There were a small handful of games on display at the Namco Bandai Global Gamers Day event in Las Vegas last week that didn't receive any fanfare during the keynote address. In fact, save for a single mid-sized banner posted near a couple of kiosks sporting Nintendo DS consoles, one might never have known that the ThunderCats franchise is getting a new game this August. Developer Aspect Digital is the studio behind the side-scrolling action title, simply called Thundercats.

I spent a bit of time playing through one of the game's short stages as the ThunderCat leader, Liono, hacking and slashing my way through soldiers in the Lizard army with the Sword of Omens. Enemies drop power-ups when defeated, which provide things like health boosts or help charge up the Sword of Omens. Once the Sword of Omens is charged, a quick tap can blast everything in Liono's path with a giant beam of light. Furthermore, icons on the DS's touchscreen allow players to tap for some brief assistance from other ThunderCats, but players will go through the adventure's entirety as Liono.

Though my time at the demo station was unattended by anyone who could answer any real questions about the game, Siliconera reports that a Namco Bandai representative told it that sound effects and voice acting from the original Warner Bros. animated series are included, along with unlockable concept art. Also in their report is a brief explanation about why the game is coming to DS without a 3DS-specific version; namely that parents will likely be buying the game for younger kids, and that 3DS games therefore have less reach. 3DS owners will still be able to enjoy ThunderCats if they wish, thanks to backwards compatibility.

ThunderCats for the DS is expected to arrive this August.