Kororinpa
Developer(s)Hudson Soft
Publisher(s)Hudson Soft[6]
NA: Konami[8]
Platform(s)Wii, mobile phone
ReleaseWii
i-mode
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player

Kororinpa (コロリンパ, known as Kororinpa: Marble Mania in North America) is a video game for Nintendo's Wii video game console. It was released in Japan on December 2, 2006 as a launch title for the Wii, then in Europe on February 23, 2007 and North America on March 20, 2007.

Gameplay

Kororinpa is based on the Marble game Labyrinth but with a new twist. Instead of using little knobs on the sides to tilt the level, the player rotates the Wiimote as if they were holding the twisted pathways as opposed to a plastic piece with a sensor. There are 45 levels that increase in difficulty sequentially and eventually require some speed as well as accuracy.

In Kororinpa, the player tilts the playing field, using the Wii Remote to navigate a spherical object around mazes to reach the end goal, similar to Marble Madness, Marble Blast and the Super Monkey Ball series. Some mazes cause the player to tilt them in such a way so that a wall becomes a floor, or to interact with objects such as magnets or conveyor belts. Each level contains a number of orange crystals and a single green crystal. Collection of all orange crystals is necessary for progression, while green crystals are optional, but unlock secret levels. In addition, players may be awarded with bronze, silver, or gold trophies for completing levels within a predetermined amount of time. Obtaining these trophies unlocks new balls, music, and 5 additional bonus levels. Once the forty-five single-player levels have been completed, a mirror mode is unlocked.

Development

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Reception

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The game has received mixed, but predominantly positive, criticism. IGN UK awarded the game a score of 6.1 out of 10, citing the game as being "hard not to warm to", noting the "jolly soundtrack and cunning level design difficult to resist". However, they criticized the game for its lack of levels or challenge, and its "ill-conceived camera". British gaming magazines NGamer and Official Nintendo Magazine were less critical, awarding Kororinpa scores of 81 out of 100 and 80% respectively. ONM praised the game for its control method and multiplayer mode. On GameRankings, the game has received an average of 70% from 21 reviews.

Kororinpa sold only 2,416 copies on December 2, 2006, the day of the Wii launch in Japan.[16]

Sequel

Marble Saga: Kororinpa features a plot in which the player assists a small ant named Anthony and his colony to locate the Golden Sunflower Seed. Players navigate through seventy-one stages across nine areas to Stump Temple Pieces to open the Stump Temple, the final area. Marble Saga: Kororinpa also features thirty special stages in the North American release and one hundred special stages in the European release designed for use with the Wii Balance Board controller. The game features multiplayer race modes, an edit mode for custom stage creation and sharing through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, and Mii integration. The game was released in North America on March 17, 2009, in Europe on May 1, 2009 and in Japan on August 6, 2009.[17][18] A Nintendo 3DS follow-up was planned but never released.[19]

References

  1. ^ Burman, Rob (January 22, 2007). "Kororinpa Rolling Into UK From February". IGN. Archived from the original on January 24, 2007. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
  2. ^ IGN staff (November 21, 2006). "Famitsu Rates Wii". IGN. Archived from the original on February 5, 2007. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
  3. ^ Shea, Cam (January 15, 2007). "Australian Nintendo Releases". IGN. Archived from the original on January 17, 2007. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
  4. ^ Casamassina, Matt (February 2, 2007). "Kororinpa US Bound". IGN. Archived from the original on February 4, 2007. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
  5. ^ Davies, Jonti (April 2, 2007). "Kororinpa rolls onto Japanese phones". Joystiq. Archived from the original on 2008-05-15. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
  6. ^ "Nintendo - Official Site - Video Game Consoles, Games - Nintendo - Official Site". Archived from the original on 2015-01-02. Retrieved 2015-01-02.
  7. ^ "Kororinpa".
  8. ^ "RCPE18 - Kororinpa: Marble Mania". Archived from the original on 2022-11-29. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  9. ^ GameRankings.com Archived 2007-03-22 at the Wayback Machine page for Kororinpa. URL retrieved 5 April 2007.
  10. ^ Metacritic Archived 2011-04-07 at the Wayback Machine on Kororinpa. URL retrieved 5 April 2007.
  11. ^ 1UP's Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine review of Kororinpa. URL retrieved 3 August 2008.
  12. ^ Eurogamer's Archived 2007-03-06 at the Wayback Machine review of Kororinpa. URL retrieved 5 April 2007.
  13. ^ Dickens, Anthony (November 27, 2006). "Famitsu Wii Scores". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 2011-10-07. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  14. ^ GameSpot's Archived 2007-03-28 at the Wayback Machine review of Kororinpa. URL retrieved 5 April 2007.
  15. ^ IGN's Archived 2008-12-31 at the Wayback Machine review of Kororinpa. URL retrieved 5 April 2007.
  16. ^ Gantayat, Anoop (December 4, 2006). "Wii Sports Number One in Japan". IGN. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
  17. ^ "Konami/Hudson line-up". Games Press. 2008-08-20. Archived from the original on 2009-01-25. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
  18. ^ East, Tom (2008-08-21). "LGC: Kororinpa Returns To Wii". Official Nintendo Magazine. Future Publishing. Archived from the original on 2008-09-14. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
  19. ^ Gantayat, Anoop (March 22, 2011). "Hudson cancels Upcoming titles - IGN". IGN. Archived from the original on May 21, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2018.

External links

Konami video game franchises
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