I'd buy this game for its cover art alone if I actually owned a PS Vita

Did a feeling of déjà vu wash over you when you first glanced at the following piece of box art?

That wouldn't surprise me given that an edited version of the illustration that takes up the majority of said box art's acreage was included in this recent post about the same game.

Anyway, although I've heard that Dokuro, a platformer-puzzler made by the folks at Gamearts, will see the light of day in North America, I've yet to hear when that will happen. (It'll hit the streets of Japan--and PSN, too--on July 5, according to andriasang.com.)

Thankfully, it's doubtful the US version will receive a physical release like its Japanese counterpart--which means I can hold off on picking up a PS Vita for at least a few more months.

Surprise, surprise: The first (and only) Vita game that interests me is an odd, niche-y one

I haven't exactly been shy about the fact that I'm a bit "ho hum" when it comes to the PS Vita. Oh, I find the hardware itself interesting enough--if a smidge over-priced--but its software catalog bores me to tears.

Actually, I take that back. What I should have said is that this bulky handheld's current software line-up bores me to tears. I find one of its upcoming releases, though, pretty darn intriguing.

That upcoming release: Gamearts' Dokuro (Japanese for "Skull"), which looks to be some sort of platformer-puzzler combo.

I'm a sucker for puzzler-platformers, so that aspect alone makes me want to keep an eye on this particular title. The reason I want to purchase it (at some future point in time, of course), though, is the art style--which makes everything look as though it was created using chalk. (Said art style is somewhat apparent in the illustration to the right, although it's much more so in the screenshots shown here and here.)

The story is pretty cute, too, with Dokuro focusing on an evil "Dark Load" (er, I think that's supposed to be "Lord") who kidnaps a princess and then puts her behind bars until they can get hitched. Guarding the imprisoned princess is a skeleton named, you guessed it, Dokuro, who sets her free after seeing her cry and then attempts to lead her out of the Dark Load's tower.

I'm not entirely sure how Dokuro (and the players controlling him) will accomplish the above-mentioned task, although I'm guessing from the screens that have been published over at andriasang.com that it will involve some amount of screen swiping and tapping. (Sadly, this recently-released teaser trailer doesn't include a single second of gameplay.)

Regardless, consider me curious.

See also: 'Raise your hand if you picked up a PS Vita yesterday'

A Peach of a pinup

If I were forced at gunpoint--hey, it could happen--to pick my favorite 8-bit Super Mario Bros. game, I'd probably go with Super Mario Bros. 2.

And if the gunman--or gunwoman--made me choose a favorite character from said game? I'd point to Princess Peach (aka Princess Toadstool).

As such, it shouldn't be much of a shock to hear me say (see me write?) that I'm a big fan of the following piece of art, produced by deviantartist pluckylump.

See also: 'Catch the Squirrel' and '10048'