Electroplankton
Encyclopedia
Electroplankton is an interactive music video game developed by Toshio Iwai
and published by Nintendo
for the Nintendo DS
handheld
video game console
. It was first released in Japan
, and was later released in North America
and Europe
. This game allows the player to interact with animated plankton
and create music through one of ten different plankton themed interfaces. The first-run edition of Electroplankton in Japan
came bundled with a set of blue colored ear bud headphones.
, touchscreen
, and microphone
. Audience mode simply allows the user to put down the system and enjoy a continuous musical show put on by all of the plankton, although the user can interact with the plankton just like in Performance mode. Audience mode is like a demo mode in some other games.
Hanenbow
Luminaria
Sun-Animalcule
Rec-Rec
Nanocarp
Lumiloop
Marine-Snow
Beatnes
Volvoice
One of the most common complaints concerning Electroplankton is that the game offers no true way to save the audio created by the player. Absolutely no data is recorded onto the game cartridge at any time, which can be frustrating to a player who manages to compose a particularly elaborate or quality piece. Although this problem can be overcome by connecting an audio recording device, such as a cassette recorder or a personal computer
, to the headphone jack of the Nintendo DS, this solution isn't practical for the average player.
Another commonly addressed issue is the fact that Electroplankton does not offer enough options to suit the tastes of many players. The game allows players to create music with only one type of "plankton" at a time, in effect limiting the user to using only a small amount of similar sound effects to create their work. This prevents a player from enjoying the same amount of versatility that one might find in a traditional music creation program.
Electroplankton has developed a niche following around the entire globe. The title made its first public appearance at the 2005 Game Developer's Conference, and later, an appearance at the 2005 E3 show, but from then until October 19, 2005, details about the game's release outside of Japan remained somewhat vague. However, on October 19, 2005, Nintendo
revealed Electroplanktons release date in North America: January 9, 2006, with sales of the game limited to online retailers and the Nintendo World
store in New York City
, though some retailers may carry the game if they choose to. It was released in Europe on July 7, 2006. Nonetheless, Electroplankton is an import friendly game for most people, mainly because of both its simple menu and its light use of the English language
.
This trend for import was heightened in Europe, due to the release date (April 21, 2006) having been chaotically postponed to July 7, 2006. As a consequence, certain European gamers preferred importing the game rather than waiting any longer, or risking deception if the game, already in a bad shape for European release, was not released at all. A release was planned by Nintendo Australia in late 2006 but never eventuated due to, according to NoAus representatives, not enough space in the release schedule.
system. Each "instrument" is available to buy separately for 200 Nintendo Points each.
Tracy (renamed Trapy), Hanenbon, Nanocarp, and Beatnes were released on July 11, while Rec Rec and Lumiloop were released on July 22. Luminaria and Sun Animalcule were released August 5, and Marine Snow and Volvoice were released August 26, 2009.
In North America, all 10 Elektroplankton were released in November 2009. Trapy, Hanenbow, Rec-Rec, Nanocarp, and Beatnes were released on November 9, while Luminaria (renamed Luminarrow), Sun-Animalcule, Lumiloop, Marine-Snow (renamed Marine-Crystals), and Volvoice (renamed Varvoice) were released November 23.
In the PAL region, the first two Electroplankton were released on January 15, 2010, which were Beatnes and Hanenbow. The next two were released on January 22, 2010, which were Nanocarp and Trapy. The next two released were Luminarrow and Sun-Animalcule on January 29, 2010. Rec Rec and Lumiloop were added on February 12, 2010 and the last two minigames Marine-Crystals and Varvoice, were released on February 26, 2010.
Toshio Iwai
is a Japanese interactive media and installation artist who has also created a number of commercial video games. In addition he has worked in television, music performance, museum design and digital musical instrument design.-Education and early work:...
and published by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
handheld
Handheld game console
A handheld game console is a lightweight, portable electronic device with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are run on machines of small size allowing people to carry them and play them at any time or place...
video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
. It was first released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and was later released in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. This game allows the player to interact with animated plankton
Plankton
Plankton are any drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. That is, plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than phylogenetic or taxonomic classification...
and create music through one of ten different plankton themed interfaces. The first-run edition of Electroplankton in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
came bundled with a set of blue colored ear bud headphones.
