.gif)
Densetsu no Stafy (video game)
Encyclopedia
is a platform video game
developed by TOSE
and published by Nintendo
for the Nintendo
Game Boy Advance
in Japan. It is the first game in the The Legendary Starfy series.
with two tornadoes shook Starfy out of his home into the ocean. Later, Old Man Lobber encountered Starfy, and told him about the Magic Jar and Ogura, while he helped Starfy get back home, by making him do some swimming lessons, as well as giving directions. While Starfy was heading back home, he encountered some people he didn't know before, such as Moe the clam, and decided to help them with their problems, like finding their missing items, defeating enemies, and so on, until Starfy and his friends fought and brought back Ogura into the Magic Jar to restore peace.
's Breakout series.
Back in November 1995, Nintendo's producer Hitoshi Yamagami received a directive from TOSE's producer, Yasuhiro Minamimoto, asking if Hitoshi could come up with a kind of floaty platformer, then started developing it. Six months of work later, Hitoshi thought of a floating character being pushed through a maze. They tried developing a balloon-lifting game, but Hitoshi and Yasuhiro were having difficulties moving the balloon toward wherever they wanted, making the project uninteresting and annoying in their opinions. Hitoshi asked if they could take control of the floating character as opposed to just pushing it around. As long as things were floating around, Hitoshi and Yasuhiro decided a water-based character would be a decent idea. They thought as far as a character that would fit that environment, perhaps a jellyfish or starfish would be a good character. They also changed direction on the project a bit and it was then that the project went through a period of trouble and it wasn't until March 1998 that the project began to come to fruition.
Later in 1998, Hitoshi and Yasuhiro were going through the process of changing over from the Game Boy
to the Game Boy Color
, so orders came down that Nintendo wanted Hitoshi and Yasuhiro to sort of revamp this prototype of the series to work on Game Boy Color. Then Hitoshi and Yasuhiro had to go through and do that work, until 1999, as they were approaching the release of the game, Hitoshi and Yasuhiro were told by Nintendo that the Game Boy Advance
would soon be released and turn the Game Boy Color into a handheld of the past, making everyone cancel their Game Boy Color software projects. Therefore, Hitoshi and Yasuhiro went through another period of reflection and began rethinking the game yet again. Several things such as its official logo, artworks and some names were changed for unknown reasons. The protagonist of the series, Starfy, was originally planned to be a starfish, but during the time of development, he went through changes to where he came down out of the sky, so one of the questions that Hitoshi is often asked is, "Is Starfy a starfish or a star?", and the company policy is to respond that he is neither. Hitoshi's response is simply, "Starfy is the Prince of Pufftop."
Despite being successful, it was released exclusively in Japan. Hitoshi Yamagami and Yasuhiro Minamimoto were unsure how it would be accepted by any gaming audience outside of Japan. It was also stated by members of TOSE that they had long wanted to bring the game and its successors outside of Japan, but Nintendo divisions outside of Japan, such as Nintendo of America, had always thought the games were full of a little too much Japanese cultural references for an international release.
It also has a perfect score on GameRankings.
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
developed by TOSE
TOSE
is a video game development company based in Kyoto, Japan. It is most known for developing Nintendo's Game & Watch Gallery series, various Dragon Ball games, as well as other Nintendo products...
and published by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
for the Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
in Japan. It is the first game in the The Legendary Starfy series.
Plot
In the beginning, the protagonist, Stafy, known as Starfy in Western regions, was moving things around his home, Pufftop Palace, until he tripped and dropped some things he was moving. One of them fell into the ocean, which was the Magic Jar, an object that seals the antagonist of the game known as Ogura. Meanwhile, a very severe thunderstormThunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...
with two tornadoes shook Starfy out of his home into the ocean. Later, Old Man Lobber encountered Starfy, and told him about the Magic Jar and Ogura, while he helped Starfy get back home, by making him do some swimming lessons, as well as giving directions. While Starfy was heading back home, he encountered some people he didn't know before, such as Moe the clam, and decided to help them with their problems, like finding their missing items, defeating enemies, and so on, until Starfy and his friends fought and brought back Ogura into the Magic Jar to restore peace.
Gameplay
Starfy himself can run, jump, and attack via spinning; he also gains access to various transportation objects and animal familiars as the games progress. The game usually consists of multiple stages or worlds, with each stage split up into four sub-stages. Boss characters hide at the end of each world's final sub-stage. Most of the other sub-stages' goals are centered around retrieving a lost or stolen item for another character. The main task is to meet characters and find their missing items. There are many items to collect and many enemies to defeat. Players can move Starfy on land by running and jumping, but when Starfy is in watery areas, they can move him much more freely, make him push obstacles, and so on. The game also includes minigames, some of which are similar to AtariAtari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
's Breakout series.
Development
Later in 1998, Hitoshi and Yasuhiro were going through the process of changing over from the Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
to the Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
, so orders came down that Nintendo wanted Hitoshi and Yasuhiro to sort of revamp this prototype of the series to work on Game Boy Color. Then Hitoshi and Yasuhiro had to go through and do that work, until 1999, as they were approaching the release of the game, Hitoshi and Yasuhiro were told by Nintendo that the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
would soon be released and turn the Game Boy Color into a handheld of the past, making everyone cancel their Game Boy Color software projects. Therefore, Hitoshi and Yasuhiro went through another period of reflection and began rethinking the game yet again. Several things such as its official logo, artworks and some names were changed for unknown reasons. The protagonist of the series, Starfy, was originally planned to be a starfish, but during the time of development, he went through changes to where he came down out of the sky, so one of the questions that Hitoshi is often asked is, "Is Starfy a starfish or a star?", and the company policy is to respond that he is neither. Hitoshi's response is simply, "Starfy is the Prince of Pufftop."
Marketing
In order to make the game successful, Nintendo and TOSE aired animated television commercials, as well as selling some promotional merchandise, such as a music album that includes a few songs sung by BECKY. The animated television commercials contain the game's exposition, though it differs in some respects. For instance, in the game, Starfy was walking inside the Pufftop Palace while carrying some stuff (including the Magic Jar holding the antagonist, Ogura), until he trips and drops what he is carrying, causing the Magic Jar to fall into the ocean below the Pufftop Palace. In one of the commercials, however, Starfy was walking outside of Pufftop Palace while only carrying the Magic Jar, until he tripped and he fell in the ocean (along with the Magic Jar). Another television commercial shows Starfy sleeping on the whale seen in the game.Despite being successful, it was released exclusively in Japan. Hitoshi Yamagami and Yasuhiro Minamimoto were unsure how it would be accepted by any gaming audience outside of Japan. It was also stated by members of TOSE that they had long wanted to bring the game and its successors outside of Japan, but Nintendo divisions outside of Japan, such as Nintendo of America, had always thought the games were full of a little too much Japanese cultural references for an international release.
Reception
By the end of 2002, Densetsu no Stafy sold a total of 291,616 copies in Japan.It also has a perfect score on GameRankings.