Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days will be added to Square Enix's huge DS portfolio when it's released in February 2009 in Japan. Much like its PSP cousin expectations are high.

IGN;

Level 1 concluded with a boss fight against a giant suit of armor. He would perform a ground pound technique that would cause his vulnerable head to roll to the ground. The boss of the second area was a large, shadow bull-thing who slammed the ground with his giant palms.

Spending quality time with your friends seems to be a central theme in 358/2 Days. Roxas always has a partner fighting alongside him. After defeating the knight in level 1, Roxas and his pal Axel enjoyed a popsicle while overlooking the town. Disney had very little presence in the demo we played. At the very end of level 2, the Beast from Beauty and the Beast showed up.

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Gamespot;

The other level we played apparently occurred inside the wicked queen's castle from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. This time, Xaldin joined us, wielding dual staffs. Most of the heartless enemies we fought resembled puffs of black smoke. The level was straightforward, and we climbed the steps of the castle toward our final encounter, which was a giant foe with a heart-shaped gouge in his belly. This enemy was a little tougher than the end boss in Halloween Town, and we had to be more conscious of the attack points on his limbs. However, some well placed attacks and some creative jumping brought him to his knees.

There were some definite issues we encountered during our short time with the game, mostly related to camera control and navigation. If you're a fan of stylus-controlled action, you should also note that all of the action is performed with buttons and is viewed only on the top screen. Still, it's nice to see the franchise is still going strong, and we'll bring you more information on Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days as it develops.

Cruxis Mana via uk.ds.ign.com »