Game modes
The game offers two game modes — Performance and Audience. The Performance mode is considered to be the more significant portion of Electroplankton, allowing the user to interact with the plankton through use of the stylusStylus
A stylus is a writing utensil, or a small tool for some other form of marking or shaping, for example in pottery. The word is also used for a computer accessory . It usually refers to a narrow elongated staff, similar to a modern ballpoint pen. Many styli are heavily curved to be held more easily...
, touchscreen
Touchscreen
A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand. Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus...
, and microphone
Microphone
A microphone is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. In 1877, Emile Berliner invented the first microphone used as a telephone voice transmitter...
. Audience mode simply allows the user to put down the system and enjoy a continuous musical show put on by all of the plankton, although the user can interact with the plankton just like in Performance mode. Audience mode is like a demo mode in some other games.
Plankton
Tracy/Trapy- There are six Tracies/Trapies. Drawing lines on the screen creates triangles. A Tracy/Trapy will follow those triangles, making sound as it crosses over each one. The pitch varies with the direction that the triangle points in, and each color of Tracy/Trapy has its own unique voice. Pressing left decreases the tempo; pressing right increases it. Press select to stop them all from moving.
Hanenbow
- Drag the leaf in the water to direct where the Hanenbow launch. Drag other leaves to change their directions. Hanenbows will launch out of the leaf in the water in the direction that it is pointing in and bounce off of the leaves, making noises depending on where on the leaf they hit. As Hanenbow continue to hit leaves constantly, the leaves will turn yellow, then orange, then red, changing the sounds that they make as they go. When they all turn red simultaneously, a flower will appear on top of the plant. Press A to see the angle of the leaves, press up to launch a Hanenbow manually, left to lower the launch tempo, right to heighten it, and down to reset the tempo to default. Press select to change the set-up of the leaves between four variations.
- Hannebow also appeared as a stage in Super Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
.
Luminaria
- There are four Luminaria. Poke a Luminaria to activate it. The red Luminaria sounds like a piano and is super fast. The yellow Luminara sounds like a vibraphoneVibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
and is slightly slower than the red. The green Luminaria sounds like a music boxMusical boxA music box is a 19th century automatic musical instrument that produces sounds by the use of a set of pins placed on a revolving cylinder or disc so as to pluck the tuned teeth of a steel comb. They were developed from musical snuff boxes of the 18th century and called carillons à musique...
and moves slowly. The blue Luminaria sounds like a celestaCelestaThe celesta or celeste is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. Its appearance is similar to that of an upright piano or of a large wooden music box . The keys are connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of metal plates suspended over wooden resonators...
and moves slowest of all. Luminaria exist on an arrowed grid and always follow the arrows. When a Luminaria crosses an arrow, it will make a sound and move in the direction that that arrow is pointing in; the sound that it makes depends on which arrow, with the upper-left being the lowest pitch and the lower-right being the highest pitch. Poking the arrows makes them spin clockwise; holding down on an arrow makes it spin continuously. Pressing left and right makes all arrows face the same way, and rotates all arrows counterclockwise and clockwise, respectively. Pressing up and down cycles through the game's preset patterns for the arrows. Once a Luminaria has been started, it can never be stopped, but the grid can be reset and all Luminaria stopped simultaneously by pressing Select.
Sun-Animalcule
- Tapping the field places a seed at that point. Putting a seed onto a certain location on the field will turn it into a Sun-Animalcule that shines and makes sound at a specific rhythm. A seed at morning, noon, and evening turns into a sun; a seed at night or late night turns into a moon. Each of these phases of the day lasts precisely one minute, although time can be accelerated by pressing right, or rewound by pressing left. As Sun-Animalcule shine, they continue to grow and will eventually disappear. Tapping a Sun-Animalcule makes it disappear, and pressing Select makes them all disappear at once.
Rec-Rec
- There are four Rec-Rec. They swim repeatedly from the right side of the screen to the left, and loop back around. Tap one of the Rec-Rec to make it eat four seconds of sound (coming in from the DS' microphone) on the next loop. Rec-Rec play the sounds that they have eaten in a loop. Pressing right or left increases or decreases the speed at which the Rec-Rec swim and play their sounds. Pressing up or down changes the background beat. Pressing Select empties all of the Rec-Rec at once.
Nanocarp
- There are sixteen Nanocarp. Tapping anywhere on the screen creates a ripple, and pressing any of the four directional buttons makes a wave in that direction. When a Nanocarp is touched by a wave, it will make a sound depending on how high or low it is on the screen. Nanocarp will slowly swim around; to reorganize them, the player must use one of the many sound commands (which involve clapping, blowing, or singing into the DS's microphone) available. These commands are too numerous to list here, but they can be found in the game's manual.
