Fans of the Cartoon Network series Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi don’t have much longer to wait for a game based on it, because D3 Publisher of America is bringing one to the Nintendo DS this summer. Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: Genie & the Amp is being developed by Sensory Sweep, and the team will likely use any tricks they learned while developing Crash Tag Team Racing for Nintendo’s two-faced here.

Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: Genie & the Amp seems to be a side-scrolling beat-em up action title, though the graphics are 3D and look cel-shaded. The game looks like its animated nicely, really capturing the look of the show, so hats off to Sensory Sweep in that department. While smashing guitars into the faces of enemies, players can switch between Ami and Yumi at any time, though at this point it is unknown what their unique abilities will be.

Of course, the girls have a reason to be swinging their instruments violently -- writer’s block is enough to drive anyone mad. The girls are suffering from the author’s ailment when they discover a genie behind a dusty amplifier. This genie helps the girls by transporting them through time, where the girls will battle for musical notes to write new songs. D3 says there will be ten unique time periods (read: levels) for players to battle through. These levels will range from the Wild West to Ancient Rome, and show locales such as Jungle Ki Ki and Manga Mayhem.

The touch-screen is used for combat purposes. The strings of a guitar are displayed, and if a player strokes it with the stylus, they’ll trigger special moves. Strumming different notes will create different moves, so players are free to design their own combos. Players can also collect ingredients throughout the game to make sushi. Sushi creates power-ups that will upgrade the girl’s health, luck, attack power or wealth.

There will be mini-games, as no DS title is complete without them. The "crane machine" can be used to win money and outfits for the girls. A special item is hidden in the game that unlocks Gridiron Maiden, which is a football-themed mini-game based on one of the episodes of the show.

The main game features co-operative play, so friends can play together locally. It is unknown currently if the game supports the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection or not. Either way, the ability to play co-operatively is a nice addition. It might help answer whether or not you will help the girls get over their writer’s block when Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: Genie & the Amp comes out this summer.