If you headed Nintendo of America, how would you release a brilliant first- party title you knew wouldn’t sell?
Back in 2006, the company found the perfect solution: If you didn’t pre-order the $19.95 Electroplankton, you probably couldn’t get the game. Arriving in beautiful, shiny-foil packaging, the quirky music generator marked the most limited cartridge launch in Nintendo’s North American history. They produced enough copies for fans’and that was all.
I pre-ordered, picked it up at launch, and fell in love with the odd, funny little world of sounds, patterns, and unexpected beauty found in Toshio Iwai’s creation.
The title, however, had one glaring flaw: you couldn’t save or export your music. That omission eventually led to my bone-headed decision to trade it to a friend. On the plus side, I traded it for Kirby’s Canvas Curse, so we both got something good out of the bargain.
Fortunately, Nintendo gave Electroplankton a second life by releasing its separate stages individually as DSiware at 2 bucks each. Even so, most Nintendo fans only know the game from the Hanenbow stage in Super Smash Brothers Brawl. And that’s a shame, so I’m encouraging anyone who’ll listen: give a module or two from Electroplankton a try. You might get hooked and end up buying the entire downloadable collection.
I never owned a DSi, so the 3DS eShop marked my first chance to rediscover the title. It holds up very well, though the lack of a save feature remains frustrating. Breaking the game into individual downloads doesn’t hurt the experience at all; even the original cartridge forced you back to the “lobby” between modules, and you could never carry sound clips from one section to another.
Never played Electroplankton? Have you ever visited a great science museum that had one particular hands-on exhibit that was so good folks stood in line for it? Electroplankton would be that exhibit. It’s also the most relaxing software title I’ve ever encountered, and a lot cheaper than a spa.
I recommend starting with Hanenbow (the musical jumping tadpoles game), Beatnes (play music with 8-bit NES effects), or Trapy (indescribable). The only module I don’t like much is Lumiloops, which involves drawing circles as quickly as possible. Note that, currently, you need to use the eShop search engine to find any of them.
Electroplankton isn’t for everyone, but it’s very much a part of Nintendo’s world; it’s the charming, peaceful garden in the corner that no one ever notices. Give it a try. I think you’ll enjoy the visit.
If you’re an Electroplankton fan, which one is your favorite?
1996?
@ Protector one:
DOH! Thank you. Fixed. And that's why I shouldn't write anything at 2 in the morning.
i'd totally forgotten about this game. going to be traveling in a month… for a while… so picking this up sounds like a brilliant idea!
Its fun and I just bought a copy on Ebay for $18.
Great game to play when you're in the woods.
Beatnes is THE BEST one in my honest opinion.
Mostly because the music I make with it actually sounds like tangible music – and not an experimental song.
…but yes, I do wish it had a save feature. The music I made with Beatnes was friggin' awesome.
I got a version from the dsi shop (cant remember which version it was) and was greatly disappointed.
I'm not sure if I just got a bad version or if the downloadable versions dont compare, or i could just not like the games
@Yellow Bear:
Each of the Electroplankton downloads is completely different from the others, and everyone will have their own reactions to them. I love Hanenbow and Beatnes, but don't like Lumiloops and Volvoice.
The eShop has videos available of every Electronplankton module. I'd strongly recommend watching them before purchasing. These aren't games, they're just clever music and sound manipulators using a touch-game interface. They're for relaxing and experimenting with, and won't appeal to everyone.
But, if you do want to try another sometime, try Hanenbow, Beatnes, Trapy, Rec-Rec or Luminaria.
The downloads are identical to what was on the cartridge. It could be that you just don't like this kind of software. It is definitely a niche product.
My daughter is 23 months old, and this is the first game that she has been able to play by herself. She can sit and play ElectroPlankton on the DS Lite just the same as she can sit and watch Dora on TV. It even calmed her down during a long car trip and at the doctor's office!
I ordered the catridge when it came out, I still have it, and Hanenbow is by far my favorite! So much so that I downloaded it for my DSi anyway so I could have it in there all the time… But I do love every single one of the modules!
My daughters also love it and put it in their DSs now and then… It's kind of an aural/ambience experience, sometimes I put one of them on just as an audio background while I read or fall asleep.
I started with Hanenbow, and once I get a prepaid 3ds card, i'm buying the rest!
Hanenbow is a great game to 'play' in bed.