Blue Dragons are on the endangered species list, aren't they? Best not to stab it in the head...

When Mistwalker brought the Blue Dragon franchise over to the DS, it took a bit of a departure from the traditional RPG mould that the Xbox 360 original was cast in. Instead, Blue Dragon Plus took on a real-time strategy format, which was a fundamental change to long-time fans but it was solid enough to score well in our Blue Dragon Plus review. Now, D3Publisher has released the launch trailer for the sequel that is developed exclusively for the DS.

Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow is a new action RPG that's set two years after the original, and for the first time in the series allows players to create their own hero, featuring character customisation like gender, hairstyle and facial features. There's a variety of equipment and armour that will change the appearance of your hero too.

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The Shadows have mysteriously disappeared and it's up to a young boy named Shu and his friends to investigate the cause and to restore order to the world. Our protagonists have the ability to control phantom shadows that "mirror the actions of their masters, giving its owner miraculous strength and magical powers". Well, we could all do with skills like that.

Official Launch Trailer
[youtube:VZ3aL4dpuAg]

Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow is currently scheduled for launch in America on 18th May with no word yet on releases in other regions.