Mushroom Men
Encyclopedia
The Mushroom Men video games were developed for Nintendo
on the Nintendo DS
and Wii
systems. Both games were developed by Red Fly Studio and published by Gamecock Media Group
. The story revolves around a civil war between 3 inches (76.2 mm) Mushroom Men in a human world. According to the game's designer Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi for the Nintendo DS will be a side-scrolling platformer as well as a prequel to Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars, the Wii version, which will be a full 3D platforming game.
crashes to the Earth, raining down a strange green dust in its wake. The space dust is harmless to humans and goes unnoticed, but they failed to notice that flora, fauna and fungi including mushroom
s, cacti
, and kudzu
gained sentience. Also, this strange green dust mutated some of the animals too (such as rabbits, moles, spiders and opossums). In order to survive, the newly conscious mushroom people soon formed into tribe
s, and war inevitably followed. The story of The Spore Wars on Wii also chronicles the life of the main character Pax
, a lone bolete mushroom
who is trying to find his place in mushroom society. As Pax progresses he discovers a lepiota called Pester that plans to take over the world. Pax follows him to a trailer park where Pax battles him and causes him to fall to the floor below them, leaving Pester to be killed by a mutated fungi dog that devours him. Pax returns to the village and says good bye to the mushroom villagers, saying he'll go where ever the wind takes him.
magazine, four different tribes of mushrooms were revealed. The names and characteristics of all the tribes correspond to the species of real-world mushrooms for which they are named. The tribes are the Bolete
, Morel
, Amanita
, Lepiota
, and Shiitake
. A short description of each tribe is below.
Bolete
- These mushrooms are a peaceful, Utopia
n society, and want nothing more than the entire mushroom world to be at peace (this is the tribe to which the main character, Pax, belongs). They apparently have telekinetic abilities, which they call "Sporekinesis", which most other tribes don't appear to have. They are experts when it comes to surprise attacks, and are believed to be the first sentient mushrooms (which may make them the alpha
mushrooms).
Morel
- This mushroom tribe is excellent at all things mechanical, and are the "whizzes" of the mushroom world. This tribe is peaceful also, and will help Pax along his way. However, due to their massive brain power, they have become somewhat poor fighters. They are masters of mechanical defense systems.
Amanita
- This mushroom tribe is not peaceful; beware! These baddies are the ones who started the mushroom wars in the first game "Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi" for the DS platform. They are master fighters, and always attack in groups. Their weapon of choice tends to be scavenged spears.
Lepiota
- These mushrooms are also evil! The Lepiota are very mysterious, and steeped in dark mysticism. Their cities are shrines and they are very "religious". Tough and resourceful, they can be counted on to dole out punishment. Painful punishment. They will secure human artifacts and even insects to use as weapons, using them in slashing attacks.
Shiitake
- An order of elemental monks.
can be made of a corncob holder attached to a popsicle
stick or even a Nintendo DS stylus. These weapons fall into four categories: slashing, bashing, thrusting, and radical. Each weapon category has its strengths in combat; for example, a slashing weapon is excellent when being swarmed by a group of enemies, while the thrusting weapons are useful for eliminating hard-to-reach flying enemies.
of Primus
fame. He contributed original tracks to the game's soundtrack, which is a groundbreaking metronome
-based system developed by Gl33k, a music and sound design group located in Austin, TX. The songs include "Eye of the Mushroom," "Sidescroll my Heart," and "Opposoumly Dangerous." Some of these are featured on Claypool's 2009 solo album, Of Fungi and Foe
.
, and given a 2 out of 5 on X-Play, but it received praise from Nintendo Power
and Official Nintendo Magazine.
Common points of praise have been its graphics, sound and presentation, while its gameplay has been considered too formulaic.
Nintendo Power
gave Spore Wars on the Wii an 8/10. Rise of the Fungi on the DS received a 5/10.
N-Europe also gave Spore Wars 8/10, noting its Tim Burton
-esque nature and praising the game's atmospheric soundtrack, while commenting the game was however rather short.
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....
on 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...
and 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...
systems. Both games were developed by Red Fly Studio and published by Gamecock Media Group
Gamecock Media Group
Gamecock Media Group was a video game publisher based in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 2007 by video game industry veterans Mike Wilson, Harry Miller, and Rick Stults, original founders of Gathering of Developers. They used a more hands-off approach and allowed developers creative freedom with...
