Well, the day has finally come. We’ve talked about the many ways to play Sumioni: Demon Arts and gone into great detail on how the game perfectly complements the PS Vita’s many unique features, but now it’s time to see for yourself just how addictive it truly is.

Sumioni: Demon Arts is an exclusive PS Vita action platformer from Acquire and XSEED Games that taps into PS Vita’s powerful touchscreen. Using your finger, you’ll be able to draw bridges to cross dangerous obstacles, summon thunderclouds or sacred lions to attack enemies, and much, much more. Sumioni will be available to download for $19.99 later today on PlayStation Store. Or, if you’re feeling lucky, listen to the latest PlayStation Blogcast now and submit a user tip or user question, then tune in later this week to see if you won a free download code for the game.

Still not convinced? Check out the game’s official North American website for gameplay descriptions, screenshots, videos, music, wallpapers and more. This is our first foray into the wonderful world of the Vita, and we’re extremely excited to see how well it’s received. So go forth, loyal masses! Go forth and paint! Just be sure you take some time to let us know what you “ink” once you’ve had a chance to “draw” some conclusions.

So PS Vita is officially out! Many of you are probably holding it in your hands right now, basking in that “new system smell” and lovingly polishing that beautiful screen to a glossy sheen. I know I am!

Still, PS Vita is dauntingly new and different from what I’m used to as a gamer. The touchscreen and the rear touch pad are like strange creatures to one such as I, having played mostly PSP titles since 2006. Even brief stints with other touchscreen devices couldn’t have hoped to prepare me for the subtle sensitivities and nuances of PS Vita – to say nothing of the way it harmoniously mixes its multi-touch functionality with traditional analog stick and button controls.
As more and more PS Vita games utilize these unique features (and game designs get more and more complex and challenging in the process), learning to switch between analog controls and touchscreen actions on the fly, or learning when and how to get the most out of the rear touch pad, will become absolutely essential to your gaming survival.

And that’s where Sumioni: Demon Arts comes in.

Due for release in North America next month, Acquire and XSEED Games’ Sumioni: Demon Arts is a 2D action/platformer with a classical Japanese setting and a general theme of using ink to thwart your enemies’ nefarious plans. And although your main character is controlled primarily through the left analog stick and action buttons, Sumioni also makes use of PS Vita’s touchscreen and rear touch pad in ways quite unlike any other title currently available or planned. And let me tell you, it really is a gratifying experience to walk with the left analog stick upon platforms you’re literally painting into existence on the fly, or to stand still for a mere moment amidst hellish chaos to restore vast quantities of “ink power” by furiously stroking the rear touch pad with every available finger. And don’t even get me started on how fun it is to set enemy pagodas ablaze with your pointer finger alone!

Sound a little too complicated for you? Well, take it from someone who’s always shied away from touchscreen gaming in the past: it’ll become second nature to you in no time, and you’ll have an absolute blast with it to boot. Not only will Sumioni: Demon Arts help get you used to the feel of Vita gaming in general, it may just help you get really good at it, too! In my opinion, no other game in PS Vita’s launch window library combines traditional and new control schemes quite so effectively. If any game can make a PS Vita master out of you, surely this is the one.

So make sure you’re ready for action next month! And if you don’t have PS Vita yet… well, what are you waiting for? It’s a truly amazing system, and you won’t be able to play Sumioni: Demon Arts without it!

Before you stands a tower, and upon that tower stands an angry bowman, shooting wave upon wave of arrows in your direction. He’s far out of reach, and the tower completely blocks your path, so you’re forced to deal with this situation in order to proceed – but how do you go about it?

You could always hack at the tower’s support structure with your sword, wearing it away bit by bit until the whole thing comes tumbling to the ground…but that might take a while, and the bowman would be shooting you in the head repeatedly the whole time. Maybe you’d be better off taking out your paintbrush and drawing a sloped platform up, over and around the tower, creating a bridge to guide you past it safely. Or perhaps you could set the tower (and its occupant) ablaze, or spawn a lightning-spewing thundercloud above it and let Mother Nature handle the rest.

Or, if you’re feeling particularly frisky, how about summoning a phoenix or a sacred lion and directing it to spew waves of holy energy at the tower, instantly reducing it and any threats beyond it to ashes?

In the world of Sumioni: Demon Arts, an ink-themed 2D action platformer coming to the PS Vita this spring, any or all of the above solutions lie at your fingertips. As long as you have enough ink stored up, you can enact endless miracles upon your environment. Need to cross a bed of spikes? Use the touchscreen to draw a platform over them. Flames coming toward you? Douse them with water – and try to time it so the steam this produces burns an enemy soldier.

There are many ways to overcome virtually any obstacle in your path, and most of them make judicious use of PS Vita’s beautiful touchscreen. Should you find yourself too low on ink to employ these features, you can always create more by furiously rubbing the rear touch pad with every available appendage – but of course, you’ll be left defenseless while doing so, so timing these ink-padding sessions is of the utmost importance.

At the end of most stages stands a tall pagoda, from which enemy agents emerge endlessly. It must be destroyed, but not only is it built of sterner stuff than the many watchtowers dotting the land, it also comes equipped with cannons, automated razor arms, flamethrowers and other nasty surprises that won’t make the going particularly easy. But then, you have ink, fire, water and enormous, godly familiars at your disposal, so no one can accuse you of rushing into battle unprepared!

Sometimes, you’ll encounter an enemy who’s simply out of your league and you’ll have no choice but to outrun it. In these situations, you’ll need to use your considerable arsenal of inky abilities to circumnavigate obstacles and enemy fire ASAP, lest you wind up as paste beneath a gargantuan demon’s ugly big toe.

And other times, you’ll be tasked with hunkering down in an open field and fending off waves of hostile attackers, awaiting the opening of an inevitable escape route that always seems another few seconds off.

Sumioni: Demon Arts is developed by Acquire (of Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls and Class of Heroes fame) and will be released on the PS Vita in North America as a launch window title through XSEED Games (yay, us!). Fun, fast, frenetic and fetching, the traditional Japanese “sumi-e” ink art style perfectly augments Sumioni’s fluid animations and diverse gameplay, giving it a one-of-a-kind look and feel on a one-of-a-kind system.

So next time you’re surrounded by deadly foes, just remember: Always bet on ink!