| ChuChu Rocket! | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Sonic Team |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Director(s) | Yuji Naka |
| Producer(s) | Yuji Naka |
| Designer(s) | Takafumi Kaya |
| Programmer(s) |
|
| Artist(s) |
|
| Composer(s) | Tomoya Ohtani |
| Platform(s) | Dreamcast,Game Boy Advance,iOS,Android |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Action puzzle |
| Mode(s) | Single-player,multiplayer |
ChuChu Rocket![a] is a 1999action puzzle game developed bySonic Team and published bySega for theDreamcast. The objective is for the player to place arrows on a board to lead mice into escape rockets while avoiding cats. The game features single-player modes in which a player must save all the mice on a board, and a multiplayer mode in which players battle to collect the most mice.
Directed and produced byYuji Naka,ChuChu Rocket! was developed to test the Dreamcast's processing power by displaying many characters at once, and also to test theonline functionality of the Dreamcast and Sega's servers, as it was the first Dreamcast game designed to make use of online. The knowledge gained from the network portion of the project helped Sonic Team in their development ofPhantasy Star Online (2000). When it arrived in the United States, Sega held an online tournament where players could battle against Sega and Sonic Team employees. InPAL regions, it was given free to subscribers of Sega's online gaming serviceDreamarena. Although Sega's online services have long shut down, the game can still be played online viaprivate servers.
ChuChu Rocket! was a commercial and critical success. Critics praised the chaotic and addictive multiplayer and the simple andcute Japanese aesthetic. Sega's network gaming service received some criticism forlag.ChuChu Rocket! was ported to theGame Boy Advance as a launch game, and gathered interest as the first game published by Sega for Nintendo hardware. It was later ported toiOS andAndroid; both of these versions were delisted from their storefronts in 2015.
ChuChu Rocket! is anaction puzzle game.[1] The basic rules of the game require the player to guide mice, dubbed "ChuChus", into a rocket while evading them from dangerous cats, dubbed "KapuKapus".[2]: 8–9 A brief premise is provided in the instruction manual, explaining that ChuChus are living on a space port that is invaded by KapuKapus one day. In their frantic state, the ChuChus begin running around in chaos, and so the player must guide them to their rockets to save them.[2]: 2–5 Both ChuChus and KapuKapus run in a straight line, and turn right when they hit walls. A player can place up, down, left, and right arrows on the field of play, redirecting characters that step on them. Up to three arrows can be placed by a player at any time; placing a fourth arrow will make the player's oldest arrow vanish, and all arrows fade away over time. If a KapuKapu hits an arrow twice, the arrow disappears.[2]: 6–9
There are several modes of play withinChuChu Rocket! including a single-player puzzle mode, a puzzle editing mode, a cooperative challenge mode, and competitive multiplayer modes. In the puzzle mode, the player is provided a limited set of arrows to place on the field to save all the ChuChus in play. The puzzle editing mode allows players to create their own puzzles like this. In the challenge mode, players are given 30 seconds to save the ChuChus in play without any arrow limitations as in puzzle mode. In the competition modes, each player has a rocket and must guide as many ChuChus as possible into their rocket in the time limit. This mode supports up to four players, either in free-for-all or team-based fashion.[2]: 10–17
ChuChu Rocket! is notable for being the firstDreamcastonline multiplayer game.[3] During the time Sega was operating its servers, players were able to play the competitive modes online, while also being able to upload their custom puzzles and download those made by other users. Players could use an onscreen or physical keyboard to chat with other players.[2]: 16–24 Servers for the game's online functionality were brought back online by fans in 2016.[4]
ChuChu Rocket! was developed bySonic Team.[5][6] Director and producerYuji Naka conceived the game as a way to use the power of the Dreamcast to create 100sprites moving at once. He believed there are two trends to use evolving hardware: one is to make increasingly beautiful graphics, while the other is to squeeze as much processing power to use it to its fullest; he chose the latter in this case.[7] Naka and his team found difficulty working on the networking component, but believed it was a good learning experience.[8] Part ofChuChu Rocket!'s purpose was to test the capabilities of online multiplayer gaming on the Dreamcast; the team used what they learned to help drive the development ofPhantasy Star Online (2000).[8][9] ANAOMI arcade version of the game was also planned, but later scrapped.[10]
Sega announcedChuChu Rocket! on September 2, 1999 asSonic Team's second game for the Dreamcast afterSonic Adventure (1998).[10] Prior to the game's release in Japan in November 1999, Sega promoted the game with a website dedicated toChuChu Rocket!, and a 15-second commercial advertising the game was solicited to television stations across the country, with the commercial also made available to download through the website.[11]ChuChu Rocket! released in Japan on November 11, 1999 and climbed to the top of the Japanese sales charts in its first week on sale, selling 35,000 copies and knocking thePlayStation release ofChrono Trigger off the top spot.[12][13] That December, video game magazineFamitsu held a contest using aChuChu-themed minigame for the DreamcastVisual Memory Unit (VMU) that could be downloaded from the internet. Players who completed the minigame were given a password to send toFamitsu. Various prizes were given out to winners of the contest, including Dreamcast controllers, VMU stickers, and pens.[14][15][16]
