Sakura Momoko no Ukiuki Carnival
Encyclopedia
is a video game developed by Indieszero
and Nintendo Special Planning & Development and published by Nintendo
for the Game Boy Advance
. The game was never released outside of Japan.
, but the platform was changed after the release of the Game Boy Advance
.
The game's characters were designed by popular manga artist Momoko Sakura
. Her sister, Noriko Miura, designed the basis for the game and contributed to its script, while Shigeru Miyamoto
, Takashi Tezuka
, and Satoru Iwata
also contributed to the game's development as producers or advisors.
The player takes the role of a young boy or girl who is on the "carnival committee" of Colortown; a mysterious town where there is no nightfall. The player ventures through the game's overworld in top-down perspective to fulfill two objectives: receive a star from each of the eight guardian gods living in the town to inaugurate the town's festive carnival
, and invite as many people as possible to the carnival. The final goal of the game is to invite all 100+ characters of the game to the carnival, but only a portion of the characters can be invited during the first playthrough. Completion of the final goal requires at least three playthroughs of the game.
In preparing for the carnival, the player is faced with various puzzles or mysteries present within the town. The player can meet with local residents directly to receive items useful in solving the puzzles, or access the game's simulated internet using a PDA
. Relevant information can be gained through the web pages, emails, forums, chat rooms, and search engines simulated within the game. None of the puzzles and mysteries are difficult to solve, and few puzzles are presented during the first playthrough, allowing the player to get through to the carnival fairly easily. A fair portion of the game is spent as a tutorial, where the player learns the controls from supporting characters, and the game's dialogue and colorful style is directed towards casual gamers and young children.
The game also includes a mode where the player can create their own homepage
viewable on the game's internet. The player can design an original homepage by entering text and using preset icons and wallpaper. A homepage designed by Sakura Momoko and her sister is included as an example. This homepage can be exchanged between cartridges via the Game Boy Advance Game Link Cable, and can serve as a communication tool similar to an exchange diary
.
The Carnival
Monpī
MiniP@
Indieszero
is a video game production company headquartered in Musashino, Tokyo, Japan. It was founded on April 14, 1997, and has developed video games for other video game companies, including Nintendo and Namco Bandai Games.-Notable works:* Sutte Hakkun...
and Nintendo Special Planning & Development 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 Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
. The game was never released outside of Japan.
Development
As seen on the game's box art, the game is billed as an where the player ventures between the game's "real-life" town and internet. The game was originally planned for the Game Boy ColorGame Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
, but the platform was changed after the release of the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
.
The game's characters were designed by popular manga artist Momoko Sakura
Momoko Sakura
, pen name , is a Japanese manga artist from Shimizu, Shizuoka Prefecture. She is the creator of the long-running manga Chibi Maruko-chan , based on her own childhood, and the more surreal fantasy anime series Coji-Coji, which ran from 1997 to 1999...
. Her sister, Noriko Miura, designed the basis for the game and contributed to its script, while Shigeru Miyamoto
Shigeru Miyamoto
is a Japanese video game designer and producer. Miyamoto was born and raised in Kyoto Prefecture; the natural surroundings of Kyoto inspired much of Miyamoto's later work....
, Takashi Tezuka
Takashi Tezuka
, sometimes credited under his nickname Ten Ten, is a video game designer working for Nintendo. A graduate of the Design Department of Osaka University of Arts, he joined the company in April 1984 and was involved with some of the most critically acclaimed Nintendo series, including Mario and The...
, and Satoru Iwata
Satoru Iwata
is the fourth president of Nintendo, succeeding the long-standing previous president of the company, Hiroshi Yamauchi in 2002. He was responsible in great part for defining Nintendo's strategy both before and during the release of its Nintendo GameCube video game console in 2001, a vision which...
also contributed to the game's development as producers or advisors.
Gameplay
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
, and invite as many people as possible to the carnival. The final goal of the game is to invite all 100+ characters of the game to the carnival, but only a portion of the characters can be invited during the first playthrough. Completion of the final goal requires at least three playthroughs of the game.
In preparing for the carnival, the player is faced with various puzzles or mysteries present within the town. The player can meet with local residents directly to receive items useful in solving the puzzles, or access the game's simulated internet using a PDA
Personal digital assistant
A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
. Relevant information can be gained through the web pages, emails, forums, chat rooms, and search engines simulated within the game. None of the puzzles and mysteries are difficult to solve, and few puzzles are presented during the first playthrough, allowing the player to get through to the carnival fairly easily. A fair portion of the game is spent as a tutorial, where the player learns the controls from supporting characters, and the game's dialogue and colorful style is directed towards casual gamers and young children.
The game also includes a mode where the player can create their own homepage
Homepage
A home page or homepage has various related meanings to do with web sites:* It most often refers to the initial or main web page of a web site, sometimes called the front page ....
viewable on the game's internet. The player can design an original homepage by entering text and using preset icons and wallpaper. A homepage designed by Sakura Momoko and her sister is included as an example. This homepage can be exchanged between cartridges via the Game Boy Advance Game Link Cable, and can serve as a communication tool similar to an exchange diary
Exchange Diary
An Exchange diary is a notebook shared between friends, who take it in turns to write in their thoughts or other comments. Exchange diaries were especially popular in Japan in the 1990s in elementary and junior high schools, particularly among girls....
.
World view
Colortown| North | ||||
| West | Purpletown (Futuristic town) |
Blacktown (Rural town) |
Pinktown (Japanese town) |
East |
| Whitetown (Desert town) |
Yellowpark (Central park) |
Bluetown (Water town) |
||
| Orangetown (Stone town) |
Redtown (Southern town) |
Greentown (Modern town) |
||
| South | ||||
- The game takes place in a town that is divided into nine different smaller towns. Each area is named by color, along with a subtitle describing the region's chief characteristic. There is a guardian god shrine in each area except for Yellowpark. There has been no nightfall in Colortown ever since the magic jewel preserved in Yellowpark's stone circle was stolen by a villain, and the town is constantly awash in daylight.
The Carnival
- Colortown's carnival is held upon the arrival of the carnival fairyFairyA fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
, and the job of carnival committee members is to awake the guardian gods living in each region of the town and distribute flyers inviting people to the carnival. Each guardian god will wake when certain offerings are made to their shrine, and they decorate their region of the town in preparation for the carnival. There are no adult committee members in the game, and members are chosen by the carnival fairy.
Monpī
- Short for "monster people," is the collective name for the mysterious creatures that live in the world of Sakura Momoko no Ukiuki Carnival. A Monpī can be a reincarnationReincarnationReincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
of a human or the soul of an inanimate object that has come to life. They often mix in their own indecipherable language when communicating with the player, and many of them have no interest in maintaining contact with the human world. However, all of the Monpī must be sought out in order to complete the final objective of the game.
MiniP@
- is the product name of the PDAPersonal digital assistantA personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
used by the player and other characters in the game. The player's MiniP@ can be used to browse the internet, email, and display the town map, but emails cannot be sent out to other characters. The player can only receive and read emails.