For reasons I can't quite explain, I love Clu Clu Land. My best guess is Animal Crossing - this was the first NES game I got in-game, so it follows that I'd have some fondness for it. But this love held even after I (used codes to get) all the other NES games. So even given the options of Excitebike, Balloon Fight, Super Mario Bros., and The Legend of Zelda, I always found my way back to Clu Clu Land.
But I don't think the love is misplaced. This is probably the closest Nintendo came to developing their own Pac-Man. From that perspective, I like the twist on the formula - switching the focus from stealth (kinda) to puzzle as the player focuses on building shapes makes moment-to-moment decisions more impactful on lower-skill play. I love how Bubbles moves, too - looping around poles and bounding off walls always feels like a deliberate choice the player has to make, and she always glides around the level so smoothly. That Sound Wave attack is pretty nifty, too - stunning the Unira and mashing them into walls feels pretty great, since you do have to plan that out a bit. And it's hardly a gimme, since it's easy to run out of time or fail to plot out your route and careen into a hazard. There's a lot going on, but it doesn't feel like the game is asking anything unfair of the player, just challenging 'em to be a little better. Plus, even if you lose, you get that fun Game Over jingle and get to see Bubbles dance while the game calculates your score. What's not to love?
Question - is Bubbles Nintendo's first leading lady? All the more reason to revive Clu Clu Land. It's not too late to make it in time for the 40th anniversary!
But I don't think the love is misplaced. This is probably the closest Nintendo came to developing their own Pac-Man. From that perspective, I like the twist on the formula - switching the focus from stealth (kinda) to puzzle as the player focuses on building shapes makes moment-to-moment decisions more impactful on lower-skill play. I love how Bubbles moves, too - looping around poles and bounding off walls always feels like a deliberate choice the player has to make, and she always glides around the level so smoothly. That Sound Wave attack is pretty nifty, too - stunning the Unira and mashing them into walls feels pretty great, since you do have to plan that out a bit. And it's hardly a gimme, since it's easy to run out of time or fail to plot out your route and careen into a hazard. There's a lot going on, but it doesn't feel like the game is asking anything unfair of the player, just challenging 'em to be a little better. Plus, even if you lose, you get that fun Game Over jingle and get to see Bubbles dance while the game calculates your score. What's not to love?
Question - is Bubbles Nintendo's first leading lady? All the more reason to revive Clu Clu Land. It's not too late to make it in time for the 40th anniversary!