If you are the owner of (arguably) the greatest vampire-related video game series of all-time, Castlevania, you would think it would be unnecessary to attempt at add another to your portfolio. But what Hideo Kojima - the mastermind behind, amongst many other things, Metal Gear Solid - wants, he gets. That became Boktai. Making its first appearance in 2003 on the Game Boy Advance in Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hands, the most unique feature was not in the game but outside of it. Each game cart featured a photometric light sensor that was used to read the sun's lights, which translated into power for the vampire-slaying in-game weapon, the Solar Gun dubbed Gun Del Sol. Despite being well-received by most of the press - the majority of reviews on GameRankings.com have the game ranked at 80% or better - the game sold poorly outside of the U.S., which Kojima attributed to the lack of consist sunlight in many areas in the U.S. and Europe (trust me, I live in one of those areas and I can see the lack of initial appeal!) They tried again with 2004's Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django, but again failed at garnering gamers' interest and so the next title, 2005's Boktai: Sabata's Counterattack, never saw localization.

Not discouraged, and knowing that the series was well worth the time of gamers who were generally being turned off by a single feature, Kojima Productions took the fourth title in the series in a slightly different direction. Starting by adopting the features of Boktai that were universally liked - the elegant 2D graphics and the refined action-RPG-stealth hybrid gameplay - then ditching the one that wasn't - the need for an external light source - a new game was born. But it took the further additions of two new playable characters - each with their own gameplay style - 3D stylus-controlled shooting stages, anime cut scenes, voice acting and near CD-quality music to bring the series out from the Boktai shadows and into the sunlight now known as Lunar Knights.

Lunar Knights tells the story of a world where vampires rule the indefinite night with the help of a weather-controlling device known as the paraSOL. Before this, the fight for power was on a level playing field, as humans controlled the day and vampires controlled the night - neither side could ever keep the other away for more than a few hours. This device, which can block out the sun completely, is of a technology far more advanced than anything else on the planet. But the humans have little time to think this far, as simply staying alive stands as their main prerogative.

Enter Lucian - a battle hardened undead warrior bent on exacting his revenge on a two-horned vampire for an unknown act of heinous proportions. With the Dark Sword in hand, and his lone comrade, the dark terrennial Nero, flying at his side, Lucian continues on his quest of blind hatred, cutting through every vampire that crosses his path until he can discover the whereabouts of his target. In a moment of coincidence, he is dragged into a recovery job to rescue the leader of the Guild - a vampire resistance group - and his second-in-command. Here he is grouped with their youngest Solar gunslinger, Aaron, the descendent of a famous Gunslinger killed in action and his solar terrennial, Toasty. Unlike Lucian, who is intent on destroying anything and everything that stands in the way of his goal, Aaron's reasoning to fight is to protect a world full of people who only wish they had access to his powers and Solar Gun.

There is not much in the plot that stands out as original or a twist on established story devices, but with the help of an energetic script translation and sprinkling of voiceover work (usually only during a character's first and last sentence during story sequences), there are never any dull moments. Lucian and Aaron are decent lead characters, but their player-controlled actions stand out far more than their personalities. Story buffs who read the above outline and smelt a rehash may want to wait for the air to clear before playing Lunar Knights. Don't run the risk that you will drop this wonderful adventure midway through because you need a story fix.

Sticking to its guns (and swords), Lunar Knights doesn't deviate much from the Boktai style of gameplay. Using an isometric view, players take their characters through dungeons, solving puzzles, sneaking around and laying waste to any creature that gets in their way. If you have played any of the 2D Zelda or Castlevania games, it's the same concept with a different camera angle. From here though, Lunar Knights begins to establish its own identity, starting with two playable characters - Lucian and Aaron - who can be swapped in and out at the player's whim. Lucian is the stronger of the two and his Dark Sword can be used without energy cost, but he is reliant on face-to-face confrontations, where taking damage is hard to avoid. Aaron, with his array of Solar Guns, can stand back and blast enemies away, but all of his weapons deplete energy at different rates. Both can make use of magic-granting creatures known as terrennials, each based on a natural element, which imbue elemental powers to the active character's weapons or, if the Trance bar is full, can be used to access Trance and Burst special attacks.

