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Elebits

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Elebits
Game cover for Elebits.
Developer(s)Konami
Publisher(s)Konami
Platform(s)Wii
ReleaseJapan December 2, 2006
United States December 12, 2006
Europe March 2007
Australia March 2007 [1]
Genre(s)First Person Adventure / Collection
Mode(s)single player, 2-4 player multiplayer

Elebits (Eledees in Europe) is a video game for Nintendo's Wii console by Konami. It was released on December 2, 2006 in Japan, on December 12, 2006 in North America, and will be released in March 2007 in Europe. In Australia, it will be released on April 15, 2007.

Gameplay

Elebits are creatures that serve as an energy source for the world. During a strong storm, they begin to hide from humans which results in an unusual power shortage. The name "Elebits" is a portmanteau of "electricity", for their electric power, and "bits", for their tiny size.

The player manipulates objects in the world to hunt for Elebits, using the Wii controller as a "capture gun" similar to the Gravity Gun device in Half-Life 2. As more Elebits are collected, the world's energy is restored and players can gradually use more powerful electrical appliances. Several previews compare the game to Pikmin and Katamari Damacy due to the similar art style and character design. The Wii remote can help the player interact with the world, such as when twisting a doorknob or turning a faucet.

The player plays as Kai, a ten year old boy in 4th grade, who strongly dislikes Elebits and blames them for the lack of electricity on Earth, although in truth the Elebits are not entirely responsible. With a Capture-Gun, the player will zap the Elebits, extracting their energy source, which is measured in watts. The game is set in small levels, each of which is a certain area (a few rooms or a street). Once a set amount of Watts are earned, electrical objects will gradually begin to function. Players can later activate these electrical appliances, such as computers, microwaves and electric toy-cars, which in return release Power-Elebits (which can be collected to increase Capture-Gun strength.)

Throughout gameplay, the Wii controller's motion-sensing abilities are gradually introduced. Moving the Wii remote without selecting an item rotates the players camera-view. With selected objects, players will be turning, pulling, waving and slashing the Wii remote to perform a variety of actions including; Opening a door (twisting the doorknob), pulling out drawers, pulling bed-sheets off a bed, tossing a variety of items, smashing vases against a wall, etc.

At the 2006 DigitalLife Expo, a playable demo of the game was shown.

The game supports up to 4 players in multiplayer mode.

Edit Mode

One of the modes in Elebits is Edit Mode. In Edit Mode, players can create their own stages by placing different kinds of objects and Elebits throughout any of the 25 stages in the game, provided they have already completed the stage in Story Mode. One can also adjust the gameplay by changing the amount of watts needed for completion, how strong the gravity is, or what kind of items the player can use. The furniture and objects that can be used in Edit Mode are also dependent on the completion of Story Mode, requiring that the player get at least a 'B' rank in a stage before he/she can use the stage-specific items.[2]

Online connectivity

Elebits utilizes Wii's online service, WiiConnect24. In single player and Edit Mode, players can take screenshots and send them to other Wii consoles. Players can also send levels that they've created in Edit Mode.

Plot

Template:Spoiler Elebits are living beings that contain a mysterious form of energy. They have lived in harmony with people for a very long time. One day there was a powerful lightning storm in Kai's home town. All the power has gone out, and the normally friendly Elebits have started to act strangely as well. The game's main character and protagonist is Kai, but Kai's parents have left him at home to determine the cause of these strange activities. Kai really wants to watch his favorite TV show, but he can't because of the power outage. He decides that it is the Elebits' fault, and he gets his Dad's Capture Gun. With the Capture Gun, Kai vows to capture all of the Elebits in the house. When Kai heads to the living room he finds the Sea Elebit (first boss battle). After capturing it, he heads outside and realizes the entire town does not have power. Kai decides to do a little exploring outside to see what's wrong. When Kai heads back inside he sees that there is no gravity - even the elebits are floating. He assumes it's the elebits' fault. He goes to investigate further and heads into town where he eventually finds the Sky Elebit (second boss battle) which has the power to control gravity. Shortly after Kai captures it, he notices many Elebits heading to the amusment park. Kai follows. after arriving, he continues his search for elebits. Eventually, he makes his way to a christmas tree. The Earth elebit, who absorbs ornament-like elebits on the tree, is there. after capturing the earth elebit, kai gets a phone call from his parents, and increases the power of his capture gun. Kai goes deeper into the park to search for whatever made the elebits go crazy. Template:Endspoiler

Reception

IGN gave Elebits much praise for its innovative gameplay as well as its beautiful illustrations, giving it a rating of 8.3/10. [3] GameSpot gave the game a 7.5/10.[4] On Metacritic, a review aggregate site, Elebits is ranked at 73/100, signaling generally favorable critical reviews.[5].

Awards

  • IGN: Best Wii Action Game of 2006 [6]
  • IGN: Wii Game with Most Innovative Design of 2006 [7]
  • IGN: Wii Game with Best Use of the Wii Remote of 2006 [8]

Allusions

Elebits contains many allusions to games by Konami's Bemani division, a series of rhythm-action games, such as beatmania IIDX and Dance Dance Revolution. Posters and comic books can be seen with such names as Happy Sky, which is the 12th incarnation of beatmania IIDX or SuperNOVA, the 9th canonical release of Dance Dance Revolution. There are also references to other Konami games, including statues of Robbie the Rabbit from the Silent Hill series.

Trivia

  • In the first mission, a Wii console can be seen, as well as a Wii Remote sitting on a desk. On the screen there is an Elebits game playing.
  • When certain retailers took preorders for the game, a boxed Elebit plush toy was included. The toys came in both red Elebit and blue Elebit varieties.
  • In one of the levels, one of the CD covers is named Sun 52, a reference to Sum 41.

Screenshots

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