Bumpy Trot spinoff coming to PSP

A number of interesting but overlooked handheld titles were shown at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, including a few promising games for Sony’s PSP. Irem Software is apparently bringing their Bumpy Trot steampunk adventure series to the PSP in the form of Bumpy Trot: Vehicle Battle Tournament. The game appears to deliver just what the title suggests, which is an arena-oriented battle where up to four players can duke it out in their own customizable Trotmobiles. For players unfamiliar with the series, the game focuses on building giant fighting robots that are powered by less-than-futuristic technology. Think Jules Verne meets Robot Wars. It is currently unkown if the PSP title will feature much in the way of single-player exploration beyond the game’s battle arena, although screenshots below and other hints on the developer’s main website suggest that the title may involve some additional role-playing elements remeniscent of the Pokemon franchise. We are genuinely intrigued by this unusual looking title, and we hope that the publisher sees fit to give it an English localization.

Screenshots added September 22, 2007: