Since the Wii launched there have been many questionable third party titles released for the system (I’m looking at you, Ninjabread Man). Still, there are a number of games that were talked about early on that showed much promise, and one of those is Opoona by Koei. You may remember Koei from the repeatedly whored out, *clears throat* I’m sorry, I mean “improved” Dynasty Warriors series. Thankfully, developer ArtePiazza also lends their namesake to the title, and with the last four Dragon Quest adventures under their belt I feel much more secure in placing my pre-order.

The game itself centers around a young boy, Opoona, who is separated from his family while on a vacation to another planet. Opoona must start a new life for himself on this strange new world by finding his siblings, securing a job, and of course fighting off an evil force which is no doubt bent on destroying everything he knows and loves. Unfortunately for these “Dark Rogues”, Opoona happens to be the descendant of a powerful bloodline of bad-asses known as the Cosmo Guards. It isn’t all about the fighting though, as much of Opoona will center around the relationships you build with NPC’s throughout your journey. The player will have to gain a deep appreciation for the game world and respect it in order to progress in a manner befitting young Opoona’s ancestors.

Opoona is set to start shipping to retailers on March 25th so keep an eye out for this title, as it’s probably going to be one of the few third party Wii games worth picking up this year. That is, unless you enjoy paying for games that could have been made using a Flash program on a 1995 Gateway laptop.

[See also: Opoona gallery]