Electroplankton Review

by Chris Remo Oct 12, 2005 10:10am CST tags: Review, Electroplankton

Following up on my recent preview of iNiS' Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! (DS), I've done a full review of an even more unique DS music-based game: Toshio Iwai's Electroplankton (DS). I even include a few sound clips made with the game!

I've been letting clip one loop as I write this paragraph. It just so happened that two plankton fell into a really pleasing descending harmony. This is one of Electroplankton's great strengths. You're never quite sure what you're supposed to actually be doing with the thing, and then suddenly--ah, that's it. As the little guys suddenly get it together, you realize that's what it's all about. It's currently 5am as I write this; one dim light is on in my studio apartment, I hear the occasional car pass by my window, and behind it all a short and haunting melody plays quietly.

Enticing! What are you waiting for? Go read the review!

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#24

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By: Vangoghs Ear x Show Full Post

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I'm very interested in the DS, but am afraid that the second I pick one up they'll release an updated version, or an all-new handheld system - and then stop making top-shelf titles for mine...like they did to GBA

Oct 12, 2005 12:02pm CST

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I'm very interested in the DS, but am afraid that the second I pick one up they'll release an updated ver... : Vangoghs Ear
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#106

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By: celerity x Show Full Post

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I've got the shacknews jingle on loop now and thinking about making a YTMND of it.

SERIOUSLY these kinds of reviews are WHY I read the shack, keep it up!

Oct 13, 2005 9:01am CST

I've got the shacknews jingle on loop now and thinking about making a YTMND of it. SERIOUSLY these kin... : celerity

#105

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By: ezanga x Show Full Post

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Missed this yesterday, but after reading both sides I have come to my own personal conclusion. Chris please keep up the good work. I for one greatly enjoyed the Electroplankton review and would never have heard of it otherwise.

Oct 13, 2005 8:55am CST

Missed this yesterday, but after reading both sides I have come to my own personal conclusion. Chris ple... : ezanga

#93

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By: sharkII x Show Full Post

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lol - Would the owners of this site please get it straight?

Steve Gibson:
q{...it's great and all to do fringe titles and we'll keep doing that as well, but the primary focus needs to be titles that appeal to the majority...}q

Maarten Goldstein:
q{...this type of game is the only one you'll see reviewed here anyway... i just dont see it happening where we are reviewing the lastest hot games.}q

And this was in the same THREAD even....

http://www.shacknews.com/ja.zz?id=10901648
http://www.shacknews.com/ja.zz?id=10900889

Oct 12, 2005 10:53pm CST

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lol - Would the owners of this site please get it straight? Steve Gibson: q{...it's great and all to ... : sharkII
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 5 replies.

#7

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By: CA Flynn x Show Full Post

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I've had ElectroPlankton for a few months now, and it's the "game" I play on my way to work, or if I just want to relax. It's fun, but as Chris' review says, not for everyone. I actually learned a few things from that review that I didn't know I could do.

I also picked up Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! based on Chris' review, and it's awesome. I don't know what the hell is going on, but it's fun, and the music is great.

Oct 12, 2005 10:32am CST

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I've had ElectroPlankton for a few months now, and it's the "game" I play on my way to work, or if I just... : CA Flynn
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  is it easy to pick up if you know 0 japanese (ouendan) ? is it easy to know what the hell is going on ? (... : barichnikov
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    I had no problems getting around in-game. It's pretty easy. The menus are easy to get around in. No, k... : CA Flynn
    - truth be told, neither do the japanese! To them it reads "LKJSDFOUIJF*@&#(DJ" but in japanese characters... : proclone1
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    The game's all about messing around with it until you know what it does anyway. There is no text within t... : jake2000
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      ok... menus in japanese ? : barichnikov
      
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      From what I remember, the main menu is just a bunch of electroplankton heads. Oh, it does have text up on... : jake2000
      
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      ah lol. i was talking about ouenda osu something :D : barichnikov
      
      *coughcoughcough* That one doesn't require japanese either. It has text flying around sometimes but you d... : jake2000
      
      The menus are really intuitive. Also, there's a translation guide on gamefaqs. http://www.gamefaqs.com/p... : Balboa
- "I don't know what the hell is going on, but it's fun, and the music is great." That's usually what it's... : hookerpants

#99

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By: OwenButler x Show Full Post

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This looks interesting, thanks.

Oct 13, 2005 12:43am CST

This looks interesting, thanks. : OwenButler

#23

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By: Foxhawk x Show Full Post

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Please to be reviewing more real games. We all know you love nintendo crap and DS games but some of us prefer different, sometimes more complicated titles, be they mainstream or not. It's honorable to "try to bring a different perspective" but that should be secondary, imo, to basic reviewing.

Oct 12, 2005 11:58am CST

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Please to be reviewing more real games. We all know you love nintendo crap and DS games but some of us pr... : Foxhawk
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#15

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By: SolrFlare x Show Full Post

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See, this is why I love the DS. One moment you can be playing a well crafted "traditional" game like Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, then the next moment be playing something amazingly artistic and abstract like Electroplankton. Then 30 minutes later you could be taking your dog for a walk, and starting next month close out the day with an internet race of mario kart.

The game genre's are just across the board on the DS and it is hard to find something that doesn't appeal to anyone on the platform right now.

