Praise the f$%kin' goblins, a sequel to Ancient's Protect Me Knight is set to hit the Japanese 3DS eShop this September

Although I was really excited when it was revealed that Yuzo Koshiro's company, Ancient, was going to release a retro-tinged tower-defense title--called Mamotte Knight in Japan and Protect Me Knight elsewhere--for the Xbox 360's indie-games service, I have to admit that I barely played the resulting effort after I downloaded it in 2010.

That's not a comment on this pixel-packed game's quality, mind you. Actually, I rather enjoyed what little I played of it. The fact is, though, that I just didn't use my Xbox 360 very much, and as such titles like this one suffered (by being ignored).

I doubt that's going to be a problem with the expanded 3DS sequel that the folks at Ancient recently announced--complete with a September release date--via their Twitter account.

Sadly, this game--to be called Minna de Mamotte Knight, I believe--is going to be a Japan-only affair at first, although the person in charge of Ancient's Twitter output already has informed followers that the company hopes it'll eventually be able to bring it to Western 3DS eShops, too.

As for what will differentiate the digital-only Minna de Mamotte Knight from its predecessor, according to a couple of NeoGAF threads (here's one and here's the other) the 3DS game will feature "about 10 times" as much content as the Xbox 360 one, a handful of new characters (the buff dude on the right isn't one of them, by the way, as he appeared in the first Protect Me Knight) and four-player local co-op.

Should you want to see a localized version of this sure-to-be-quirky title on non-Japanese 3DS eShops, I'd suggest aiming a Tweet at @AncientGames_JP at your earliest convenience.

Note: the "f$%kin' goblins" mentioned in this post's headline is an homage to one of Protect Me Knight's funniest lines--in which the game's damsel in distress demands that the titular warrior to "DEFEAT F$%KIN' GOBLINS!"

Mamotte Knight: Not your mother's tower defense game

At least, that's blogger PepsimanVsJoe's assessment of the just-released Xbox LIVE Indie Games title.

"It's a unique take on the genre that combines chaotic action with just the right amount of strategy for some of the most fun I've gotten out of the XBL Indie Service," he opines in his rather rambling (in a good way) review.

PepsimanVsJoe's lone point of contention with the Ancient-developed title? The inability to play it on line.

"Oh, sure, the game is more than enough fun by yourself," he writes, "but if you're like me and all your friends would rather play World of Warcraft or Call of Duty, well, that's just too bad."

I can understand the gripe, as I'd certainly be restricted to playing the $3 game alone if I picked it up--which I would if, you know, I had an Xbox 360.

Speaking of which, what do you think are the chances Microsoft will drop the system's price to $99 at the upcoming E3 event?

See also: 'SAVE ME ... MY HERO! DEFEAT F$%KIN' GOBLINS!'

'SAVE ME ... MY HERO! DEFEAT F$%KIN' GOBLINS!'

A retro-styled RPG/TD title will soon hit Microsoft's Xbox LIVE Indie Games service, and of course it has me jonesing for an Xbox 360.

The name of said game is Mamotte Knight, which apparently translates to Protect Me Knight.

Here's the kicker: It's being made by Ancient, Yuzo Koshiro's development studio. (Koshiro is best known for creating the soundtracks for such 16-bit classics as ActRaiser (and its sequel), the Bare Knuckle/Streets of Rage series and The Revenge of Shinobi. More recent additions to his resume: 7th Dragon and Etrian Odyssey I, II and III.)

Here's how Mamotte Knight looks in action:



According to andriasang.com, Mamotte Knight will be released soon ("this spring," specifically).

Do you think Xbox 360s will be down to $99 by that time? Nah, I don't think so either.

(Via andriasang.com and NeoGAF.com)