Majesco brings DS eco-strategy game Ecoris to the west

"I think that I shall never see/A poem lovely as a tree," wrote American poet Joyce Kilmer, although as he ended his days in a WWI trench, presumably he'd seen his fair share of shredded topiary (and verse).

And the natural sentiment hangs heavy over our current generation, too, making Majesco's decision to localise quirky Japanese eco-strategy title, Ecoris – which gained official approval of the World Wide Fund for Nature – for western tastes something of a no-brainer.

With a more than nod to Nintendo's Pikmin series, the theme of Eco Creatures: Save the Forest (as it will be known in the west), is pollution and the forest.

So using your touchscreen and stylus, you get to control groups of three species: a squirrel-like creature called Ecoris, a flying version know as Ecomon, and a beaver-y-thing called Ecoby. Each has unique attributes, and must also be nurtured to evolve new abilities.

You have to direct squads of the little critters to overcome the damage humans have done to the Mana woods through 40 missions of reforestation, revitalisation and depollution.

Multiplayer modes include a four-way local version and a two-way Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection-based option. There'll also be a Land Make feature that enables players build and play their own maps.

Due to be released in the US next spring, there's no news yet of a European publisher – although considering the vast majority of Majesco's DS releases have been picked up either by THQ or Eidos, we'd expect to be seeing the game on UK shelves around the same time.