EA Announces Henry Hatsworth Casual Game For DS

Electronic Arts’ casual entertainment label has announced a new original IP title for the DS named Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure, an 'indie-inspired' title created at EA Tiburon by Experimental Gameplay Project alumnus Kyle Gray. The title has a mixture of both puzzle game and adventuring elements, and is an updated version of the game recently showcased at the Independent Games Summit during GDC 2008 as part of 'The Tale Of Two Kyles' lecture. The game is being developed by a team at EA Tiburon, better known for the Madden NFL and NASCAR series, and is due to be released worldwide in early 2009. The title is the second major announcement from EA’s casual label in recent days, following plans for a series of games based on the For Dummies books on PC and DS. Henry Hatsworth is described as a "quirky, light-hearted character" who will explore five worlds and fight a variety of opponents over thirty different levels. Puzzle-related challenges will be displayed on one screen, while more action-based activities will take place on the other – with the user able to switch between both at will. "We are excited to bring an indie-inspired new intellectual property to the EA Casual Entertainment Label with Henry Hatsworth that fuses together two styles of gameplay utilizing the two Nintendo DS screens like never before," said Robert Nashak, vice president of EA Casual Studios. “The innovative elements of the game have the potential to appeal to both Nintendo enthusiasts and more casual Nintendo DS players,” he suggested.