Dokapon franchise’s entry to the North American market came via last year’s Dokapon Kingdom for the Wii and PS2. It was received well by RPG gamers. This must be the reason why Atlus decided to release Dokapon Journey for the DS.

Dokapon Journey arrived in North American shores one year after it came out in Japan. It has more strategies and RPG gameplay than Kingdom. The more battles you get into, the more experience you’ll get. The player must also liberate cities and collect items that can help him along the way.

The battle system of Dokapon Journey is turn based. Players get to choose among four actions – M Guard, Counter, Defend, or Give Up. There are lots of tactics and strategy one can do within the game. You can save other players by defeating the monster or KO them out of the battle to steal the victory for yourself.

But what it lacks is in the graphics department. The game looks like it was made for the GBA. Animation is limited. It looks too simple and low budget. It reminds me of the first Advance Wars. Dokapon Journey is something for those who loved Dokapon Kingdom on the Wii. At least they can bring the game wherever they want to. But if you’re new to the game, then I suggest you try out the Kingdom on the Wii or PS2 first.