'Kirby Mass Attack' side-scrolling RTS announced for DS

While the Kirby franchise might be returning to more conventional territory on Wii after the hand-stitched delights of Kirby's Epic Yarn, it's wandering into bizarre new lands on DS. Today at E3, Nintendo revealed Kirby Mass Attack for the handheld, a... "side-scrolling real-time strategy."

Unleash the Kirbies!

Developed by HAL Laboratory, Kirby Mass Attack will see the pink blob split into as many as ten parts after encountering "an evildoer with a magic cane." Controlled individually or as a swarm, the mini-Kirbies are used to defeat enemies, find treasure, and solve challenges.

"Swipe the touch screen to launch them in a mass attack against enemies, then tap the enemies into submission," a Nintendo fact sheet explains. "The number of Kirby characters under a player's control is important, as some challenges require a specific number of Kirby characters in order to be solved. When the number of Kirby characters is increased, players can gain the upper hand."

There'll also be mini-games, unlocked by collecting hidden medals.

Kirby Mass Attack will be released for Nintendo DS on September 19, priced at $29.99.