emotion summons Toasty, the light Terrennial, a being that can charge Aaron's solar-powered gun. Boom, you're back in business, and the vampire hunt is on.
The Terrennials do more than let you attack, though. Stylus-driven megamoves can target one enemy or rain down on the entire screen, be they swirly whirlwinds or an ice storm powered by your own breath (courtesy of the DS' microphone). After enough slashing and shooting, you'll fill up a meter that allows the Terrennial to merge with Aaron or Lucian and become a suped-up, vamp-hatin' hero.
Considering that Knights is a shooter with RPG aspects, you can expect to find more Terrennials as the story progresses. Cycling through them with the L button is easy enough, as the menus stick to the top screen, leaving the touch screen free of action-blocking clutter.