Oct 12, 2005 10:56am CST

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See, this is why I love the DS. One moment you can be playing a well crafted "traditional" game like Cas... : SolrFlare
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 1 replies.
- um... exactly :) : skankcore

#90

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By: Saber22 x Show Full Post

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Best thing I like about the Shack is this kind of stuff. It started with Loonyboi and when he left it kind of lost something. With Remo here now it's like the old days with Loonyboi again.

Oct 12, 2005 10:25pm CST

Best thing I like about the Shack is this kind of stuff. It started with Loonyboi and when he left it kin... : Saber22

#70

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By: sleepytea x Show Full Post

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What does it take to play an import on a DS? Is it like the PSP where there is no problem playing import games without any mod/homebrew stuff?

Oct 12, 2005 5:52pm CST

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What does it take to play an import on a DS? Is it like the PSP where there is no problem playing import... : sleepytea
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  The DS doesn't have anything that resembles region encoding. Just stick it in and play. : Judicus
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    that's awesome, why don't they do that with everything? : sleepytea
    - Well, devices that connect to TVs in different parts of the world actually run slightly different. Game... : Judicus

#75

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By: mrflamey x Show Full Post

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I bought Electroplankton a while ago, and whilst I do think it is a beautifully made piece of software, which has obviously had a lot of love put into it, I found myself feeling a little annoyed at spending ~$40 on such a simple toy. I played it for a few hours, and then became a bit bored.

If it was $20 it would not be so difficult to recommend.

Oct 12, 2005 6:21pm CST

I bought Electroplankton a while ago, and whilst I do think it is a beautifully made piece of software, w... : mrflamey

#57

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By: Drewus x Show Full Post

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I did actually buy Elecroplankton brand new off of ebay. However i never did receive the game from the seller, i took it up with Ebay and they took so friggin long doing anything about it that the auction went past the 60 day expiry date and i was left out in the cold.

So yeah, i theoretically DO own a copy of Electroplankton. It just happens to be sitting in some fucking assholes house, along with the $60 AUD i forked out for it.

If you're reading this, GIVE ME MY FUCKING MONEY BACK!

Oct 12, 2005 4:33pm CST

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I did actually buy Elecroplankton brand new off of ebay. However i never did receive the game from the se... : Drewus
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- that's stupid. the expiry date should *stop* when you file a complaint. that's just idiocy. : PUPSTAHS

#1

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By: deathofrats x Show Full Post

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Lol on the last one..i didn't know you could record your own 'lyrics' with this thing..im gonna have to check it out. Is it being released in america?

Oct 12, 2005 10:19am CST

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Lol on the last one..i didn't know you could record your own 'lyrics' with this thing..im gonna have to c... : deathofrats
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- "Release Date: Nov 14, 2005" says the sidebar in this article. I assumed that was the US release date... : jake2000
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  Yep, Gamefaqs and other sites list the US release date for this game as 11/14. So, if you can hold out f... : SolrFlare
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    Which reminds me....November is going to be a sick month for DS games: Electroplankton Viewtiful Joe ... : SolrFlare
    - It has come to my attention that Europe is most likely also going to get Electroplankton, it's still TBA,... : Kolzig73

#32

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By: Tungsten x Show Full Post

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This is the first game I've ever imported. I absolutely HAD to have it after I saw a few movies earlier this year.

It's not a game, though. It is a toy. Ernest Adams gave a kick-ass lecture at GDC a few years ago ("Why We Shouldn't Make Games") where he categorized things as:

1) entertainement (no interaction, i.e. movies)
2) toys (no goal but requires interaction)
3) puzzle (goal)
4) game (win condition)

Anyway, my 3 year old daughter loves Electroplankton, too. The DS is rugged enough (and cheap enough) that I don't feel concerned about letting her play with it. The touch pad on the DS is so intuitive that she picked it right up. (She's gotten much farther in Nintendogs than I have...)

Oct 12, 2005 1:03pm CST

This is the first game I've ever imported. I absolutely HAD to have it after I saw a few movies earlier ... : Tungsten

#2

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By: bluntage x Show Full Post

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Damn you, Remo! Quit posting interesting articles and such regarding the DS or else I might have to buy one. Then, I'll have to exact my revenge upon you! =P

Oct 12, 2005 10:21am CST

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Damn you, Remo! Quit posting interesting articles and such regarding the DS or else I might have to buy o... : bluntage
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 3 replies.

#17

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By: filtersweep x Show Full Post

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Holy shit I need this.

Oct 12, 2005 11:22am CST

Holy shit I need this. : filtersweep

#6

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By: mirko1979 x Show Full Post

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is this a review of the japanese version or did they finally translated it?

Oct 12, 2005 10:31am CST

is this a review of the japanese version or did they finally translated it? : mirko1979

#5

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By: esad x Show Full Post

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I'm been considering importing this game for awhile now, it just seems so damn cool.

Oct 12, 2005 10:26am CST

I'm been considering importing this game for awhile now, it just seems so damn cool. : esad

#3

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By: not work safe x Show Full Post

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If they're doing such amazing things with the DS I can't wait to see what the Revolution brings us. Its refreshing to see avant-garde-ish things from Nintendo that dont involve Mario.

Oct 12, 2005 10:23am CST

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If they're doing such amazing things with the DS I can't wait to see what the Revolution brings us. Its r... : not work safe
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 1 replies.
- by "by nintendo" I mean for a nintendo platform or games that have been approved by Nintendo to be made o... : not work safe

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