--Nov 19, 2008, 21:23, Tokyo--Bandai Namco and convenience store Circle K Sunkus shared today final details on a plan to convert an in-game food item from the upcoming Tales of Hearts into a real world product.

First mentioned back at the Tales of Festival event in early September, this food promotion will see the in-game Mapo Curry item converted into a real product. The realworld food item will be available from December 9 through December 23, surrounding the Tales of Hearts December 11 release.

Circle K Sunkus will be the exclusive seller of the Mapo Curry item. The convenience store chain has 6,128 outlets nationwide.

Mapo Curry, for those who aren't familiar with Japanese cuisine, is a combination of dishes. It resembles the common Chinese tofu dish Mapo Doufu but makes use of European-style curry seasoning.

While the retail version will have Tales of Hearts branding, the Mapo Curry item has actually been a part of the series since the original Tales of Fantasia and was selected by readers of the series' Tales Channel official site as the series' most-liked item. In the Tales universe, Mapo Curry serves as a healing item.

To prepare the real world version of this item, Circle K Sunkus product developers worked with the Tales of Hearts development staff to research the taste and texture of the consumable part of the item, and plan a design for the surrounding packaging.

The two firms are holding a promotion to help promote this particular promotion. Buyers of the Mapo Curry item will be able to enter in a drawing to receive a special Tales of Hearts digital photo stand. The stand will come with an SD card featuring a slide show with Tales of Hearts artwork and background music.

One lucky winner will be able to show off their digital pictures in a Tales of Hearts digital photo viewer.

For further details on the photo stand campaign, see the Circle K Sunkus official site.