Rare has declared that sugary Xbox 360 title Viva Piñata will be coming to the Nintendo DS. The UK developer made the announcement at Comic-Con, and there’s a blurry photograph over on Kotaku.com and word from one member of the Rare team on official site PinataIsland.info to prove it.

For those who missed it, Viva Piñata was Microsoft’s attempt to appeal to younger members of the games-buying public. Launched alongside an animated television series of the same name, the computing giant had big hopes for the title, which appeared exclusively on the Xbox 360, a console packed with top-drawer games for adults, but one that had (and arguably still has) little on offer for those below the age of thirteen. Alas, it failed to match Microsoft’s lofty expectations at the tills.

Yet because we’re essentially nothing more than big, drooling man-children, we still ended up loving Rare’s title. The game was unlike anything else released in 2006, tasking the player with cultivating a garden in a bid to attract papery, candy-filled animals with names like Buzzlegum, Badgsicle and Chippopotamus.

The whole package was drenched in colour and flamboyant visuals, and exuded charm, cuteness and addictiveness by the truckload. Will that same allure translate well to the DS’ small screens? "You'll be pleasantly surprised," reckons Rare. Well, let’s hope they’re right.

A PC version of the game is arriving in time for Christmas, while the Xbox 360 will be playing host to Viva Piñata: Party Animals later this year, as announced at the recent E3 Media & Business Summit. There’s no screens of VP DS so far, but once there are we’ll be on them faster than a Roario.

UPDATE: Well, scratch that comment about having no screenshots yet; just a few hours after we posted this, Rare decided to publish the first Viva Piñata DS details on their site, along with the first image of the game in action. Typical! According to Rare’s update, the game will feature all the beasties that appeared in the Xbox 360 game, with a few new ones chucked in for good measure.

There’ll also be new tools and tool actions, modified versions of the Encyclopedia and Journal, and fresh game modes, including a "Sandbox" mode, an "Episodes" section (there for followers of the TV show, essentially), and a Wi-Fi bit, where you can swap the titular piñatas with chums. Oh, and thanks to the DS’ stylus, we’ll be able to "design, nurture, instruct, protect and care for your garden and animals through direct touch." Hit Rare’s site for the full update.