You may not know much about it, but Drawn to Life is one of the most exciting games on the DS for 2007. Blending play styles reminiscent of the RPGs of Square Soft with the adorable animalistic townspeople of Animal Crossing is just the start. There's a full-fledged Mario -style adventure platformer in there. On top of that, you get to draw your character and a vast array of objects in the world.

To find out more about the world, and specifically the three Raposa villagers - who greet you when you begin your journey - we took the time to speak to Scott Rogers, Creative Manager, THQ Product Development.

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GamesRadar: This game seems to have come from nowhere. Can you tell us a little bit about the developer?

Scott Rogers: 5TH Cell was founded in 2003 and started by developing mobile and PC casual games in Seattle, Washington. They had created a few titles for THQ when they presented a demo for Drawn to Life. We immediately saw Drawn to Life's potential and signed them on to build the full game. They are a talented group of young developers - expect more exciting games from them in the future!

GR: Can you tell us about the idea behind the gameplay? How does the drawing affect it?

SR: The player is the Creator - a being whose drawings come to life. The Creator makes a Creation Hero, which is the player's avatar in the game. The player controls the Creation Hero to rescue Raposa, defeat the Shadow Creatures and restore the village. The drawings provide a variety of functions from drawing platforms and making vehicles that the player uses to progress through the levels to drawing signs and buildings in the village. The drawing is instrumental to the game play - without it, there'd be no game. The player is creating the game's content.

GR: Can you explain the story behind the Raposas?

SR: The Raposa are a peaceful race of creatures who like parties and banya muffins. They are also the guardians of the Creator's Book of Life. Anything drawn in the Book of Life comes to life. When Wilfre, one of the Raposa, gets a hold of the book and tries to draw his own creations, they come out twisted and evil and a darkness falls over the village. Pages are torn from the book, a strange darkness creeps in, and most of the Raposa abandon the village. It is here where the game starts.