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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Music Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo |
With the Nintendo DS, Nintendo has offered a very exciting blank canvas for game designers to try new and unusual ideas that can use
the touch screen and microphone abilities that the system has. It is almost as if the company was trying to send a challenge to
developers. Japanese designer Toshio Iwai took up the challenge and used his visual and aural experience to produce a game unlike
any other of its kind, “Electroplankton.” In the end, what he created is more of a stylized aural toy than an actual game, a casual
diversion instead of a game that requires any real skill. The entire experience of the game is essentially whatever the user can get out
of it. “Electroplankton” is as much of a blank canvas to the game as the Nintendo DS was to the game developers.
It is very difficult to review a title of the kind because of the fact that “Electroplankton” is not really a game. Its accomplishments aren’t
level based and there is nothing here to wear on the minds of hand-eye coordination of the player. It is meant simply to explore the
different ways to touch screen can be used as an interface to create audio and transform it into something easy on the ears. Though
much of what is produced in the game could be musical, this experience is not intended as a music maker. Ultimately, this is where
the experience loses most players, as it lacks a specific set of expected elements to keep the player’s interest beyond the initial
repetitive session.
There are ten different outlets for the Nintendo DS owners to try out and explore their musical aptitude; each putting the handheld’s
touch screen functions, as well as its relatively powerful audio and visual capabilities to use. Players create the audio track by using a
variety of plankton that makes different sounds and music. The Tracy functions by drawing a path for one of four little microbe fish to
follow, notes triggered by the speed and direction that the play drew the path. Hanenbow melodies are performed by leaping tadpoles
and the player’s focus on manipulating a plant’s leaves for them to ricochet off of like a harp’s strings. Sending star-like Luminaria
around a grid of arrows produces a harmonious experience that is enhanced by the player manipulating their direction on the field.
A few of the audio toys in the game use the Nintendo DS microphone. Rec-Rec mix four user recorded tracks with a series of beats,
challenging players to produce some clever and rhythmic tracks. Volvoice simply takes what the player records into the Nintendo DS
and alters it into an oddly creepy audio track played in reverse, speeding up or slowing down and digitally manipulating the sample.
Nanocarp take this idea of step further and give players unique control over musical sprites, schooling them into distinctive and
harmonious formations simply by clapping or whistling at them.
At the very least the game is able to attempt something that no other release on the Nintendo DS has been able to do, allow players to
create interactive art. The game looks amazing and, depending on the player input, sounds even better. It is just like going to an art
museum and looking at a series of classic painting for hours on end, the enjoyment comes simply in the appreciation of the creator’s
intentions. There are no rules that players have to follow and no set of challenges for them to try to achieve, other than to mellow out
and give their eyes and ears something pleasant to hear and see. It is a wonderful outlet for any players looking for a more creative
experience.
The one thing some people won’t like about this title is that it goes against the grain as a full-fledged gaming experience, and perhaps
Nintendo should have tried for something a little more solid. For those players that are happy with simply spinning around disk-like fish
in order to create music, then there are absolutely no problems with this title at all. Without the ability to internally save any of the
compositions they players end up creating is a bit of a disappointed, but for those that hook up a recorder to the Nintendo DS
headphone jack can grab the audio for later use. Since most of the art of “Electroplankton” is matching the visuals with the audio, half
of the experience of the game is lost by the simple fact that there is no way to save the creation that is produced for later refinement.
“Electroplankton is a difficult title to pick apart as a game, but that is most because of the fact that it is not the only intention of the
designer. What the game and the designer set out to do, they do it extremely well and there is nothing quite like playing with the
Nintendo Ds and a set of headphones, creating something haunting and melodious simply by rubbing the touch screen with the stylus.
