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| The Legendary Starfy | |
|---|---|
 Logo since 2008 | |
| Genre | Platformer |
| Developer | Tose |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Creators | Hitoshi Yamagami(Nintendo) Yasuhiro Minamimoto(Tose) |
| Original release | September 6, 2002 |
The Legendary Starfy[a] is avideo game series developed byTose and published byNintendo. The series began in 2002 withDensetsu no Starfy for theGame Boy Advance, and four sequels were released. For its first seven years,Starfy games were not released outside Japan. The fifth and latest game in the series was released asThe Legendary Starfy in North America on June 8, 2009. In July 2024, the first three titles were officially released via theNintendo Classics service.
The series focuses on Starfy, an anthropomorphic starfish and the prince of Pufftop Palace, who must explore the underneaths of the ocean to save the world from various threats alongsides his friends and family. The first three games focus on Starfy's efforts to prevent Ogura from sabotaging the ocean, while the fourth game focuses on Starfy into saving a distant island, and the fifth game follows Starfy who must stop space pirates from abusing power.
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
Original release date(s):
| Release years by system: 2002 – Game Boy Advance 2024 – Nintendo Classics
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Original release date(s):
| Release years by system: 2003 – Game Boy Advance 2024 – Nintendo Classics
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Original release date(s):
| Release years by system: 2004 – Game Boy Advance 2024 – Nintendo Classics
|
Original release date(s):
| Release years by system: 2006 – Nintendo DS |
Notes:
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Original release date(s):[2] | Release years by system: 2008 – Nintendo DS |
Notes:
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The Legendary Starfy series areplatform games, focusing more on swimming than running and jumping around. Players control the protagonist of the series, Starfy, throughout each game; from the third title onward, Starfy's sister Starly is also playable occasionally. When on land, the controls are equal to the controls of most other platform games. When in the water, players can only move Starfy around using the control pad alone; however, if players want to make Starfy swim faster, they hold the B button down while moving him around. The games are usually composed 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. Most power-ups are vehicles and costumes. Some are new moves, and some are upgrades for moves and other power-ups.
Although there had always been plans to bring the series to North America, the reason why the series stayed in Japan until the announcement of the fifth game was because Nintendo of America had declared the series to be "too Japanese". Nintendo of America has also considered bringing the other four games to North America in some form as well as expanding the series to the Wii, depending on "fan response".[3]
The animated television commercials loosely take place in the plot of whatever title is being advertised, as well as its gameplay. The settings and actions were slightly different compared to the ones in the titles they advertised. For instance, inthe firstThe Legendary Starfy title, Starfy was walking inside the Tenkai Palace while carrying some stuff, including the Magic Jar holding the antagonist, Ogura, until Starfy tripped and dropped the stuff he was carrying, while the Magic Jar fell into the ocean below the Tenkai Palace. But in one of the commercials for the first title of the series, Starfy was walking outside of Tenkai Palace while only carrying the Magic Jar, until he tripped and fell in the ocean along with the Magic Jar. Except forDensetsu no Starfy 3, its commercial is the only one inThe Legendary Starfy series that has a different setting. Instead of taking place anywhere in the game, the commercial takes place in asushi bar, where the characters are standing on plates while being moved around on aconveyor belt. In the Japanese commercials forDensetsu no Starfy 4 andDensetsu no Starfy Taiketsu! Daīru Kaizokudan go back to the way the commercials for the first two titles of the series were, by making them loosely based on the plots of whatever is being advertised.
WhileDensetsu no Starfy Taiketsu! Daīru Kaizokudan was being planned for release inNorth America asThe Legendary Starfy, a new live-action English commercial for it takes place on a boat "The Falling Star", where an old man and his grandson, fishing, talk about catching a giant squid, the grandson is worried, until the old man assures his grandson that he doesn't have to worry, because he has Starfy. Starfy then pops out of the sea. This is the first North American commercial, airing on May 25, 2009.
During the release of each game in the series, there have been many kinds of merchandise related to the series released in Japanese retail stores, like plush dolls, pencils, birthday balloons and playing cards. Nintendo also officially produced a manga version of theDensetsu no Starfy series and later,Densetsu no Starfy R withShogakukan.CD soundtracks from theStarfy series were also released. The one used to promote the firstThe Legendary Starfy game was sung byBECKY. Kazuki Saya sung to promoteDensetsu no Starfy 2. The J-pop groupPerfume became the first group to sing the theme song, which was used to promoteDensetsu no Starfy 3 during the credits of the Japanese television showOha-Sta. Despite that being made, it wasn't released in retail stores. In the commercials forDensetsu no Starfy 3, Perfume's song titledVitamin Drop, was the only song played in aStarfy series commercial that isn't related to the series. Another J-pop groupCute recorded the theme song to promoteDensetsu no Starfy 4.The Legendary Starfy, unlike other games in the series, was never promoted with a vocal song nor a CD album by a J-pop singer nor group.
| Densetsu no Starfy | |
| 伝説のスタフィー (Densetsu no Sutafī) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Action Adventure,Comedy |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Yumiko Sudo |
| Published by | Shogakukan |
| Magazine | CoroCoro Comic |
| Original run | June 2002 –October 2005 |
| Volumes | 2 |
| Manga | |
| Densetsu no Starfy R | |
| Written by | Suzuo Yadaka |
| Published by | Shogakukan |
| Magazine | CoroCoro Comic |
| Original run | April 2006 –April 2008 |
| Volumes | 1 |
Densetsu no Starfy[c] is amanga series produced byShogakukan andNintendo. It is based onThe Legendary Starfy video game series, specifically thefirst andsecond titles in the series. It was serialized in theShogakukan magazineCoroCoro Comic from its June 2002 issue to its October 2005 issue. Twotankōbon (bound volumes) collecting the individual chapters were released on October 28, 2003 and September 28, 2005.[4][5]
The manga series later got a sequel titledDensetsu no Starfy R[d]. It is based on the samevideo game series asDensetsu no Starfy, specificallyDensetsu no Starfy 4. This manga is also titledDensetsu no Starfy Returns.[e] It was serialized inCoroCoro Comic from its April 2006 issue to April 2008 issue. A single volume was released on July 28, 2008.[6]
While only one ofThe Legendary Starfy games has been released outside Japan, some references to the series have appeared in a few games that were released internationally. InMario & Luigi: Superstar Saga for the Game Boy Advance, a poster in the Yoshi Theater resembles the box art ofthe first game in the series also for the Game Boy Advance, but titled in English as "Legend of Stafy". InSuper Princess Peach for the Nintendo DS, an enemy called "Starfish" resembles the Starfy sprites ofDensetsu no Starfy 4, as well asThe Legendary Starfy, but with sunglasses. In the Japanese version ofDonkey Konga, one of the songs is the main theme song of the series. Starfy appears in theSuper Smash Bros. series as a summonable Assist Trophy character, once again under the name "Stafy", appearing in every entry beginning withSuper Smash Bros. Brawl. He attacks by using his signature spin attack against the opponents of whoever summoned him, but unlike most, he can be attacked and defeated.[7] A costume based on Starfy can also be unlocked inSuper Mario Maker.
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