Use the stylus to flog a horse

After a glorious two weeks on shelves around North America and Europe, the 3DS has convinced many it's not just a souped-up Nintendo DS: it's got no Petz games for a start. Well, that honeymoon period is about to end, as Ubisoft has announced Petz Fantasy 3D for release in June.

Animals including unicorns and red pandas hatch from giant eggs, with each pet having its own magical powers including the ability to transform into everyday objects. As the press release says, "bonding with Petz has never been so realistic."

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The first fantastic screenshots are below.

UBISOFT ANNOUNCES PETZ FANTASY™ 3D FOR THE NINTENDO 3DS™ SYSTEM, A NEW AND MAGICAL TYPE OF NURTURING GAME

Ubisoft today announced Petz Fantasy™ 3D for the Nintendo 3DS, the first Nintendo 3DS title from the #1 handheld pet-simulation brand of 2010. Set to hit store shelves this summer, Petz Fantasy 3D is a fresh new nurturing game for the new Nintendo 3DS platform, allowing players to take care of incredibly realistic, surprising and adorable magical pets in an all-new way.

Players will discover and take care of their fantasy pets in an immersive, whimsical 3D environment full of floating islands, magical lands and snow-topped mountains. The game will allow players to nurture magical eggs that hatch into surprising pets, such as unicorns and red pandas, each with their own personality and magical powers. Each fantasy pet will react to players in 3D just like real pets, by licking the screen when players pet them to jumping up and down when players give them their favorite food. Bonding with Petz has never been so realistic. Players can also teach their Fantasy Petz magical powers and even train them to transform into ordinary household objects to keep them a secret!

As players progress in the game, they can hatch and collect more and more adorable and lifelike 3D fantasy Petz. Each pet requires love and care to help them grow, including feeding them their favorite foods, petting them and cleaning them in a lifelike kids’ bathroom as they try to hide from you.

Other features include fun new mini-games and augmented reality features that use the Nintendo 3DS camera to decrypt codes on cards and discover new 3D, realistic creatures, outfits and accessories.

Petz Fantasy is the perfect game for the imaginative child looking for a magical pet to take care of.