Protöthea
Encyclopedia
Protöthea is a shoot 'em up
video game developed by Digital Builders originally released for Windows
PC
s in 2005. A redesigned version for WiiWare
was released in North America on June 2, 2008 and in Europe on October 23, 2009.
The PC version of the game was the winner of the Cartoon Network-sponsored Project Goldmaster Award at the 2005 Independent Games Festival
.
. Players are tasked with destroying an asteroid, Maqno 01, and eliminate an enemy faction named The Core who wish to mine it and others like it in order to build an army of war machines.
The Wii
version of Protöthea brings a number of additional features to the game including additional levels, enemies and power-up
s, in addition to enhanced and redesigned graphics. Control has also been designed to take advantage of the Wii Remote
, with the pointer function used to aim the targeting cursor, and the Nunchuck used to move the player's ship.
gave the WiiWare version of Protöthea a 5/10, claiming the game "doesn't look that great, doesn't sound that great, and doesn't offer much creativity" and calling the shoot 'em up gameplay challenging but uninteresting. They were also disappointed by the lack of polish in the presentation, and felt that Ubisoft's decision to bring the game to WiiWare in the first place was "random".
Shoot 'em up
Shoot '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...
video game developed by Digital Builders originally released for Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
PC
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...
s in 2005. A redesigned version for WiiWare
WiiWare
WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
was released in North America on June 2, 2008 and in Europe on October 23, 2009.
The PC version of the game was the winner of the Cartoon Network-sponsored Project Goldmaster Award at the 2005 Independent Games Festival
Independent Games Festival
The Independent Games Festival is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference, the largest annual gathering of the indie video game industry. It was founded in 1998 to assist and inspire innovation in video game development and to recognize the best independent video game developers...
.
Gameplay
Protöthea is a scrolling vertical shooter with 3D graphics played from a top down perspective. Controls for movement and aiming of weapons are separate, with players manipulating an aiming cursor on screen, similar to Geometry WarsGeometry Wars
Geometry Wars is a minigame created by Bizarre Creations as part of Project Gotham Racing 2 for the Xbox, accessible through the in-game garage. An updated version of the game, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, is available for download on the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade. It can also be played in...
. Players are tasked with destroying an asteroid, Maqno 01, and eliminate an enemy faction named The Core who wish to mine it and others like it in order to build an army of war machines.
The 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...
version of Protöthea brings a number of additional features to the game including additional levels, enemies and power-up
Power-up
In computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...
s, in addition to enhanced and redesigned graphics. Control has also been designed to take advantage of 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...
, with the pointer function used to aim the targeting cursor, and the Nunchuck used to move the player's ship.
Reception
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...
gave the WiiWare version of Protöthea a 5/10, claiming the game "doesn't look that great, doesn't sound that great, and doesn't offer much creativity" and calling the shoot 'em up gameplay challenging but uninteresting. They were also disappointed by the lack of polish in the presentation, and felt that Ubisoft's decision to bring the game to WiiWare in the first place was "random".