| Introduction
After the Game Boy Advance launched worldwide, people
everywhere had a chance to enjoy the future of portable
gaming. While that's a good thing, there are several
games that were not included in the North American Game
Boy Advance launch. Kuru Kuru Kururin is an example
of a good game that failed to make it to the United
States. Originally one of Nintendo's own four GBA launch
titles along with F-Zero, Napoleon, and Super Mario
Advance; it's a shame that this game never made it to
North America.
GamePlay
So you're probably wondering, what exactly is Kuru
Kuru Kururin? It's a simple idea. You're in a pod with
a large spinning blade attached to it (sort of like
a helicopter). The blade spins around in either a clockwise
or counterclockwise direction, and it's your job to
navigate your way to the goal.
Sounds easy, doesn't it? Think again. The difficulty
can depend on the length of the blade, how narrow the
pathways are, and what kinds of obstacles stand in the
way.
You are allowed to hit three obstacles before your
pod is destroyed, and some of the pathways are curved
so you will have to make sure you are spinning in the
right direction and time your movement just right so
you don't get stuck in the middle of a bend. Located
around many levels are springs that can change the rotational
direction of your blade, moving barriers, and mines.
In addition to these obstacles, there are also some
energy recharge fields in some levels; and while you
can recharge your energy as much as you want, you can't
get a perfect score unless you finish the stage without
ever bumping into an obstacle.
In addition to finishing the level, you can try to
beat the top scores by finishing the stage within a
set amount of time. If you care for getting the highest
score, this game can offer much replay value.
Controls
The control scheme is simple, but it works. The direction
pad of course moves your spinning blade in whichever
direction you press. The A and B buttons both increase
the speed at which you move. You can hold both down
at the same time for even more speed. The select button
will shorten the length of your stick, and the start
button pauses the game. As for the L and R buttons,
they don't really do much other than make sounds (horns
and animal noises, oddly enough.) I never saw what the
point of this was, but nevertheless, they are part of
the game.
Graphics
The graphics come together nicely. For the most part,
the game is very bright, with good use of the GBA's
color palette. The levels consist of an animated background
plane, walls, a few animated objects (the start point,
recharge areas, goal, etc.), and of course, your spinning
character. Everything moves along smoothly without any
worry about slowdown, making the graphics of Kuru Kuru
Kururin seamless with the gameplay.
Sound & Music
A mixed bag in terms of quality. Some of the music
isn't too far beyond what the original Game Boy could
do, but what's there is good enough. There is also a
fair amount of digitized sound effects, which doesn't
particularly add much to the game. The music is upbeat
for the most part, which is fitting for a action-puzzle
game like this. I liked some of the music in the latter
levels, but there aren't really any memorable tunes
in the game.
Final Comments
Kuru Kuru Kururin, while not the Game Boy Advance's
answer to Tetris, is a solid game that's worth checking
out. It's a great idea for a portable system, and Kururin
adds to the Game Boy Advance's library of unique games.
It's a shame that this game never made it to the North
American GBA market, and it doesn't look like it ever
will.
|
Hardware
Reviews 
Game
Title
Kuru Kuru Kururin
