Clu Clu Land

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Clu Clu Land<tr><td colspan="2" style="font-size: 100%; text-align: center;"></td></tr>
Developer(s)	Nintendo <tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Publisher(s)</th><td>Nintendo</td></tr>
Release date(s)	^JPN November 22, 1984 ^NA October 18, 1985 ^EU February 15, 1987
Genre(s)	Puzzle
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Platform(s)	NES <tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Media</th><td>192-kilobit cartridge</td></tr>

Clu Clu Land (クルクルランド, Kuru Kuru Rando^?) is an arcade and Nintendo Entertainment System game released in 1985. The game was called Vs. Clu Clu Land in video arcades.

1 Overview
2 Description
3 Legacy
4 Bubbles' gender
5 Title
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Overview

In Clu Clu Land, the player is a bubble fish named Bubbles — "Gloopy" in the Japanese version — who swims around in a maze trying to uncover all the golden ingots.

[edit] Description

Clu Clu Land's story starts with a type of Sea Urchin, the Unira, stealing all of the treasures in the underwater kingdom of Clu Clu Land. Bubbles, the heroine, sets out to retrieve the treasure. The object of the game is to uncover all the golden Ingots in each stage while avoiding the Unira and Black Holes. The golden Ingots usually form an outline of something, such as a heart or a mushroom. There are Turning Posts throughout the stage, and that's the only way Bubbles can turn around to go to another side. Bubbles can stun the Unira by using a Sound Wave. When they're stunned, Bubbles can push them into the wall to get rid of them and receive points.

In later levels, the player has to pass over the gold Ingots twice to uncover them, and passing over them in later levels will re-bury them. There are also items that appear in the game, including the following:

a Flag that gives Bubbles an extra life
a Timer that freezes the Unira and the time counter
a Sack that gives Bubbles 1,500 bonus points
a Fruit that gives 800 bonus points.

The Rupees that appear in the original Legend of Zelda bear a resemblance to the gold ingots in this game.

[edit] Legacy

A worthy successor to Clu Clu Land was released for the Famicom Disk System. This revised edition is called Clu Clu Land Disk Version (くるくるらんど・ディスク版, Kuru kuru rando disuku-ban^?) in Japan and became known in North America as Clu Clu Land D due to its presence as one of the unlockable games in the GameCube title Animal Crossing; however, its title screen actually refers to it as Clu Clu Land: Welcome to New Cluclu Land. It has different puzzles, a new enemy (Boss Unira), and easy and hard mode option. Some elements are derived of the Arcade VS Clu Clu Land. It was the last game to be released for the Disk System.

Bubbles also appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee. She also reappears again as the last secret character in the Game Boy Advance game DK King of Swing.

[edit] Bubbles' gender

Some matter of debate exists regarding whether Bubbles is male or female. In the Japanese translation of the game, Bubbles is called "Gloopy" and is male. "Groopy" is also acceptable, according to Clu Clu Land D (though since Clu Clu Land D was eventually released outside of Japan through Animal Crossing, it's thought that Groopy is the name of the species). Apparently, Nintendo of America decided to make the character female, despite any physical indicators of gender one way or the other. In Bubble's trophy bio in Super Smash Bros. Melee, the text refers to her specifically as "she".

[edit] Title

Although "Clu Clu Land" is the official English title for the game, it should be noted that "Clu Clu" is actually a romanization of "Kuru Kuru", a Japanese expression that refers to something which goes "around and around". In order for Bubbles to move around the mazes, she must grab onto poles with her claws. When she holds on to a pole without letting go, she spins "around and around". Hence, this game could also be called "Kuru Kuru Land". (The same phrase is also the basis for the title of the Game Boy Advance game Kuru Kuru Kururin.)