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Kororinpa[a], known as Kororinpa: Marble Mania in North America, is a puzzlevideo game developed and published by Hudson Soft for the Wii. It was released in Japan on December 2, 2006 as a launch title for the console, then in Europe on February 23, 2007 and North America on March 20, 2007.[6]
Kororinpa is based on the marble game Labyrinth, but instead of using knobs on the sides to tilt the level, the player rotates the Wii Remote as if they were holding the twisted pathways of each maze in order to navigate a spherical object to the end goal. There are 45 levels that increase in difficulty sequentially and eventually require some speed as well as accuracy.
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
The team at Hudson Soft started to create a game with the idea of being a Wii exclusive. After an extensive contemplation of the console features, they focused in the motion controls. The chief designer Osamu Tsuchihashi, said that the inspiration of marbles in mazes made from arts and crafts, came from his childhood. Where he would hammer nails in a wooden box and put marbles inside to play.[7]
The Wii version received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[8]IGN UK cited 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".[19] In Japan, however, Famitsu gave it a score of all four sixes for a total of 24 out of 40.[12]GameZone gave it a score of 6.5 out of 10, saying that the game "utilizes the Wii nicely. It's not a game that will last a long time, though, and it doesn't offer enough game hours to warrant the initial price."[24]
Kororinpa sold only 2,416 units on December 2, 2006, the day of the Wii launch in Japan.[25]
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 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.[26][27] A Nintendo 3DS follow-up was planned but never released.[28]
↑Casamassina, Matt (February 2, 2007). "Kororinpa US Bound". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
↑Ellis, Elizabeth "KouAidou"; Ashby, Alicia "Lynxara" (May 2007). "Kororinpa: Marble Mania". Hardcore Gamer. Vol.2, no.11. Prima Games. p.59. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
↑Bozon, Mark (March 20, 2007). "Kororinpa: Marble Mania". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
12Burman, Rob (February 22, 2007). "Kororinpa UK Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on September 19, 2024. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
↑Kaluszka, Aaron (April 4, 2007). "Kororinpa: Marble Mania". Nintendo World Report. NINWR, LLC. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
↑Gantayat, Anoop (December 4, 2006). "Wii Sports Number One in Japan". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 15, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
↑GamesIndustry International (August 20, 2008). "Konami/Hudson line-up". GamesIndustry.biz. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on September 30, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
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