Homebrew developers The StarDev just announced that they've released StarLite v0.01, a homebrewed version of Starcraft for the Nintendo DS. Details on the engine itself are sketchy, but indications from the developer's notes leads us to believe it is not simply a port of Blizzard's Starcraft to the Nintendo DS. In fact, StarLite appears to be a complete homebrew recreation of the game for Nintendo's dual-screen handheld.

StarLite version 0.01 is an early coded build, but it is the first playable release from The StarDev. Though the current version suffers from many bugs and hitches, the animations and implemented real-time strategy game mechanics stay completely loyal to the original.

However, StarLite has a long development road ahead of it, and The StarDev have announced that they are willing to hire two to three more developers into the team to speed up the process. They've also lined up goals for the next release, which include pathfinding and collision management, WiFi ad-hoc multiplayer for 2 player matches, and more buildings and units.

The game is also playable over DS emulators, but the authors suggest you use NO$GBA - the only PC-based DS emulator known to the developers that plays StarLite's sounds correctly.

Download: StarLite v0.01 - Starcraft on the Nintendo DS