Our central character El Mono in action

When characters die in video games it usually evokes a negative reaction, but Beatnik Games has other ideas. In its upcoming WiiWare version of Plain Sight, players will be required to kill themselves if they want to rack up the points needed to progress. Don't worry, it's not as morbid as you think.

Plain Sight is a multiplayer arcade game where players control suicidal ninja robots and fly through the cosmos, taking out opponents with their katana. Destroying other robots will earn players energy towards power-ups, but said energy will also make them a target. In order to win, energy will have to be converted into points by way of players killing themselves in order to transform into energy-absorbing plasma. Once robots have been upgraded, it's time to respawn and start the process all over again.

After a delay in launching the original PC version due to staff members being re-assigned to a new project that received funding from UK television network Channel 4, the game finally released last year, and the studio now has its sights set on a Q1 2011 WiiWare launch.

The game's official Web site lists the various game features, but bear in mind, it has not been confirmed which existing and new (if any) features will be making it to the WiiWare release.

Thanks Janne for the heads-up.

[source plainsightgame.com, via develop-online.net]