Fungi? Mushroom nations? I blink perplexed, until I realise it's Red Fly Studios' Mushroom Men duo of games for Wii and DS, to be published by Gamecock in October.

Here are tonnes of new screens of both the Wii version, Mushroom Men: Spore Wars, and the DS version, Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi.

Gamecock also provided further info on the four different "nations" of mushroom creatures - put simply, there are two tribes of good guys, the Bolete and Morels, and two tribes of bad guys, the Amanitas and Lepiotas. Hey, wasn't "Amanita" a poisonous mushroom in Symphony of the Night? It must be a real, actual thing that exists outside of video games. Amazing!

Full details and new screens after the jump.

An ichorous green meteor plummets through the Earth's atmosphere, fracturing and showering the earth with glowing green space dust that affects all forms of life nearby. Some plant life -- mushrooms and cacti -- acquire sentience while, the meteor twists and mutates other life forms, transforming insects and animals into semi-intelligent, warlike communities.

Nations



There are four Mushroom Nations. Each of these Nations has its own unique body shapes, clothing and weapons. These nations can be simplified into two groups: the non-poison mushrooms Bolete and Morels (the Good Guys) and the poison mushrooms Amanitas and Lepiota (the Bad Guys).

Bolete Tribe



Boletes are dark brown and green. They are short and stout with primitive but powerful weapons. They are good melee fighters. As hunter/gatherers, they would prefer to live at peace with the land and their fellow Mushroom Men. They have a native/aboriginal-turned warrior theme. Pax, the main character of the Wii version, embodies the naïve view of the Boletes have of the world outside.

Morels



Morels are the intelligent elite of the Mushroom Men and look more sophisticated than the other nations. Their colouring tends be saturated and bright. Their weapons are technically advanced. They are controlled by logic and reason; though sometimes they let complexity get in the way of elegance.

Amanitas Empire



The Amanitas are extremely pale, almost white and are very thin and creepy looking. They tattoo rank insignia into their bright red caps as part of their military. Their war machine is extremely powerful. Their entire culture exists to support their dominating march across the face of the planet. Unlike the other Mushroom Men who piece together weapons and armour from discarded human refuse, the Amanitas manufacture their weapons and armour in advanced forges. Roman-style conquerors, they rule through force and fear.

The Lepiota Order



The Lepiota are a very pale greenish colour and tend to be a lot thicker in build and stature. Though they have poison spore powers, they mostly rely on their blunt melee weaponry and dark magic to enforce their aggressive push for dominance. Ruled by powerful necromancers, the Lepiota are extremely evil and vicious. Their religion focuses on old human technology. They build shrines in antique human hardware like old jukeboxes and mid-century automobiles ('57 Chevy and 70's era VW Bus). . Their drive for dominance shows in all facets of their culture. Only the elite have free will while others are all mentally enslaved.

Other Species



In addition to the Mushroom Men, several other plants and animals have been affected similarly by the comet. While initially neutral and independent, they eventually team up with one side or the other.

Los Cactos Mutantes



Stubby little spine-covered saguaro men roam the wastes. Cactos focus and use their spines in a fashion similar to the Mushroom Men's spores, launching aggressive ranged strikes and defensive barriers. By their very nature, Cactos automatically inflict damage when attacked, making enemies think twice before striking. They come in two varieties. Red, feral cacti are berserker beasts, incapable of reasonable communication or interaction. They operate in packs with a poorly-defined social structure. Green, intelligent cacti are the social equivalent of the Mushroom Men (and are therefore the ones who offer their allegiance to the Mushroom Men).

Kudzu



While they can operate as separate entities, Kudzu's true strength lies in their ability to merge and spread, consuming all in their path. Only vaguely humanoid, individual Kudzu Men are thick masses of sentient vines capable of locomotion. Due to their hearty regeneration rate, they recover from virtually any attack if given a few moments and some fresh soil/water. Early on, the Kudzu Men are very few and scattered, barely surviving the constant attack of the voracious herbivores in their region. Once the hero eliminates the herbivore threat, the Kudzu Men ally themselves with the Bolete and begin to spread, grow and expand. By the start of the Spore War, the Kudzu have regrown for a future encounter.

Mushroom Men - The Spore Wars for Wii & Mushroom Men - Rise of the Fungi for DS will be available across North America & Europe from October 2008. For more information about Mushroom Men please visit www.gamecockmedia.com. For more information about Red Fly Studio please visit www.redflystudio.com.

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