Electroplankton
An interactive music game using animated plankton.
Nintendo published Electroplankton, an interactive music video game for the DS. Developed by indieszero, it lets players create music by interacting with animated plankton across ten themed interfaces. The first Japanese release came with blue ear bud headphones.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- indieszero
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Director
- Toshio Iwai
- Producer
- Shigeru Miyamoto; Toru Osawa
- Artist
- Nanako Kinoshita; Kazuma Norisada
- Composer
- Koichi Kyuma; Yuichi Ozaki
- Released
- April 7, 2005 (JP)
- January 9, 2006 (NA)
- July 7, 2006 (EU)
- Genre
- Music game
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
The game has two modes: Performance and Audience. Performance mode lets the user interact with plankton using the stylus, touchscreen, and microphone. Audience mode functions as a demo, showing a continuous musical performance, though interaction remains possible. The game does not save data, but compositions can be recorded via an external audio device connected to the headphone jack.
Development
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata stated that director Toshio Iwai's name appears on the packaging because he alone created the game. It is the second collaboration between Nintendo and Iwai, following the unreleased Sound Fantasy for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Developers considered a save function but decided against it to encourage visceral, unprepared play and to avoid the complexity of menus and large flash ROM requirements for voice files.
Release
Electroplankton debuted publicly at the 2005 Game Developer's Conference and later at E3. European release followed on July 7, 2006. A planned Australian release in late 2006 was cancelled due to schedule constraints. Trapy, Hanenbow, Nanocarp, and Beatnes launched July 11; Rec Rec and Lumiloop on July 22; Luminaria and Sun Animalcule on August 5; Marine Snow and Volvoice on August 26. PAL region releases began January 15, 2010 with Beatnes and Hanenbow, followed by Nanocarp and Trapy on January 22, Luminarrow and Sun-Animalcule on January 29, Rec Rec and Lumiloop on February 12, and Marine-Crystals and Varvoice on February 26.
Reception
Critics gave Electroplankton mixed scores: Joystiq rated it 8.0 out of 10, Nintendo Power 8.5 out of 10, IGN 7.0 out of 10, and Official Nintendo Magazine 78%. A common complaint, noted by Kidzworld, was the lack of a way to save created audio. In 2005, musician Stemage produced a track using the game but relied on Adobe Audition for editing. The game appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Ultimate as the Hanenbow stage, with related stickers and Spirits.
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