User Reviews (11 - 21 of 54)

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A Distraction, but not a Game

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: February 24, 2006
Author: Amazon User

There are 10 mini-"games" on this cart. Each one is a unique musical/visual activity.
Examples:
1. Draw lines with your stylus and the plankton will follow the path and make sounds depending on the shape of the path.
2. Record your voice and change various aspects of it.
3. Make noises and see nanocarp form various shapes.

So, in a nutshell: It's a cool way to show off the DS capabilities, but there's no real gameplay to be had here.

ZEN plankton?

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: February 22, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I purchased this NDS "game" because of the legacy of its creator Toshio Iwai who has a reputation for experimental music programs and has collaborated with Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli fame. Electroplankton is not a game as much as a music experience. You manipulate plankton to create music. It is never the same but it is also not what one would call a video game. You can't save your musical compositions or know what to expect when the plankton perform for you.
It is a unique idea and it can be very calming just to listen to these A.I. creatures as they compose music.
Is this for everyone? You must come into buying this item knowing it is like nothing you have seen or heard before but also thinking of it as a sort of artistic piece rather than a conventional game. Would I recommend this to anyone? Yes, but only with to those with open minds. Is it worth the money? Yes. Should everyone buy it? No. What kind of person are you? I recommend this item highly if this makes you curious.

This Game Equals Musical Genius!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: February 25, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game rocks, literally. It gives gamers a chance to create their own brand of music, to their own individual liking. This game is innovative and unique and a must-have for all Nintendo DS owners. However, if you play the game for too many days in a row, say three in a row, the game may tend to become stale, but if you stop playing for awhile, let's say a week or so, and then you play this game once again, it feels as if you are playing it for the first time again. I hope my review is able to help potential buyers out there. This game is really good.

Electroplankton Immersion

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: March 07, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Hard to describe but easy to enjoy Electroplankton is a diversion that blends music and images in an addictive way. Little fun touches make it also enjoyable by being able to record short sentences, phrases or words that can be used on top of the music. It's a 2-channel little mixer!! You can actually fall asleep to the soothing sounds that you generate while playing at night.

A wonderful but simple game that anyone can get into.

Filling a niche not everyone asked for.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: August 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is a cool little rhythm-based piece of art. It's fun, and entertaining, and it makes you smile. But, unlike its competition (other DS games), it lacks in replay value. If you're the type of person who could be endlessly entertained by something like this, buy it. If the price doesn't severely cut into your game budget, this title makes a great 4th or 5th title. If you like strange novelties originating from Japan, this is one of them. But if you're deciding on the top 3 or 4 games for the DS, I have to steer you away from this. It's a great addition to a collection, but a poor starting point.

The future of gaming?

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: February 01, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Electroplankton. If you were justa regular person on the streets, and somebody wanted to sell you a copy of a game called that, you might not buy. But Electroplanton is a game that must be seen to be apreciated. Just looking at the game in a store window isn't enough. But if you can find the time to really see the game and possibly buy, you may be greately rewarded with an amzing Game Experience.
Essentally, Electroplankton is like 10 musical toys in one package. Each one has you using the TouchScreen and Microphone to make different kinds of music. The 10 different toys have you drawing lines, taping things, or just talking into the Mic. The game even has an Audience mode, so if you want to learn the game without reading a 50-page odd smelling booklet, you can simply see the game in action, then pick up as you go along.
This game does have a flaw. No saving. Yep, unlike normal music, once you make an awsome song, there's no way of saving it. And unfortunately, re-creating the song you made 10 minutes ago is ALOT harder than it sounds. Also, the game can get old after a little while. But, even after a day of doing nothing but gaming, this game is still good for a good old 5-minute play session.

Hypnotic, bet you can't play just once!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: July 25, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is not your typical game. You manipulate the little musical "beings" to dance and sing and make lots of noise. You can even speak to them and they will respond in your voice!About 14 different sounds of your changed voice. Whoever invented this one was a genius. Lots of fun if you are looking to just kick back and play with this one for hours!! The graphics are mesmerizing, and very cool!

Intensely Satisfying to Play

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: November 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

A truly wonderful interactive experience. Combines cute character animation with novel sound orchestration and design ideas. Very addictive and extremely well crafted. I keep it with me always just to help jostle my creative spark. Anyone who enjoys music or sea life will like this!

Woah!!!!!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: January 17, 2006
Author: Amazon User

If you can imagine Brian Eno and Isao Tomita conspiring together to create a mixed-media installation of interactive Frippertronics, this is what it would be.

Amazing.

The musical samples are superb and the interface is so simple that non-musician octagenarians can immediately create tunes like Eno or George Winston.

Thank you, Toshio Iwai. You are a sublime genius.

The modes that let you mutate your recorded voice and do loops with insane sound effects from old NES games are pretty fun, but there is some real depth and beauty in this software.

If you're a musician, artist, technogeek or Japanophile, check it out.

Fun for the right person

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: July 23, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I won't go into the various mini-games in Electroplankton, since other reviews already describe them.

I bought this title (I won't call it a game - instead I consider it a mass-produced artwork) knowing in advance that it is more a piece of interactive art than a game, and that the initial thrill would wear off.

It's definitely true that after the first week, I only pick it up every now and again and play it for a few minutes at a time. But I definitely think it's something I'll come back to again and again for years to come - as compared to nearly every other game I've bought that simply collects dust on the shelf when I've finished with it.

So although it doesn't have the attention-holding power in the short term, over the long haul I think this will be a title to savor and enjoy - there just isn't any other software like it available on the DS, or just about any game platform. There are other non-games, such as Aquanaut's Holiday on the Playstation 1 where you interact with simulated underwater life. But it isn't as abstract, artistic, and musical as Electroplankton.

Experimenting with Electroplankton, I played the Nanocarp mini-game and held my DS Lite up to the wind. The sound of the wind rushing past the microphone was enough to make the Nanocarp react, and assemble in patterns on the screen. It's really cool to watch a video game react to the outside environment - definitely a new experience for me.

The musical minigames such as Tracy, Hannenbow, Sub-animalcule and Luminaria can truly be hypnotic. I don't mind the lack of a Save feature, because I think that was intentional - the experience was meant to be ephemeral, experience the moment and be happy you enjoyed it.

I haven't really liked the games which record sounds through the microphone - they don't do enough for me and the microphone doesn't really record as well as I would like. There are two DS Lites in my house and I have tried it on both, so I don't think my unit is broken.

I would really recommend this title if you have an interest in art, music, or computer-simulated life. It's also a great way to relax and relieve stress - I could even see someone using Electroplankton as a meditation tool.

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