The game is as deep as the player makes it out to be, but without the helping hand of the developer to offer some set goal or
accomplishment, it ends up a little bit too shallow and empty to really be something as enjoyable as a full Nintendo DS title. This title
can be recommended to anyone looking for a more art inspired title, but those looking for a game should probably pass.
the touch screen and microphone abilities that the system has. It is almost as if the company was trying to send a challenge to
developers. Japanese designer Toshio Iwai took up the challenge and used his visual and aural experience to produce a game unlike
any other of its kind, “Electroplankton.” In the end, what he created is more of a stylized aural toy than an actual game, a casual
diversion instead of a game that requires any real skill. The entire experience of the game is essentially whatever the user can get out
of it. “Electroplankton” is as much of a blank canvas to the game as the Nintendo DS was to the game developers.
It is very difficult to review a title of the kind because of the fact that “Electroplankton” is not really a game. Its accomplishments aren’t
level based and there is nothing here to wear on the minds of hand-eye coordination of the player. It is meant simply to explore the
different ways to touch screen can be used as an interface to create audio and transform it into something easy on the ears. Though
much of what is produced in the game could be musical, this experience is not intended as a music maker. Ultimately, this is where
the experience loses most players, as it lacks a specific set of expected elements to keep the player’s interest beyond the initial
repetitive session.
There are ten different outlets for the Nintendo DS owners to try out and explore their musical aptitude; each putting the handheld’s
touch screen functions, as well as its relatively powerful audio and visual capabilities to use. Players create the audio track by using a
variety of plankton that makes different sounds and music. The Tracy functions by drawing a path for one of four little microbe fish to
follow, notes triggered by the speed and direction that the play drew the path. Hanenbow melodies are performed by leaping tadpoles
and the player’s focus on manipulating a plant’s leaves for them to ricochet off of like a harp’s strings. Sending star-like Luminaria
around a grid of arrows produces a harmonious experience that is enhanced by the player manipulating their direction on the field.
A few of the audio toys in the game use the Nintendo DS microphone. Rec-Rec mix four user recorded tracks with a series of beats,
challenging players to produce some clever and rhythmic tracks. Volvoice simply takes what the player records into the Nintendo DS
and alters it into an oddly creepy audio track played in reverse, speeding up or slowing down and digitally manipulating the sample.
Nanocarp take this idea of step further and give players unique control over musical sprites, schooling them into distinctive and
harmonious formations simply by clapping or whistling at them.
At the very least the game is able to attempt something that no other release on the Nintendo DS has been able to do, allow players to
create interactive art. The game looks amazing and, depending on the player input, sounds even better. It is just like going to an art
museum and looking at a series of classic painting for hours on end, the enjoyment comes simply in the appreciation of the creator’s
intentions. There are no rules that players have to follow and no set of challenges for them to try to achieve, other than to mellow out
and give their eyes and ears something pleasant to hear and see. It is a wonderful outlet for any players looking for a more creative
experience.
The one thing some people won’t like about this title is that it goes against the grain as a full-fledged gaming experience, and perhaps
Nintendo should have tried for something a little more solid. For those players that are happy with simply spinning around disk-like fish
in order to create music, then there are absolutely no problems with this title at all. Without the ability to internally save any of the
compositions they players end up creating is a bit of a disappointed, but for those that hook up a recorder to the Nintendo DS
headphone jack can grab the audio for later use. Since most of the art of “Electroplankton” is matching the visuals with the audio, half
of the experience of the game is lost by the simple fact that there is no way to save the creation that is produced for later refinement.
“Electroplankton is a difficult title to pick apart as a game, but that is most because of the fact that it is not the only intention of the
designer. What the game and the designer set out to do, they do it extremely well and there is nothing quite like playing with the
Nintendo Ds and a set of headphones, creating something haunting and melodious simply by rubbing the touch screen with the stylus.
The game is as deep as the player makes it out to be, but without the helping hand of the developer to offer some set goal or
accomplishment, it ends up a little bit too shallow and empty to really be something as enjoyable as a full Nintendo DS title. This title
can be recommended to anyone looking for a more art inspired title, but those looking for a game should probably pass.
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