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Retro Revival: Clu Clu Land - Published by N-Philes, July 18, 2005
The Scoop
Attack of the Killer Sea Urchins! Sea urchins have stolen all the treasure deep within the underwater kingdom known as Clu Clu Land. Somehow, Wario isn't the first choice to recover all the underwater riches. Bubbles the bubblefish is called upon to retrieve the lost goods.
Bubblefish cannot change direction like other marine fauna, so Bubbles must reach out and grab conveniently placed turning posts in order to change direction. She (apparently Samus wasn't Nintendo's first heroine) travels the grid-like board, revealing golden ingots that ultimately form some pattern or shape. Of course, the sea urchins won't let this happen without a fight. However, Bubbles can immobilize them by shooting off sonic rays a la Ecco the Dolphin and then squish their stunned bodies against the walls.
Once all the gold is collected the final image is revealed, Bubbles moves on to the next level.
No, those aren't rupees
Iterations
Vs. Clu Clu Land, Arcade, 1984
Clu Clu Land, NES, 1985
Clu Clu Land D: Welcome to New Clu Clu Land, FDS, 1992
Clu Clu Land-e (e-Reader), GBA, 2003
Clu Clu Land (Famicom Series), GBA, 2004
Is this as close Bubbles will get to 3D?
Notable Appearances
Super Smash Bros. Melee (GC): Bubbles was made a trophy.
Animal Crossing (GC): Clu Clu Land and Clu Clu Land D are available as NES collectables.
Wario Ware Twisted (GBA): Guide bubbles to fruit in a Clu Clu Land[i]-themed minigame.
[i]DK: King Of Swing (GBA): Bubbles is an unlockable character.
Bubbles must nab the fruit in this Twisted microgame
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Clu Clu Land may seem like a completely random and bizarre name, but I assure you there exists some logic here. It is derived form the Japanese kurukuru, translating to ‘turning' in English, which of course is the basis for the gameplay. Interestingly, Bubbles' Japanese name is Gloopy.
At first, Clu Clu Land resembles Pac-Man. After all, collecting gold ingots in a grid is like eating pellets down straight hallways, 8-bit sea urchins are like 8-bit ghosts, and both titles present arcade-style gameplay. What separates the two are difficulty and variety, where Clu Clu Land takes the cake, and control.
Was Clu Clu Land Nintendo's take on Pac-Man?
Apparently Nintendo, even from the early morn' of the video game era, was concerned about unique control. In Clu Clu Land's case, Bubbles swings around the turning posts that are arranged in a grid-like fashion. While that might not seem like such a big deal, it feels different when playing. This semi-indirect control scheme makes the player anticipate where he or she wants to go and act earlier than one would playing Pac-Man, for example. It's this time lapse and inability to stop moving that makes the game feel more difficult for newcomers, and which makes the gameplay so frenzied and addicting.
Revival Potential
Sorry to burst your bubbles.
Clu Clu Land is a game from an era when arcades were the rage and in-game levels were no bigger than the screen itself. Bubbles never dethroned Pac Man in the action-puzzle-arcade genre, and pretty much disappeared, save her Animal Crossing emulation and re-releases in the form of e-cards and as part of the Famicom Mini series in Japan.
In order for Clu Clu Land to rise from videogame obscurity, it needs to undergo a fundamental shift in its gameplay or story design. Pac Man has survived the years by combining reinvention as an adventure platformer, side games like Pac-Pix, and with a strong brand name. Clu Clu Land has had none of these luxuries.
It's entirely within the realm of possibility for Nintendo to create a new game set in Clu Clu Land, where bubbles would have to platform her way around completing objectives while avoiding obstacles. Of course, the turning post mechanic would have to stay intact, improved with strategic placement and more diversity with what you can use to turn with. But why use a brand name that the average gamer won't recognize?
In fact, there is a game coming soon, and it isn't unlike an updated Clu Clu Land in a platforming style. However, Nintendo has decided to use a much more recognized videogame king to swing from post to post and tree to tree. His name is Donkey Kong.
DK beat Bubbles with his impressive resume
DK: King of Swing exclusively uses the L and R buttons to manipulate the character's movements around pegs, boards, wheels, and more. If this game takes off, it may spawn sequels set in the Donkey Kong universe. This would, of course, make Bubbles' grand return to the videogame scene more and more unlikely. But fear not! Bubbles has found her way into at least the very outmost corner of the video game limelight by appearing in King of Swing as an unlockable character. While that might not be a revival of the Clu Clu Land brand, it's a definite indication that Nintendo hasn't forgotten about its straight-swimming bubblefish. One would suspect they must be keeping her around for some reason...
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