Much like ammo in a Resident Evil game, energy is not always easy to come by and must be used sparingly. You can use items and solar stations to recharge your energy bar, but the majority of it comes from the light sources - the Moon for Lucian and the Sun for Aaron. Unlike Boktai, which required players to reflect real sunlight onto the game cart, Lunar Knights has a changing weather system that uses the top screen for display. Time moves as you play, meaning that full day cycles can pass during gameplay, giving each character a time to enjoy a plentiful source of energy. As well as this, enemies gain or lose strength based on the light source they are exposed to, while certain weather changes - such as rain, snow, rainbows and meteor showers - affect item drops, experience gained and movement speed. The light sensor may have been a clever idea that was never fully realized outside of Japan, but that necessity has only made the weather-based gameplay that much deeper and enjoyable.

The final gameplay component of Lunar Knights is the 3D shooting stages. Defeating a vampire in battle is only the first part ridding the world of them; they must be sealed in special Casket Armor, launched into space and then taken to the Interstellar Satellite Sunflower for purification by the spaceship Laplace via a shooting mini-game. These segments are the game's only step outside 2D, using a basic but effective 3D graphics engine. The Laplace is controlled exclusively with the stylus; to fire the ship's lasers you tap on the enemies or area you want to attack. As you obtain terrennials, their powers can be tapped to create different types of lasers, such as rapid fire and explosive rounds. To move the Laplace around, you physically move the spaceship, which can not only lead to difficulties when moving and shooting at the same time, but can be a problem for anyone with big hands. Much as the mini-game title explains, these shooting stages are short spurts to break up the action-RPG meat of the game, not to stand on their own as equal slices of gameplay. The difficulty is pretty low; there's just one level that gets longer and enemies don't change, they just get new paint jobs and better defense. There are mini-boss and boss ships sprinkled through out each level, but all are easily defeated with little need to even think of a strategy outside of firing as much as possible. Like cotton candy, the experience is sugar spread thin.

From screenshots, Lunar Knights may appear to be just another underwhelming 2D adventure that pushes the envelope of mediocrity instead of the horsepower of the DS system. Spend some time with the actual game though and you will see what a mistake this first impression is. Crisp, colorful environments are easy on the eyes but go much deeper than that; extravagant pillars, cluttered counters, damaged tile walkways - all of these subtle details, and more, give each environment a unique feeling. Character models are simple in appearance, but once they begin to move around and the above average amount of animation kicks in with smooth conviction, there is no denying their charm and effectiveness. As I stated above, the 3D engine used for the shooter stages isn't going to surprise you, but it is more than effective. The coup de grace is the liberal use of anime movie cut scenes - well, liberal for a DS game - and you have one impressive graphical package.

The same high quality effort has made its way into the sound department. If the music isn't CD quality then it's close to it, with a rambunctious mix of upbeat battle hymns, moody organ-based tunes, happy-go-lucky bar blues and what seems like everything else in between. The sound effects are loud and distinct, drilling them into your memory. After playing this game I believe I could pick out some of the more distinctive sounds - such as those of an empty Solar Gun, the clank of a defeated skeleton's sword dropping to the floor and the growl of a guard dog - without a visual cue.

The main quest may appear moderate in length, coming in at around fifteen hours, but there are plenty of extras to keep you going for an additional ten hours or more. A multitude of side quests are out there for players to discover and conquer, earning rare items as well as opportunities to gain additional experience from defeating extra monsters. Levels pack environmental-based secrets that can only be accessed once you take control of the paraSOL and for those level grinders, not only do you have Aaron and Lucian's weapons to upgrade and level up, but you have them to level up as well, two tasks that could combine to push the game over the forty hour mark, especially if you make use of the Game+ Mode and unlockable difficulties. Those looking for a quick multiplayer fix will find single and multi-card modes for up to four players that give players a chance to battle against each other for points. It's not the deepest experience, but proves to be a fun distraction and a great way to show off your powered up equipment (multi-card multiplayer only).

With Lunar Knights, Konami continues to prove their dedication to creating excellent games and continues Nintendo's handheld dominance. What it lacks in original material it more than makes up for in presentation and near perfect execution. Though the Boktai series may have been a commercial failure outside of Japan, only a fool would allow history to repeat itself by keeping this game away from their DS. Don't be that fool.

Reviewed by Tony Peters for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).