For those with a taste for quirky games with even quirkier dialogues, then listen up as Izuna is in the house. As promised by Atlus, the DS title Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja finally makes its way into North American shores.

Having been previously released in Japan as Gouma Fuden Izuna, back in June 2006, the other half of the planet can now also enjoy this title which was developed by the studio Success. This dungeon crawler is noted for its randomly-generated dungeons which is coupled with effective, turn-based gameplay. On top of all that, the whole thing is also generously peppered with humorous dialogue, which by itself, is a pretty good excuse to get the game.

So, help this booted-out ninja make a living, and get Izuna out of trouble as she tries to earn money AND appease those deities who she just so happen to have offended along the way. She's a sweet girl. Really.

Also known as Gouma Fuden Izuna, Ninja Studio's upcoming RPG for the DS goes by the English title of Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja. And no, I won't crack any more jokes about the english title like I did the last time so chill, no lame jokes in this one. Hehe.

What we are here for is to tell you guys that Atlus has opened the official site for the hilariously narcissistic Izuna, where you'll also be able to get the lowdown on the game's storyline, characters, dungeons, etc. and you can even check out the Izuna comic there.

Download wallpapers, screenshots, and other game goodies on Izuna's official site, which you can access right now (yes, right now indeed!) by clicking on the "Read" link below. Enjoy!

Siliconera was able to have a little chit chat with Atlus Co.'s Nich Maragos, who was responsible for localizing Izuna and making this unemployed ninja land on our shores.

Anyhoo, the interview starts with Maragos describing exactly what kind of RPG Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja will be. He says, "this is a roguelike or 'mysterious dungeon' type game, where the dungeons Izuna faces are randomly generated every time she enters."

They then go on to discuss other aspects of the game which we'll try to summarize for you so here goes:

Touch Screen usage: The game will be played entirely on the touch screen but combat and exploration will be "handled" on the lower screen with the top screen acting as the HUD.

Combat and Levelling Up: The game will have basic combat: the A Button is used to attack the space in front of you. And also, "Izuna can use ninja talismans with various effects, as well as ninja tools like shuriken, kunai, and caltrops to thwart enemies from a distance."

As for the level-ups, Maragos says that Izuna will be more "forgiving" as compared to other RPGs because (and I quote): "Though you lose all your money and health and have to start from the beginning of the dungeon, your level doesn’t reset."

On the game's humor and Izuna's "ditziness": Izuna was designed to be funny, but what really gave the devs the opportunity to insert humor was the premise of having an unemployed ninja as a lead character and also the ridiculous curses that affect the townspeople. And with different options for dialogues, you can mix up a little bit of humor yourself when talking to the other game characters.

As for Izuna's alleged ditzy impression, Maragos says,

Ditzy isn’t quite the word I’d use. Izuna isn’t dumb, or at least not in that way...she’s full of herself in the way a modern teenager would be, but she slowly gains the skills to back it up [and]...wins people’s respect, because her absolute persistence gets results.

Which, apparently, is also how we should play the game: persist and we shall get results! Hahaha. We'll keep you posted for more.

I'm sorry but this writer would just have to go right out and say that the English title for this game would have to be one of the most hilarious ones she's ever encountered. I mean, what a bizarre juxtaposition: legend-unemployed-ninja. Wahaha!

So anyway, moment of immaturity over and done with, what this post's title says is true. We do have a trailer for the upcoming Ninja Studio-developed RPG for the DS, Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja. Called Gouma Fuden Izuna in Japan, the game will have explorable labyrinths, talismans, customizable weapons, and tons more. And with colorful and zany characters and hilarious dialogues, this is one game that shows that being a bum sure can be tons of fun.

Rated E by ESRB and published by Atlus Co., Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja is slated for release in the U.S. around the second week of February.

It may sound like a pretty hard spot to be in, but in Izuna's world, being jobless ain't so bad. So, to make a living, our kunoichi will have to resort to exploring dungeons and beating monsters (as well as the random weirdo who, for some reason, spends his or her days in the said dungeons) and of course, looting.

An RPG-slash-dungeon-crawler which has been designed specifically for the Nintendo DS, Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja (Gouma Fuden Izuna, in Japanese) hearkens back to good ol' days of monster bashing, except that this game is liberally peppered, salted and sprayed with funny dialogue and zany characters, and that makes it just about great. If you want to know what we mean, then just check out the screens we have below (some of which cracked us up pretty good). Oh, and then there's also explorable labyrinths, talismans and customizable weapons. Yeah.

Set for release in February 2007, go ahead and help Izuna make a living.

More screens after the jump!

We have more info about the wacky dungeon hack RPG from Atlus USA Inc. Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja for the DS is coming early next year. February, 2007, to be exact.

"Finally, a dungeon RPG strong enough for a man... but played as a hot chick!" Or at least that's what their press release said. Atlus described the game as going back "to the old school, hardcore, monster bashing we all grew up on."

Why is Izuna unemployed? Well, Izuna happens to have an explanation. She said:

We were canned because "Ninjas are sooo yesterday," and now we're looking for a nice place to settle down. That stupid lord. Just wait'll I get my hands on that jerk! So anyways, we found this quaint little village, but everyone's actin' all weird.

The adventure looks like an instant cult RPG classic:

• Deep challenging labyrinths that change every time you enter (OMG... we're suddenly reminded of the Ancient Cave from Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals)
• Talismans cast spells and power up equipment
• You can customize and power up your weapons - weapons gain strength over time

Nintendo DS players should buckle up for the release of the action RPG Gouma Fuden Izuna from developer Success. This game will be released in Japan June 8.

Lik-sang and other game retail sites are taking pre-orders for Gouma Fuden Izuna. The details? We know only that the player's in-game character has to use charms in all the battles.

More details as we get them - sooner rather than later, hopefully, especially if the game's to be released outside of Japan.