Electroplankton
Developer: Indies Zero
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo DS
Release Date: January 9th, 2006
Posted: May 24th, 2008
Electroplankton is a little-known music game for the Nintendo DS. There were few trailers, and once it was released it felt as if it was gone just as quickly as it came. This gem of a game is understandably rare; as good as it may be it is rather short and probably not worthy of purchasing for most players.
There are two ways to participate in Electroplankton, as a performer or an audience member. In performance mode, the player controls each mode listed below as desired. Alternatively, in audience mode the computer plays while the player enjoys. At any time during audience mode however, the player is welcome to change any setting and alter the course of the composition. In addition to using the stylus, pressing the D-pad in any of the four directions can instantly alter the music field depending on the mode you are currently playing.
01
Plankton will follow the path that has been drawn for them. The arrow length displays the speed at which their notes are being played.“Tracy” is the first option available to play. The water you start in is empty and there is no music already playing. To being you take the stylus and draw lines in the water. Based on how slowly, quickly, and squiggly the lines are will determine how the notes are played by the plankton. Deeper notes are played if the plankton move up, and lighter notes are played if they move downward. Having all of the plankton moving at the same time can sound a bit less like music and more like noise. To ensure that this does not happen, you can stop the plankton at any time by tapping the beginning or end of their musical routes. To select a different plankton merely tap it.
02
In “Hanenbow” plankton will shoot out of one leaf on one side of the level at a certain tempo throughout play. The launched plankton will cause the other leaves to make sound if they bounce off of them. Changing angles of leaves will produce differing melodies as the plankton will fall following different paths.
03
Each plankton will move at its own speed as it passes over the arrow notes.My favorite one, “Luminaria” presents the player with a board of arrows that are actually each a note. The red, blue, green, and yellow plankton once tapped will move along the notes as the arrow direct them to, playing each note in their own unique way. The arrow directions can be changed by tapping them with the stylus and if held by the stylus they will begin to spin. While one may think this will cause the plankton to move randomly, it does not in actuality. Because each plankton has its own rhythm, they will move in unique systematic patterns despite the spinning arrows. The music produced by this mode sounds the most like an actual composed piece.
04
“Sun-Animalcule” is a time involved level. Tapping the stylus in the open water will generate tiny plankton that will grow as time progresses. Each will make three noises: one when their face appears, the second when their aura appears, and the third when the aura disperses. The sounds morph as they grow and the plankton will explode when they reach a certain size. At any point you can make the plankton pop by selecting and then tapping on them. Additionally, the background emulates the time of day, generating sun-like plankton during the rosy colors, and moon-link plankton while the background is dark.
05
“Rec-Rec” allows the player access to four fish that can each record a sound that they will play back again against the background music. Strong Bad Techno away.
06
“Nanocarp” will swim around the area and form shapes based on your clapping. Tapping with the stylus causes water ripples that will set off the plankton, each which plays a different note.
07
“Lumiloop” presents the player with five round plankton that will spin if circled by the stylus. Each will make a different humming noise if spun clockwise or counter-clockwise. Takes a bit of effort on the player’s part to keep all five spinning at once, but the results is very reminiscent of a space movie soundtrack.
08
The snowflake plankton each represent different piano-like notes.It is very easy for the “Marine-Snow” level to sound less like music and more like a four-year-old smashing on a piano. Here there are a few rows of snowflake plankton each representing a different note, when tapped they will play that note. You can also circle the plankton, causing them to grow larger and gather to hit multiple notes at the same time.
09
“Beatnes” starts off with a section of Mario background music playing repeatedly. The five plankton shown are tappable from their heads to their tails, and when tapped that sound will play back during the next four repeats of the background music. The body noises that the plankton emit are techno beats, while the tail and head are familiar old-school sound effects. This mode would have been a bit more fun if the sounds would repeat more than just four times.
10
“The last mode, “Volvoice,” is another voice-recorder like “Rec-Rec,” except that you record only one sound wave and the plankton will play it back for you. The surrounding shapes will alter the shape of the plankton that is playing back your recorded voice. Each of the shapes will have a different effect on the recording. All of which will make it mostly unrecognizable, but amusing at the very least.
Simple, clear, creative fun especially for those who never thought of themselves as musically inclined. Everything in the game from the levels to the menu are rhythmically prepared for even the most outrageous imagination.
TLDR: A music gem unlike any other, especially the instrument-dependent ones that are all the rage now, and with cute microbes to boot.
