Clu Clu Land is an arcade and Nintendo Entertainment System game released in 1985 and was later released in North America on the Wii Virtual Console on September 1, 2008 and in Europe on March 6, 2009. The game was called Vs. Clu Clu Land in video arcades. The game has been re-released for the Nintendo GameCube in the game Animal Crossing.
Overview[ | ]
In Clu Clu Land, the player is a bubble fish named Bubbles—Groopy in the original Japanese version—who swims around in a maze trying to uncover all the golden ingots.
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 hero, sets out to retrieve the treasure. The object of the game is to uncover all the gold bars in each stage while avoiding the Unira and Black Holes. The gold bars 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. If Bubbles is hurt by the Unira, she will lose a life. A life is also lost when Bubbles falls into a Black Hole, or when time runs out. This only happens if Bubbles hasn't moved. If Bubbles moves and time runs out, the game is over. The game also ends if Bubbles has lost all her lives.
In later levels, the player has to pass over the gold bars twice to uncover them, and passing over them in later levels will re-bury them.
Legacy[ | ]
A successor to Clu Clu Land was released for the Famicom Disk System, making it the last game to be released for the system. This revised edition is called Clu Clu Land Disk Versison 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 all of the puzzles of the original game plus more, a new enemy (Boss Unira), and easy and hard mode option. It is a port of VS Clu Clu Land.
In 2001 the game was ported to the Sharp Zaurus series of PDA's. Bubbles also appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee, and Clu Clu Land music as well as the Unira enemy as an item is in its sequel, Super Smash Bros. Brawl. She also reappears again as the last secret character in the Game Boy Advance game DK King of Swing. There is also a Clu Clu Land "Remake" microgame in WarioWare: Smooth Moves for Wii, as well as a Clu Clu Land "Spintendo" microgame in WarioWare: Twisted!
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 onomatopoeia word that refers to something going "around and around". In order for Bubbles to move around the mazes, she must grab onto poles with her hands. 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.)
Gallery[ | ]
Famicom Boxart
NES Boxart
NES European Boxart
External links[ | ]
- Clu Clu Land guide at StrategyWiki
- Clu Clu Land at MobyGames
- Clu Clu Land at the Classic Nintendo Wiki.
- Clu Clu Land at NinDB
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