Ikachan to release on eShop and DSiWare, Nicalis has announced

Ikachan, the underwater freeware adventure title from Cave Story creator Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya, will be released on 3DS and DSiWare, Nicalis has announced.

Two different versions of the game will be released in order to take advantage of the hardware contained within 3DS and DSi.

"The DSi has a resolution of 256×192 (top screen) while the 3DS has a resolution of 400×240 (let's say 320×240 for this discussion)," said the publisher. "What that means is that if we want DSi games to run full-screen on a 3DS, they need to be stretched by an additional 25 per cent over the maximum.

"It seems like a damn shame to play a 2D pixel-art game with a blurry screen. Sure, you can hold the Start button or whatever the method is to boot in native resolution, but then you end up with a tiny screen on the 3DS and particularly on the 3DS XL.

"This is literally the only reason I decided to port Cave Story to the 3DS... I think we're the only developers doing this and it's probably because it's a lot more work, but definitely worth it."

In Ikachan, the player plays a squid who swims around an underground cave, meeting and helping other creatures after an earthquake causes social and political upheaval.

Thanks, Eurogamer.