Kororinpa
Encyclopedia
is a video game for Nintendo
's Wii
video game console
. It was released in Japan
on December 2, 2006 as a launch title for the Wii, then in Europe on February 23, 2007 and North America on March 20, 2007.
In Kororinpa, the player tilts the playing field, using the Wii Remote
to navigate a spherical object around mazes to reach the end goal, similar to Marble Madness
, Marble Blast
and the Super Monkey Ball series
. Some mazes cause the player to tilt them in such a way so that a wall becomes a floor, or to interact with objects such as magnets or conveyor belts. Each level contains a number of orange crystals and a single green crystal. Collection of all orange crystals is necessary for progression, while green crystals are optional, but unlock secret levels. In addition, players may be awarded with bronze, silver, or gold trophies for completing levels within a predetermined amount of time. Obtaining these trophies will unlock new balls, music, and 5 additional bonus levels. Once the forty-five single player levels have been completed, a mirror mode is unlocked.
features a plot in which the player assists a small ant named Anthony and his colony to locate the "Golden Sunflower Seed". Players navigate through over a hundred stages across seven areas to collect pieces of junk, which the ants turn into the 100 stage editor parts used to proceed to the final stage, "The Stump Temple". Marble Saga: Kororinpa
also features thirty special stages designed for use with the Wii Balance Board
controller. The game features multiplayer race modes, an edit
mode for custom stage creation and sharing through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
, and Mii
integration. The game was released in North America
on March 17, 2009, in Europe
on May 1, 2009 and in Japan
on August 6, 2009.
UK awarded the game a score of 6.1 out of 10, citing the game as being "hard not to warm to", noting the "jolly soundtrack and cunning level design difficult to resist". However, they criticized the game for its lack of levels or challenge, and its "ill-conceived camera". British gaming magazines NGamer
and Official Nintendo Magazine were less critical, awarding Kororinpa scores of 81 out of 100 and 80% respectively. ONM praised the game for its control method and multiplayer mode. On Game Rankings
, the game has received an average of 70% from 21 reviews.
Kororinpa sold only 2,416 copies on December 2, 2006, the day of the Wii launch
in Japan.
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....
's Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
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 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...
on December 2, 2006 as a launch title for the Wii, then in Europe on February 23, 2007 and North America on March 20, 2007.
Gameplay
Kororinpa is based on the Marble game Labyrinth but with a new twist. Instead of using little knobs on the sides to tilt the level, the player rotates the Wii mote as if they were holding the twisted pathways as opposed to a plastic piece with a sensor. There are 40 levels that increase in difficulty sequentially and eventually require some speed as well as accuracy.In Kororinpa, the player tilts the playing field, using the Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
to navigate a spherical object around mazes to reach the end goal, similar to Marble Madness
Marble Madness
Marble Madness is an arcade video game designed by Mark Cerny, and published by Atari Games in 1984. It is a platform game in which the player must guide an onscreen marble through six courses, populated with obstacles and enemies, within a time limit. The player controls the marble by using a...
, Marble Blast
Marble Blast Gold
Marble Blast Gold is a 3D platformer game. It was pre-installed on some Apple Inc. computers like the iMac and iBook. It is also available for Windows operating systems as well as various Linux distributions...
and the Super Monkey Ball series
Super Monkey Ball (series)
The Super Monkey Ball series is a series of arcade platform games developed by Amusement Vision and distributed by Sega. It features 4 characters : AiAi, MeeMee, Baby and GonGon...
. Some mazes cause the player to tilt them in such a way so that a wall becomes a floor, or to interact with objects such as magnets or conveyor belts. Each level contains a number of orange crystals and a single green crystal. Collection of all orange crystals is necessary for progression, while green crystals are optional, but unlock secret levels. In addition, players may be awarded with bronze, silver, or gold trophies for completing levels within a predetermined amount of time. Obtaining these trophies will unlock new balls, music, and 5 additional bonus levels. Once the forty-five single player levels have been completed, a mirror mode is unlocked.
Sequel
Marble Saga: KororinpaMarble Saga: Kororinpa
Marble Saga: Kororinpa is a video game for Nintendo's Wii video game console. It was released in North America on March 17, 2009, roughly two years after the original title Kororinpa: Marble Mania...
features a plot in which the player assists a small ant named Anthony and his colony to locate the "Golden Sunflower Seed". Players navigate through over a hundred stages across seven areas to collect pieces of junk, which the ants turn into the 100 stage editor parts used to proceed to the final stage, "The Stump Temple". Marble Saga: Kororinpa
Marble Saga: Kororinpa
Marble Saga: Kororinpa is a video game for Nintendo's Wii video game console. It was released in North America on March 17, 2009, roughly two years after the original title Kororinpa: Marble Mania...
also features thirty special stages designed for use with the Wii Balance Board
Wii Balance Board
The Wii Balance Board is a balance board accessory for the Nintendo Wii video game console. Along with Wii Fit, it was introduced on July 11, 2007 at the Electronic Entertainment Expo...
controller. The game features multiplayer race modes, an edit
Level editor
A level editor is a software tool used to design levels, maps, campaigns, etc and virtual worlds for a video game. In some cases the creator of a video game releases an official level editor for a game, but other times the community of fans step in to fill the void...
mode for custom stage creation and sharing through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
The is an online multiplayer gaming service run by Nintendo to provide free online play in compatible Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS and Wii games. The service includes the company's Wii Shop Channel, DSi Shop, and Nintendo eShop game download services...
, and Mii
Mii
A is a digital avatar used in Nintendo's Wii and Nintendo 3DS gaming consoles. They allow users to capture a likeness of themselves and others. After creating one using the Wii's Mii Channel or the Nintendo 3DS's Mii Maker, they can be used as playable characters in various titles for the...
integration. The game was 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...
on March 17, 2009, in 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...
on May 1, 2009 and 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...
on August 6, 2009.
Reception
The game has received mixed, but predominately positive, criticism. IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
UK awarded the game a score of 6.1 out of 10, citing the game as being "hard not to warm to", noting the "jolly soundtrack and cunning level design difficult to resist". However, they criticized the game for its lack of levels or challenge, and its "ill-conceived camera". British gaming magazines NGamer
NGamer
NGamer is a British magazine which mainly covers Nintendo video game consoles and software, and also to a much lesser extent, Sony and Microsoft consoles. The first issue was released on 13 July 2006...
and Official Nintendo Magazine were less critical, awarding Kororinpa scores of 81 out of 100 and 80% respectively. ONM praised the game for its control method and multiplayer mode. On Game Rankings
Game Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
, the game has received an average of 70% from 21 reviews.
Kororinpa sold only 2,416 copies on December 2, 2006, the day of the Wii launch
Wii launch
The Wii launch was the release of Nintendo's seventh generation video game console. This successor to the Nintendo GameCube was released in most territories in November and December 2006...
in Japan.