Electroplankton (DS)
Developed by: Nintendo
Published by: Nintendo

It seems like everything you read in the video game press nowadays is commending Nintendo for their innovation and willingness to take on brave new concepts with their games. Truth be told, it’s not like they have a choice in the matter anymore… it’s kind of become their schtick. On the other hand, they do also release a billion Mario-themed games a year, along with their own fair share of rehashed sequels. Are they really the creative trailblazer that everyone wants to think they are?

Well, one thing’s for sure. No other publisher in their right mind would release something as bizarre and indescribable as Toshio Iwai’s “Electroplankton”. This quirky little release for the Nintendo DS handheld is the strongest argument yet for convincing people that video games should be considered art. But while Electroplankton definitely qualifies as an artistic creation, it almost goes too far — to the point where it can no longer be considered a video game.

In the strictest sense, Electroplankton is a collection of 10 self-contained interactive multimedia installations that use your touch screen and/or microphone input to create music. There is no objective to these mini-games other than what you decide to do with them. In this way they resemble some of the little unlockable playthings in recent GBA games like Mario Party Advance and Warioware Twisted.

I will admit that at first glance, many of these sound modules are fascinating and quite fun to fool around with. An early favourite of mine, “Hanenbow”, allows you to ricochet a stream of fish off of leaves to create a cascade of melodies. By adjusting the angles of the leaves, you can create some pretty cool sounds, and with just the right set up, you can even get the leaves to sprout flowers! How pretty!

Some of the modules that use the microphone, such as “Rec-Rec” and “Volvoice”, provide a fun distraction by warping and reversing any sound samples you can get the microphone to pick up. On the other hand, “Lumiloop” seems a little like filler; just 5 donut shaped organisms that can be spun clockwise or counterclockwise to create different tones.

“Beatnes” is probably the most fun and the most flexible in terms of creating actual music, and I’m guessing the
section that people will want to spend the most time with. A loop of backing music plays while you improvise individual notes and sound effects over top. These are then repeated back at regular intervals so you can build on them… not unlike using a delay pedal on a guitar.

The problem with Electroplankton, I think, is not that it lacks the challenges or goals of a typical video game. Rather, the problem is that there is not enough structure to allow people to create real songs with it. The game will attract budding musicians who want to actually use the plankton compose their own original pieces, but far too much of the end result is left up to randomness. Something like “Luminaria” (a grid of arrows with plankton following the directions of the arrows to strike notes) could be really powerful if it wasn’t so unwieldy to control. “Beatnes” is the most structured of all the installments, but since you’re only provided with 4 options for backing music (most of which come from NES games like Super Mario Bros and Kid Icarus), your creativity is a severely limited (not to mention, slightly hampered by copyright issues).

You also can’t play with any of the modules simultaneously or combine their sounds in any way short of recording it on your computer and doing some mixing after the fact. I have to agree with all of the other reviews I’ve read that said a save feature would be helpful to the creative process. Considering how random some of the music is, it’s pretty damn tough to repeat something twice.

To top it off, the visuals just aren’t all that brilliant in my opinion. For a title that is supposed to be full-blown multimedia art experience, there really isn’t all that much to look at aside from your basic on-screen controls. I was thinking Electroplankton would have the equivalent of a Winamp or Windows Media Player visualization — some kind of psychadelic animated display that reacts to the sounds. Unfortunately the only thing you have to look at are the plankton themselves as they move around the screen, and for the most part they are just simplistic 2-D graphics. “Nanocarp” is one of the few pieces concerned with turning your input into a visual display rather than music, causing tiny fish to react with synchronized movements.

I am usually drawn to unique video game concepts like this, and I take a special interest the idea of music being generated semi-randomly by computer software. Is there an underlying pattern to human creativity? How much of music is conscious skill and how much comes from unquantifiable inspiration? Unfortunately, Electroplankton does not really explore fascinating questions such as these, and the artwork it creates is not all that exciting. The game also has an “Audience” mode, which essentially allows you to sit back and let the music play itself. Again, a potentially interesting element, but in some sense I would argue this is nothing more than a glorified wind chime simulator.

Is Electroplankton a unique and intriguing premise? Absolutely! Is it worth $50? Not by a long shot. I can’t see Electroplankton giving the average person more than a few hours worth of entertainment, but it’s still a recommended rental for anyone who is the least bit curious. — Sean

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Recommended If You Like: Seaman, Mario Paint, Mario Party Advance

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