. The story revolves around a civil war between 3 inches (76.2 mm) Mushroom Men in a human world. According to the game's designer Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi for the Nintendo DS will be a side-scrolling platformer as well as a prequel to Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars, the Wii version, which will be a full 3D platforming game.
Story
The story begins when a cometComet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
crashes to the Earth, raining down a strange green dust in its wake. The space dust is harmless to humans and goes unnoticed, but they failed to notice that flora, fauna and fungi including mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
s, cacti
Cactus
A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...
, and kudzu
Kudzu
Kudzu is a plant in the genus Pueraria in the pea family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. It is a climbing, coiling, and trailing vine native to southern Japan and southeast China. Its name comes from the Japanese name for the plant, . It is a weed that climbs over trees or shrubs and grows so...
gained sentience. Also, this strange green dust mutated some of the animals too (such as rabbits, moles, spiders and opossums). In order to survive, the newly conscious mushroom people soon formed into tribe
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
s, and war inevitably followed. The story of The Spore Wars on Wii also chronicles the life of the main character Pax
Paxillaceae
The Paxillaceae are a family of mushrooms bearing close affinity to the Boletes. Collectively, the family contains nine genera and 78 species. The type genus is Paxillus, containing fungi with decurrent gills, and Gyrodon, which has members with decurrent pores, among others...
, a lone bolete mushroom
Boletaceae
Boletaceae are a family of mushrooms, primarily characterized by developing their spores in small pores on the underside of the mushroom, instead of gills, as are found in agarics. Nearly as widely distributed as agarics, they include the Cep or King Bolete , much sought after by mushroom hunters...
who is trying to find his place in mushroom society. As Pax progresses he discovers a lepiota called Pester that plans to take over the world. Pax follows him to a trailer park where Pax battles him and causes him to fall to the floor below them, leaving Pester to be killed by a mutated fungi dog that devours him. Pax returns to the village and says good bye to the mushroom villagers, saying he'll go where ever the wind takes him.
Tribes
In the August 2007 issue of GameproGamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
magazine, four different tribes of mushrooms were revealed. The names and characteristics of all the tribes correspond to the species of real-world mushrooms for which they are named. The tribes are the Bolete
Bolete
A bolete is a type of fungal fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus that is clearly differentiated from the stipe, with a spongy surface of pores on the underside of the pileus...
, Morel
Morel
Morchella, the true morels, is a genus of edible mushrooms closely related to anatomically simpler cup fungi. These distinctive mushrooms appear honeycomb-like in that the upper portion is composed of a network of ridges with pits between them....
, Amanita
Amanita
The genus Amanita contains about 600 species of agarics including some of the most toxic known mushrooms found worldwide. This genus is responsible for approximately 95% of the fatalities resulting from mushroom poisoning, with the death cap accounting for about 50% on its own...
, Lepiota
Lepiota
Lepiota is a genus of gilled mushrooms in the family Agaricaceae. All Lepiota species are ground-dwelling saprotrophs with a preference for rich, calcareous soils. Basidiocarps are agaricoid with whitish spores, typically with scaly caps and a ring on the stem. Around 400 species of Lepiota are...
, and Shiitake
Shiitake
The Shiitake is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed in many Asian countries, as well as being dried and exported to many countries around the world. It is a feature of many Asian cuisines including Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai...
. A short description of each tribe is below.
Bolete
Bolete
A bolete is a type of fungal fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus that is clearly differentiated from the stipe, with a spongy surface of pores on the underside of the pileus...
- These mushrooms are a peaceful, Utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
n society, and want nothing more than the entire mushroom world to be at peace (this is the tribe to which the main character, Pax, belongs). They apparently have telekinetic abilities, which they call "Sporekinesis", which most other tribes don't appear to have. They are experts when it comes to surprise attacks, and are believed to be the first sentient mushrooms (which may make them the alpha
Alpha
Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. Alpha or ALPHA may also refer to:-Science:*Alpha , the highest ranking individuals in a community of social animals...
mushrooms).
Morel
Morel
Morchella, the true morels, is a genus of edible mushrooms closely related to anatomically simpler cup fungi. These distinctive mushrooms appear honeycomb-like in that the upper portion is composed of a network of ridges with pits between them....
