Destiny of Spirits is a location-based RPG that gives the PS Vita its Find Mii / StreetPass Quest
Think locally, recruit globally
One of the biggest - and most surprising - successes for Nintendo's 3DS is the popularity of its StreetPass games.
Curiously, the PS Vita doesn't have a clear answer to these surprisingly compelling, super-casual games.
That's looking to change this autumn with the upcoming beta of Destiny of Spirits, a location-based RPG that lets you collect spirits based on what region you're playing in.
Wander around North America, for example, and you can recruit spirits from Native American mythology and wild west lore like the Gunslinger, while Vita owners in Japan can recruit Yokai. Those with Vitas in Europe can recruit mythical creatures like Basilisks, divinities like Odin, and other wandering spirits.
We first heard about Destiny of Spirits back at E3, and our interests were piqued when we learned it would reward players for daily play.
More intriguingly, however, is that Destiny of Spirits uses the Vita's GPS sensor to catch spirits - so it also creates a reason to carry your Vita out in the wild to see what spirits you can recruit.
Once you've built a roster of spirits, you can engage in battle using a simple elemental system which will be familiar to Pokemon players as each spirit has an elemental affinity (fire, water, wind, wood, and metal) and weakness.
We don't know much else about Destiny of Spirits yet except that it'll be a free-to-play game. Siliconera reports that it'll also have a global beta test from October 24 - November 1 called 'Nine Days of Destiny', which was confirmed for the US and EU on The PlayStation Blog.
Finally, since Destiny of Spirits is a collaboration between Q Entertainment and Sony's Japan Studio, there's plenty of opportunities for tie-in spirits from other Sony games. A teased image shows outlines that look suspiciously like Torp Gravity Rush's Kat which we assume players can recruit into their parties.
