For quite a long time, the impression of Blue Dragon on the Nintendo DS surprised some of us, as we had no idea how developers Mistwalker and Feel Plus would make the transition. Thankfully, the latest issue of Japan’s Shonen Jump magazine was able to shed some light on this mysterious new RPG.

Blue Dragon DS will feature some new and classic ideas in this iteration. First off, the game will no longer carry the traditional turn-based RPG from its Xbox 360 counterpart, but rather, a 2D real-time party-based simulation. While we don’t know the in-depth details, the game does pit your entire clan against a hoard of enemies commanded by a large boss.

Other than that, this portable spin-off will feature the original main characters from the Xbox 360 game, including Shu as the leader. Your dragon shadows also make the return, though this time around, they’ll have a much more significant role. And just like the recent Final Fantasy remakes and spin-offs on the Nintendo DS, Blue Dragon DS will showcase CG cutscenes in between battles.

Expect to cast your inner shadows when the game releases in Japan in March 2008.