It's time to get the bad news out of the way first. We will not be seeing a sequel to Brutal Legend. EA made the call to put an end to the fan-favorite series after its sales only reached a peak of mediocrity. So it is with the utmost sorrow we say good-bye to Eddie Riggs.

Luckily, some good news has also been released in the form of a new game. Do you remember last month when Double Fine's Tim Schafer announced that they had a whopping four games currently in development? I sure do, and the first of the four titles has been shown off and detailed at Schafer's Develop 2010 speech. The game in question is called Costume Quest, which is an RPG that was given the thumbs up by THQ.

Costume Quest was conceived by Double Fine's lead animator, Tasha Harris, and due to the fact that Double Fine already has three other titles in the works, the employees will be heading their own projects. Fans who are afraid that a lack of Timmy Schafer won't bode well for any of the upcoming titles should relax because Schafer is allegedly coming in and aiding his teams whenever a situation may arise. He will still have a large supporting role in all of the titles.

Costume Quest, Costume Quest Gameplay

Costume Quest's story line is fairly simple; it throws the player into the shoes of a little boy on Halloween night. Halloween is usually a joyous occasion, but it certainly doesn't seem that way for this kid. His sister has gone missing so he goes on a mission (or missions rather) to find her. He must make new costumes and complete quests in order to get info on the whereabouts of his sibling. The game has a very similar style to Nintendo's cult classic Earthbound series, but the graphics certainly aren't SNES quality.

One of the quests in the upcoming game sees the little boy left outside of a "Patriotic Party" without an invite, and the only way he can get in is to go on quests to gain costume pieces in order to dress like the statue of liberty. You'll be notified of pending quests when you see a porch light that has been left on.

The heroine can have up to four A.I. controlled buddies helping him out while he battles enemies, and they each have a special ability depending on which Halloween costume they are wearing. What's the tactical advantage between the kid wearing a cardboard robot costume and a cardboard knight costume you ask? It's simple. Once a battle is initiated, the children's imaginations take over, so that little kid wearing a box is now a fully functioning 50-foot tall mechanized warrior. Each costume holds different abilities, so the knight can block incoming attacks with his garbage can lid... err shield. Not so lackluster now is it.

Costume Quest, Costume Quest Gameplay

The combat system is similar to basically any RPG you can think of. One button is used to select an attack, another one can block, and you have the classic "Special Attack" that will charge up as the battle moves on. After each battle, you won't see your XP rise, no sir, your candy will go up instead. Levels increasing? Pffft no. It's all about those gold stars your teacher probably never gave you as a child. And one crucial feature comes in the from of Trick'r'Treat cards that can be collected after a battle. Trick'r'Treat cards unlock new costumes for your characters that you can then use to slaughter those fiendish ghoulies.

This game has a ton of promise, and the best part about this upcoming Halloween-inspired romp is that it's actually releasing this Fall to coincide with the holiday that the game is based off. Nothing quite like a good Xbox Live Arcade and PSN game to get you in the mood for the holidays. The game is unique to anything else that is currently on the market, and this comes as no surprise from the guys who brought us Psychonauts and Brutal Legend.

There's no word on an official price, but my guess is that it will set you back about $15 (1200 Points), which certainly seems like a decent deal. I wouldn't complain if it shows up for $10 though.

How do you think Costume Quest will turn out? Are you excited for Double Fine's latest game?

Costume Quest is scheduled to release during Q4 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Source: UGO