- This mushroom tribe is excellent at all things mechanical, and are the "whizzes" of the mushroom world. This tribe is peaceful also, and will help Pax along his way. However, due to their massive brain power, they have become somewhat poor fighters. They are masters of mechanical defense systems.
Amanita
Amanita
The genus Amanita contains about 600 species of agarics including some of the most toxic known mushrooms found worldwide. This genus is responsible for approximately 95% of the fatalities resulting from mushroom poisoning, with the death cap accounting for about 50% on its own...
- This mushroom tribe is not peaceful; beware! These baddies are the ones who started the mushroom wars in the first game "Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi" for the DS platform. They are master fighters, and always attack in groups. Their weapon of choice tends to be scavenged spears.
Lepiota
Lepiota
Lepiota is a genus of gilled mushrooms in the family Agaricaceae. All Lepiota species are ground-dwelling saprotrophs with a preference for rich, calcareous soils. Basidiocarps are agaricoid with whitish spores, typically with scaly caps and a ring on the stem. Around 400 species of Lepiota are...
- These mushrooms are also evil! The Lepiota are very mysterious, and steeped in dark mysticism. Their cities are shrines and they are very "religious". Tough and resourceful, they can be counted on to dole out punishment. Painful punishment. They will secure human artifacts and even insects to use as weapons, using them in slashing attacks.
Shiitake
Shiitake
The Shiitake is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed in many Asian countries, as well as being dried and exported to many countries around the world. It is a feature of many Asian cuisines including Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai...
- An order of elemental monks.
Weapons
The game features weapon construction, as the player finds everyday items that can be converted into weaponry. For example, an axeTomahawk (axe)
A tomahawk is a type of axe native to North America, traditionally resembling a hatchet with a straight shaft. The name came into the English language in the 17th century as a transliteration of the Powhatan word.Tomahawks were general purpose tools used by Native Americans and European Colonials...
can be made of a corncob holder attached to a popsicle
Popsicle
Popsicle is the most popular brand of ice pop in the United States and Canada. The first ice pop was created by accident in 1905 when 11-year-old Frank Epperson left a cup of soda on his porch in cold weather overnight. The next morning he went to go get the soda and it was frozen, so he put two...
stick or even a Nintendo DS stylus. These weapons fall into four categories: slashing, bashing, thrusting, and radical. Each weapon category has its strengths in combat; for example, a slashing weapon is excellent when being swarmed by a group of enemies, while the thrusting weapons are useful for eliminating hard-to-reach flying enemies.
Music
The theme song for the games and several original tracks were composed and performed by Les ClaypoolLes Claypool
Leslie Edward "Les" Claypool is an American musician and writer, best known as the lead vocalist and bassist in the band Primus. Claypool's playing style on the electric bass mixes tapping, flamenco-like strumming, whammy bar bends and slapping.Claypool has also self produced and engineered his...
of Primus
Primus (band)
Primus is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, currently composed of bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde and drummer Jay Lane. Primus originally formed in 1984 with Claypool and guitarist Todd Huth, later joined by Lane, though the latter two departed...
fame. He contributed original tracks to the game's soundtrack, which is a groundbreaking metronome
Metronome
A metronome is any device that produces regular, metrical ticks — settable in beats per minute. These ticks represent a fixed, regular aural pulse; some metronomes also include synchronized visual motion...
-based system developed by Gl33k, a music and sound design group located in Austin, TX. The songs include "Eye of the Mushroom," "Sidescroll my Heart," and "Opposoumly Dangerous." Some of these are featured on Claypool's 2009 solo album, Of Fungi and Foe
Of Fungi and Foe
Of Fungi and Foe is the second solo album by Les Claypool. The album was released on the 17th of March, 2009. The album features Eugene Hütz, Paulo Baldi, Mike Dillon, Lapland Miclovik, Sam Bass, Cage Claypool, and Bryonn Bain.Claypool states:...
.
Reception
Reception to The Spore Wars was fair; it was derided by 1UP and Game InformerGame Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
, and given a 2 out of 5 on X-Play, but it received praise from Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo 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...
and Official Nintendo Magazine.
Common points of praise have been its graphics, sound and presentation, while its gameplay has been considered too formulaic.
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo 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...
gave Spore Wars on the Wii an 8/10. Rise of the Fungi on the DS received a 5/10.
N-Europe also gave Spore Wars 8/10, noting its Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
-esque nature and praising the game's atmospheric soundtrack, while commenting the game was however rather short.