So cute.
Binary Land is a Japan-only Famicom release, although for the life of me I can't understand why. There's a total of maybe ten words in the whole thing, and I can't see any possible offensive or Nintendo-worthy censorship things anywhere.
It was developed in 1983 by Hudson Soft. In standard early 80's Hudson style, it was released for the MSX, FM-7, NEC PC-6001, NEC PC-8801, and later the Famicom. The Famicom version was released in 1985, with a few tweaks from the original 1983 version.
The game has a simple concept, simple themes, simple controls, and a simple message. It's one of those great classic-era games that doesn't need a plethora of text and convoluted control schemes to get its point across. Not that it was always a conscious decision to do things that way. There's only so much space on a game cartridge.
The gameplay has a very unique and interesting concept. It's a puzzle/maze, and there are two penguins (Gurin and Malon) who are so in love and just have to be together. You control both of them simultaneously using the D-Pad. One penguin moves normally, and the other mirrors left/right inputs. You have to get them both to the caged heart at the same time to clear the Round (the whole game just oozes adoration).
This is made more difficult by gigantic spiders, spiderwebs, sentient balls of fire, and some kind of weird magic bird. Running into a spiderweb causes a penguin to be caught, and the other penguin has to navigate and rescue (before an enemy reaches them first). Running into a spider or fireball obviously means death.
Don't worry though, because the penguins have a weapon in this struggle. In order to find the power of love, they will use the mighty strength of AEROSOL SPRAY. I assume it's some kind of poison, and it gets the job done. The spray will eliminate both spiders and their webs, but sadly nothing else.
Binary Land could have stopped there and called it a day, and it would have been a pretty clever game. But Hudson decided to throw in some more variables that turn the game from a neat concept into a great one. My favorite has to be the bird. It's not an enemy per se, but it can assist in your death nonetheless. If either Gurin or Malon runs into it, they swap locations with each other. Keep in mind that one penguin has reversed left/right controls, so you might end up running right into a spider due to the confusion. It's great.
Enemies also have varying speeds that change randomly, constantly keeping you on your toes. The fact that fireballs also can't be destroyed by your spray means you have almost no choice but to avoid them.
I say "almost" because there is one thing that can wipe out anything in your path. Picking up a whale icon gives both penguins invincibility and super speed. If it appears, you only have a few seconds to get it. If you're not close enough, tough luck. If you do manage to pick it up, the Round is as good as done.
There are other items to be found, but the only thing they yield are points. The only exception I can find is a Sega Saturn-esque logo. You can't pick it up, and completing the Round with it exposed doesn't do anything as far as I can tell.
The heart in the cage must be reached at the exact same time from both sides. Some stages make this easier said than done. Gurin and Malon can both traverse the entire stage (including the other's starting side) and overlap, but to clear the Round they have to meet at that cage from opposing sides.
There's also a Bonus Round every few stages. One penguin always starts trapped, and the other has to free them and reach the cage as normal to clear the Round. However, there are a bunch of hearts worth a lot of points to consider, but a very limited amount of time. Not reaching the cage in time results in no bonus at all. Later Bonus Stages throw another wrench in the works by including the bird as well. Scoring high enough before a Game Over allows you to input your name into the Top 5.
The background music in every Round is "Je te veux" by Erik Satie, composed in 1902. Translated to English, it means "I want you." A perfect fit for the theme of this game, and a beautiful show of effort by Hudson. The piece itself is a nice easy waltz. Not at all bad to listen to Round after Round. Upon reaching the cage, the opening of "Ode to Joy"is played. The music really adds a lot to the game as a whole.
The Round layout almost seems randomized. There are a set number of pre-determined patterns, and the game chooses one for the left side and one for the right. Lather, rinse, repeat. At about Round 20 or so, it seems to come awfully close to repeating from Round 1, except there are more enemies. I haven't played it enough and kept track to be sure, but it's a strong possibility. According to various sources, there are 99 Rounds. I haven't made it that far yet, because you only get three lives, but I'll take their word for it.
Obviously, Gurin and Malon are deeply in love. I mean, just look at that box art. There are no less than six hearts on the front alone. They are so entranced with each other that they've even failed to notice the Lovecraftian hell they've wandered into. Just look at that sickly yellow light, and the lightning bolt in the middle of the day. Not to mention that creepy-as-hell spider eyeing them like it's his job, no doubt imagining feasting on those penguin innards, as spiders are wont to do.
Hudson is known for sticking little quirks into their early games. Most of the time nobody ever knows about them, even after playing the game for years. The first Bomberman has a bunch of these. Binary Land is no different. My favorite one is running both penguins past each other multiple times. Eventually, you'll hear a fanfare sound effect and a tiny penguin starts running independently around the stage. It's hilarious. That must be why Nintendo said no to an NES release. It makes perfect sense now.
If you hold "A" and "B" on both controllers and press the "Reset" button, you can access the "Love Story" mode. The penguins are renamed "Kiku" and "Megu." Kiku is a pseudonym for Kikuta Masaaki, who was one of Hudson's programmers. Many Hudson games programmed by Masaaki have easter eggs such as this (sometimes to an insane degree). The only difference in gameplay is that when one of the penguins gets caught, they'll have a word bubble shouting out the other penguin's name. It's adorable.
The pre-Famicom versions look quite a bit simpler, and instead of penguins, there are two children running around. Otherwise, it's pretty much the same.
