EA have recently announced a brand new franchise which they will be bringing exclusively to the DS later this year. Called ‘Zubo’ the game is a music based rhythm action title which is being aimed particularly at the under 12’s market. Developed by EA’s newest casual games imprint ‘Bright Light Studio’ Zubo has been created with the younger audience in mind. According to studio head Harvey Elliot, the game “represents the culmination of a dedicated incubation project” whereby the team were set the task of creating a game for the profitable kids bracket.

Players enter the world of Zubalon to help the colourful and zany inhabitants, the Zubos, defeat an evil force which is bent on world domination. Players can befriend the Zubos they meet along the way, feed and nurture them, help them gain skills and strength, and assist them in their battles with the enemy, the dastardly Zombos.

A key element to Zubo is music, which is intrinsic to Zubalon from its tuneful plant life through to its currency of musical notes. The player will use the music to drive the battles forward, synchronising their stylus action and tapping in time with the musical beats to win!

With 55 Zubos available to find and recruit to a player’s squad, plus a wealth of interactions and mini-games, and the world of Zubalon to explore, Zubo offers a deeply rewarding Nintendo DS experience.

With EA’s previous work in the rhythm genre consisting most recently of the Boogie franchise, I can only hope that Zubo turns out a little more inventive than their previous work. I have every faith in this game though and am quite looking forward to playing more rhythm games for the DS, even if I am eight years over the target audience age.

Zubo will be available for the Nintendo DS this Autumn. Boogie is currently on sale in all good retail outlets.