Lumiloop
- There are five Lumiloop. Spinning them with the stylus causes them to emit a steady tone and produce a ring of light. Each one emits a different tone when spun clockwise or counterclockwise. Once spun up to full speed, they are at their loudest and will continue to spin steadily for about 30 seconds. They all come in different colors, each of which has its own pair of tones. When two or more play at the same time, they emit tones in perfect harmony.
Marine-Snow
- There are no fewer than 35 Marine-snow. Tapping on any of them makes that Marine-Snow make a sound. Tapping on another one will not only cause that one to make a sound, but it will also switch places with the one that was tapped before, and this will repeat indefinitely. Each Marine-Snow has its own note that it plays. The Marine-Snow can be "played" with either repeated taps or long strokes, the game will register both. Over time, the Marine-Snow will slowly swim back to their starting positions, and the player can press A to speed this up. Pressing Select cycles through the four different instruments and the three different starting formations.
Beatnes
- There are five Beatnes. Each Beatnes consists of ten segments, a head, eight diamond-shaped spinal portions, and larger diamond for the tail. Each Beatnes has a differently shaped head. A song from a NES/Famicom game plays in the background. Tapping any segment of a Beatnes causes it to make a sound. The head and tail of a Beatnes make a sound effect, and the spinal portions create musical notes in different instruments. All of the sound effects and notes are made to sound like they were made with the original NES sound chip. After tapping out a sequence of notes, each Beatnes remembers what was tapped out and plays it again five more times. Pressing Select cycles through the four different selections, which vary in background music and sounds. Pressing the left and right directional buttons increases and decreases the speed of the song and the movement of the Beatnes.
Volvoice
- Volvoice is best described as a simple sound manipulation program. Tapping the main body of the Volvoice lets it record up to 8 seconds of sound. It then plays back the sound in different ways, depending on its shape; you can make the Volvoice change shape by tapping one of the icons located around the screen or by using the control pad. Left scrolls to the icon on the left and right scrolls to the icon on the right. Tapping the little orb at the tip of the Volvoice's flagellum will zap its memory.
Development
The developers considered including a save function, but opted not to because they wanted for the players to enjoy the game both extemporarily and viscerally. They felt that if a save function were included then the game would be used more as a tool, where the player had to open several additional menus and windows or have to input file names to save. Another reason was that it would require large volume of flash ROM and would take a long time to save and read the data in order to save the voice files for Volvoice and Rec-Rec.http://www.cubed3.com/news/5724/Reception
- Joystiq 8.0 out of 10 (80%)
- Nintendo PowerNintendo PowerNintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
: 8.5 out of 10 (85%) - IGN 7.0 out of 10 (70%)
- Official Nintendo Magazine: 78%
One of the most common complaints concerning Electroplankton is that the game offers no true way to save the audio created by the player. Absolutely no data is recorded onto the game cartridge at any time, which can be frustrating to a player who manages to compose a particularly elaborate or quality piece. Although this problem can be overcome by connecting an audio recording device, such as a cassette recorder or a personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
, to the headphone jack of the Nintendo DS, this solution isn't practical for the average player.
Another commonly addressed issue is the fact that Electroplankton does not offer enough options to suit the tastes of many players. The game allows players to create music with only one type of "plankton" at a time, in effect limiting the user to using only a small amount of similar sound effects to create their work. This prevents a player from enjoying the same amount of versatility that one might find in a traditional music creation program.
Release and importing
Electroplankton has developed a niche following around the entire globe. The title made its first public appearance at the 2005 Game Developer's Conference, and later, an appearance at the 2005 E3 show, but from then until October 19, 2005, details about the game's release outside of Japan remained somewhat vague. However, on October 19, 2005, Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
revealed Electroplanktons release date in North America: January 9, 2006, with sales of the game limited to online retailers and the Nintendo World
Nintendo World
Nintendo World is a Brazilian video game magazine which covers games for the Nintendo Wii and DS. It was created in 1999 by the Conrad Editora. Initially it covered games for the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color consoles, which were very popular in the country at the time...
store in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, though some retailers may carry the game if they choose to. It was released in Europe on July 7, 2006. Nonetheless, Electroplankton is an import friendly game for most people, mainly because of both its simple menu and its light use of the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
This trend for import was heightened in Europe, due to the release date (April 21, 2006) having been chaotically postponed to July 7, 2006. As a consequence, certain European gamers preferred importing the game rather than waiting any longer, or risking deception if the game, already in a bad shape for European release, was not released at all. A release was planned by Nintendo Australia in late 2006 but never eventuated due to, according to NoAus representatives, not enough space in the release schedule.