The game is a lot of fun, and perfect for short breaks throughout the day when playing on a handheld device. Hudson really put a lot of effort into this one, and it shows. The gameplay is responsive and refined, with just the right amount of variables to keep things interesting without getting too crazy. The base mechanics are really innovative and well-utilized, and the meager three lives you're given provide a good challenge factor. It's also a really nice feature that you have the choice of which penguin is your "regular left/right" choice, even though it doesn't really matter. I'd highly recommend trying Binary Land out if you can.
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| No capitalized letters in the title!? BAN IT. |
It was developed in 1983 by Hudson Soft. In standard early 80's Hudson style, it was released for the MSX, FM-7, NEC PC-6001, NEC PC-8801, and later the Famicom. The Famicom version was released in 1985, with a few tweaks from the original 1983 version.
The game has a simple concept, simple themes, simple controls, and a simple message. It's one of those great classic-era games that doesn't need a plethora of text and convoluted control schemes to get its point across. Not that it was always a conscious decision to do things that way. There's only so much space on a game cartridge.
The gameplay has a very unique and interesting concept. It's a puzzle/maze, and there are two penguins (Gurin and Malon) who are so in love and just have to be together. You control both of them simultaneously using the D-Pad. One penguin moves normally, and the other mirrors left/right inputs. You have to get them both to the caged heart at the same time to clear the Round (the whole game just oozes adoration).
This is made more difficult by gigantic spiders, spiderwebs, sentient balls of fire, and some kind of weird magic bird. Running into a spiderweb causes a penguin to be caught, and the other penguin has to navigate and rescue (before an enemy reaches them first). Running into a spider or fireball obviously means death.
Don't worry though, because the penguins have a weapon in this struggle. In order to find the power of love, they will use the mighty strength of AEROSOL SPRAY. I assume it's some kind of poison, and it gets the job done. The spray will eliminate both spiders and their webs, but sadly nothing else.
Binary Land could have stopped there and called it a day, and it would have been a pretty clever game. But Hudson decided to throw in some more variables that turn the game from a neat concept into a great one. My favorite has to be the bird. It's not an enemy per se, but it can assist in your death nonetheless. If either Gurin or Malon runs into it, they swap locations with each other. Keep in mind that one penguin has reversed left/right controls, so you might end up running right into a spider due to the confusion. It's great.
Enemies also have varying speeds that change randomly, constantly keeping you on your toes. The fact that fireballs also can't be destroyed by your spray means you have almost no choice but to avoid them.
I say "almost" because there is one thing that can wipe out anything in your path. Picking up a whale icon gives both penguins invincibility and super speed. If it appears, you only have a few seconds to get it. If you're not close enough, tough luck. If you do manage to pick it up, the Round is as good as done.
There are other items to be found, but the only thing they yield are points. The only exception I can find is a Sega Saturn-esque logo. You can't pick it up, and completing the Round with it exposed doesn't do anything as far as I can tell.
The heart in the cage must be reached at the exact same time from both sides. Some stages make this easier said than done. Gurin and Malon can both traverse the entire stage (including the other's starting side) and overlap, but to clear the Round they have to meet at that cage from opposing sides.
There's also a Bonus Round every few stages. One penguin always starts trapped, and the other has to free them and reach the cage as normal to clear the Round. However, there are a bunch of hearts worth a lot of points to consider, but a very limited amount of time. Not reaching the cage in time results in no bonus at all. Later Bonus Stages throw another wrench in the works by including the bird as well. Scoring high enough before a Game Over allows you to input your name into the Top 5.
The Round layout almost seems randomized. There are a set number of pre-determined patterns, and the game chooses one for the left side and one for the right. Lather, rinse, repeat. At about Round 20 or so, it seems to come awfully close to repeating from Round 1, except there are more enemies. I haven't played it enough and kept track to be sure, but it's a strong possibility. According to various sources, there are 99 Rounds. I haven't made it that far yet, because you only get three lives, but I'll take their word for it.
Obviously, Gurin and Malon are deeply in love. I mean, just look at that box art. There are no less than six hearts on the front alone. They are so entranced with each other that they've even failed to notice the Lovecraftian hell they've wandered into. Just look at that sickly yellow light, and the lightning bolt in the middle of the day. Not to mention that creepy-as-hell spider eyeing them like it's his job, no doubt imagining feasting on those penguin innards, as spiders are wont to do.
Hudson is known for sticking little quirks into their early games. Most of the time nobody ever knows about them, even after playing the game for years. The first Bomberman has a bunch of these. Binary Land is no different. My favorite one is running both penguins past each other multiple times. Eventually, you'll hear a fanfare sound effect and a tiny penguin starts running independently around the stage. It's hilarious. That must be why Nintendo said no to an NES release. It makes perfect sense now.
If you hold "A" and "B" on both controllers and press the "Reset" button, you can access the "Love Story" mode. The penguins are renamed "Kiku" and "Megu." Kiku is a pseudonym for Kikuta Masaaki, who was one of Hudson's programmers. Many Hudson games programmed by Masaaki have easter eggs such as this (sometimes to an insane degree). The only difference in gameplay is that when one of the penguins gets caught, they'll have a word bubble shouting out the other penguin's name. It's adorable.
 |
| Where are they, how did they get there, and what the hell is going on? |
The game is a lot of fun, and perfect for short breaks throughout the day when playing on a handheld device. Hudson really put a lot of effort into this one, and it shows. The gameplay is responsive and refined, with just the right amount of variables to keep things interesting without getting too crazy. The base mechanics are really innovative and well-utilized, and the meager three lives you're given provide a good challenge factor. It's also a really nice feature that you have the choice of which penguin is your "regular left/right" choice, even though it doesn't really matter. I'd highly recommend trying Binary Land out if you can.
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