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Electroplankton
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Console: Nintendo DS
Region:U
Year: 2006
RFG ID #: U-087-S-00720-A
Part #: NTR-ATIE-USA
UPC: 045496737061
Developer: indieszero
Publisher: Nintendo
Rating:
E (ESRB)

Genre: Music/Rhythm
Sub-genre: Music Creator
Players: 1
Controller: System Controls + Stylus + Microphone
Media Format: DS Card
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Collection Stats:

  • 89 of 7620 collectors (1.1%) have this game in their collection
  • 13 of 7620 collectors (0.1%) have this game in their wishlist.
  • 0 of 7620 collectors (0%) have this game for sale or trade.
Overview:

One of Nintendo's nongames, Electroplankton takes an interesting concept and fails to deliver something magical, making you yearn for something more. If you like cute little artsy things, then this game may be for you. Otherwise, you perhaps should look elsewhere for an amazing experience, you probably won't find it here.

The back of the case reads as follows:

Watch it, touch it, listen to it... and feel it.

In this sea, you'll encounter ten unique species of tiny Electroplanton that respond to your touch and voice to create unforgettable sounds and melodies. Interacting with this wide and wild variety of Electroplanton is as simple as sliding your stylus across the Touch Screen. Toy with Tracy plankton and listen to their music as they swim along the lines that you draw. Clap your hans or use your voice to lead a microscopic synchronized swimming team of Nanocarp. There are ten fascinating plankton to play with in all! The latest work by renowned Japanese media artist Toshio Iwai, Electroplankton bursts to life exclusively on the Nintendo DS.

Review:

I came into this game with the assumption that Electroplankton was not a game, but rather a nongame, something that had no true objective and nothing to achieve. However, it became increasingly apparent that even as a nongame this game, while something of an interesting diversion, still kept you asking for something more. What I was looking for was a cool orchestral type music nongame, and what I got was something yearning for a different experience.

Electroplankton is as I mentioned earlier a nongame, there are no objectives, nothing to accomplish, all you need to do is sit back an enjoy the experience. Electroplankton has two modes -- Performance Mode and Audience Mode. In Audience Mode, all you do it sit back and listen to the Electroplankton make beautiful music for you. You can join in the fun and assist in making wonderful music. That is about all there is to that mode, not much else. After about two minutes the experience changes to a different environment. Really, I am not joking. That is all there is. What, did you expect something more? I sure did, and I hope I can find it in Performance Mode.

Thankfully, Performance Mode does offer more to do. You are given the choice of ten different types of Electroplankton to screw around with. Each "species" of Electroplankton acts differently than the next. For example, Beatnes allows you to create cool NES rifts, while Hanenbow has cute little Electroplankton fly out of the water and bounce around on leaves that you can adjust, making beautiful music. This all is fun and you could do it forever, but there still are somethings missing that would have been much appreciated. The lack of these features turn an interesting concept into a less than stellar experience.

The game could have had several big things that would have made the game exponentially better. First, it would have been extremely nice if you would have been able to save your musical masterpieces. That's right, you pay thirty dollars for a game and you are not given the opportunity to save anything! That is extremely lame, it is not as though the cart could not have allowed for a few saved songs, but it just as though they were too lazy to program that feature into the game. If you want to memorialize your masterpiece, then you will likely need a computer and a line in feature to record the music. That is unacceptable in my opinion. The second little thing that I find extremely annoying is that you can't mix the sounds of two or more types of Electroplankton. If you want do that, then you will need a mix table such as the one seen at the 2005 e3 show. That table had 5 DSes all running Electroplankton, and while it sounds wonderous, I do not feel that most people will want to spend that type of money to create beautiful music.

Electroplankton might be a nice game to play as a small diversion; however, this game is not a game that warrants itself being sold for thirty dollars. Don't expect an amazing experience when you buy this game, rather, expect a game that will probably be worth a bunch of money because of its limited release. Not to sound harsh, but it may be better to keep the game sealed then ever play it. The two shortcomings that I descibed make this a less than great experience. Spend your money elsewhere, the great nongame experience you may be looking for will not be found here.

RF Generation Review Score


40%
Extra Media:

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Variations:

Console Reg. Type Title Publisher Year Genre
Nintendo DS FR, DE S Electroplankton Nintendo 2006 Music/Rhythm
Nintendo DS BE, NL S Electroplankton Nintendo 2006 Music/Rhythm
Nintendo DS J S Electroplankton Nintendo 2005 Music/Rhythm
Game Trivia:

  • Created by famed Japanese media artist Toshio Iwai.
  • Was an internet only release
FAQ's/External Links:

Game Credits:

  • Creator: Toshio Iwai
Page Credits:

Michael Collins: Page design, HTML code.
Eddie Herrmann: Perl script.
tholly: Title addition, scans.
Rick Johnson: Information
David Murnan: Review, Overview, Misc
Tondog: FAQs / External Links
Keith Brown (Tan): Genre edit, Control, Media
Paully3433: UPC, Format Edit
blcklblskt: Game Rating
Flee: Photos
audioman83: Developer, Publisher
ApolloBoy: Publisher

Last Updated: 2023-09-07 19:54:58
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