Release as DSiWare
On July 6, 2009, Nintendo announced that Electroplankton would be re-released in Japan, as part of the DSiWare service exclusive to the Nintendo DSiNintendo DSi
The is a handheld game system created by Nintendo and launched in 2008 and 2009 in Japan, North America, PAL territories, and other regions. It is the third iteration of the Nintendo DS, and its primary market rival is Sony's PlayStation Portable...
system. Each "instrument" is available to buy separately for 200 Nintendo Points each.
Tracy (renamed Trapy), Hanenbon, Nanocarp, and Beatnes were released on July 11, while Rec Rec and Lumiloop were released on July 22. Luminaria and Sun Animalcule were released August 5, and Marine Snow and Volvoice were released August 26, 2009.
In North America, all 10 Elektroplankton were released in November 2009. Trapy, Hanenbow, Rec-Rec, Nanocarp, and Beatnes were released on November 9, while Luminaria (renamed Luminarrow), Sun-Animalcule, Lumiloop, Marine-Snow (renamed Marine-Crystals), and Volvoice (renamed Varvoice) were released November 23.
In the PAL region, the first two Electroplankton were released on January 15, 2010, which were Beatnes and Hanenbow. The next two were released on January 22, 2010, which were Nanocarp and Trapy. The next two released were Luminarrow and Sun-Animalcule on January 29, 2010. Rec Rec and Lumiloop were added on February 12, 2010 and the last two minigames Marine-Crystals and Varvoice, were released on February 26, 2010.
In other media
- Electroplankton is represented in Super Smash Bros. Brawl with its own stage called "Hanenbow" that is based on the Hanenbow feature.
See also
- OtockyOtockyOtocky is a videogame released in 1987 for the Family Computer Disk System in Japan. Developed by SEDIC and published by ASCII Corporation, the game was conceived and designed by Toshio Iwai.-Gameplay:...
, a game for the Famicom Disk SystemNintendo Entertainment SystemThe Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
by Electroplankton designer Toshio IwaiToshio Iwaiis a Japanese interactive media and installation artist who has also created a number of commercial video games. In addition he has worked in television, music performance, museum design and digital musical instrument design.-Education and early work:...
, which is notable for developing the concept of the musical shoot 'em upShoot 'em upShoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
in 1987. - Sound FantasySound FantasySound Fantasy also titled Sound Factory during production, is an unreleased video game for the Super NES/Super Famicom.-Summary:Interactive media artist Toshio Iwai designed the game in the early 1990s using concepts from the installation art piece Music Insects, which he created during his time as...
, an unreleased game for the Super NES/Super FamicomSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
that was created by Electroplankton designer Toshio Iwai. - SimTunesSimTunesSimTunes is a children's software toy designed by Toshio Iwai and released by Maxis in 1996. It involves painting a picture with dots , where each color represents a musical note...
, a PCPersonal computerA personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
game, also designed by Iwai, that the irreleased Sound Fantasy was converted into. - Tenori-onTenori-onTenori-on is an electronic musical instrument, designed and created by Japanese artist Toshio Iwai and Yu Nishibori of the Music and Human Interface Group, Yamaha Center for Advanced Sound Technology. It consists of a screen, held in the hands, of a sixteen by sixteen grid of LED switches, any of...
, a digital musical instrument created by Electroplankton designer Toshio Iwai. Tenori-on's interface is similar to some of the Electroplankton modes. - Daigasso! Band BrothersDaigasso! Band Brothersis a music video game published and developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. It was released in Japan on December 2, 2004 as a launch game for the Nintendo DS. The game features multiple songs, which include classical music, television themes, and video game music. The game...
, a music game developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS.
External links
- Official Site (US/English)
- Official Site (Japan/Japanese)
- Official Site (European/Language choice incl. English)
- Developer Homepage (Japanese)
- PDF Manual
- Electroplankton Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.) at GameFAQs
- Electroplankton videos at IGN (includes video of a Nintendo Keynote demonstration at the 2005 Game Developers Conference, premium membership required)
- Electroplankton Stage in Super Smash Brothers Brawl