First Viva Piñata DS screen blooms

After yesterday's slightly unofficial-official announcement comes the real meat of Rare's DS morphing of Viva Piñata, as well as the first screenshot.

This demonstrates the DS version will play much as the Xbox 360's, with players required to shape and maintain their garden to attract wild piñata who will, if conditions are to their liking, move in.

As detailed on Rare's website, the DS version will include all favourite Viva Piñata characters (such as Hudson Horstachio, Paulie Pretztail, Fergy Fudgehog, Franklin Fizzlybear, Ella Elephanilla and Les Galagoogoo), while some new, deliciously-named paper playfriends are to be added.

Control are stylus-focused, enabling you to "design, nurture, instruct, protect and care for your garden and animals through direct touch". Even better, though, is the promise of a wi-fi enabled service so you can send piñatas to your friends.

In terms of the game itself (and in keeping with the potential audience), this promises to link more closely into the animated TV series, with an Episodes game mode.

There will also be a Sandbox option, where you can just muck around rather than follow the strategy-management gameplay that dominated the Xbox 360 game. Upgraded forms of the Journal and Encyclopedia, as well as expanded tools round out the game's features.

There's still no mention of a release date for Viva Piñata, however.