In January 2000, Sega of America announced it would bringChuChu Rocket! to North America on March 2, 2000, three months earlier than the original anticipated release in June.[17][18] Prior to the North American release of the game, aShockwave demo featuring 30 levels from the game's puzzle mode was made available to play onpersonal computers through Sega's website.[19]ChuChu Rocket! was released in North America on March 7, 2000, a week later than had been announced earlier.[20] It retailed for $29.99 in America — below the average for new Dreamcast games.[21] Sega held an online tournament on March 25, 2000 where players could battle with members of Sonic Team, the Dreamcast network team, and other Sega employees in online matches.[22]
The European and PAL versions were not released until months after the North American release, on June 9, 2000. In Europe,ChuChu Rocket! was mailed free to subscribers ofDreamarena, the European Dreamcast online gaming service. At the time of the game's release in Europe, Dreamarena had over 25,000 subscribers, despite the absence of online play beforehand.[23]
A port ofChuChu Rocket! was released as a launch game for theGame Boy Advance in Japan on March 21, 2001.[24][5] The release garnered interest as the first game Sega published for a Nintendo system.[5] This version retains all the gameplay modes of the Dreamcast version except online play. Players can useGame Link Cables to connect up to four systems together to play using only one cartridge. Sonic Team also selected 2,500 of the 17,000 custom puzzles uploaded to the Dreamcast servers to include in the game. The polygonal graphics from the Dreamcast version are replaced with animated sprites.[5] Players can also edit their own character sprites.[25] This version ofChuChu Rocket! was re-released on theWii U in Japan on October 21, 2015.[26]ChuChu Rocket! was also included as part of a 2-in-1 Sonic Advance cartridge for the Gameboy Advance released on 11 November 2005.
Sega releasediOS andAndroid ports ofChuChu Rocket! in 2010 and 2011.[27][28][29] The iOS version featured local multiplayer overWi-Fi.[30][31] Both were removed from purchase in 2015.[32]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | 86% (DC)[33] 83% (GBA)[34] |
| Metacritic | 84/100 (GBA)[44] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| AllGame |   [41] |
| Famitsu | 34/40[38] |
| GameSpot | 8.2/10[39] |
| GameSpy | 8/10[1] |
| IGN | 9.0/10[40] |
| Next Generation | (Dreamcast)[42] (GBA)[43] |
| Arcade | [35] |
| Dreamcast Magazine (JP) | 9/10[36] |
| Dreamcast Magazine (UK) | 92%[37] |
The Dreamcast version ofChuChu Rocket! received positive reviews. Critics highlighted the multiplayer modes as being great fun and addictive.[35][37][39][1] Stuart Taylor ofDreamcast Magazine (UK) called the multiplayer the "bread and butter" ofChuChu Rocket!, and praised it for being easy to pick up and put down. He concluded the game was "shamelessly retro and monstrously addictive."[37] Other critics also picked up on the game's Japanese andretro aesthetics, citing the simple, cute, andkawaii graphics.[35][37][36][40] Some reviewers drew attention to the game's "chaos" and "insanity", such as Nick Jones writing forArcade, who said the game was "complete madness and rates as an example of Japanese gaming eccentricity at its very finest".[35][1][40] In addition critics also praised the game for its low retail price, giving a great fresh experience to gamers on a budget.[39][1] The most common complaints were in regards to the game's network component. Some critics noted problems withlag in their games, as well as difficulty getting logged in.[39][40][1] Concluding their thoughts,IGN staff called it "quite simply the best multiplayer effort [they]'ve played in years, on any console."[40] Chris Simpson ofAllGame said: "ChuChu Rocket! is the most rapidly paced game I have ever had the pleasure of playing...The multiplayer will become a benchmark of quality."[41] Jeff Lundrigan forNext Generation stated that it is a "terrific little puzzler every Dreamcast owner should have".[42]
The Game Boy Advance port ofChuChu Rocket! also received generally favorable reviews.[45] The game is almost identical to the Dreamcast version, and thus reviewers generally shared the same thoughts as those on the Dreamcast version. Some complaints were made about theD-pad controls being inferior to the Dreamcast'sanalog stick. However, praise was given for the ability to hook up four Game Boy Advances and play multiplayer using only one cartridge, and also for the inclusion of 2,500 user-created stages uploaded to the Dreamcast servers.[5][46][25]Next Generation called the hundreds of maps in puzzle mode the "main draw" of the game.[43]
A follow-up toChuChu Rocket!,Dee Dee Planet, was in development and scheduled for release on the Dreamcast in 2001. The game similarly focused on online multiplayer with gameplay similar to theWorms series. It was reportedly cancelled due to the bugs and problems with its network play. In 2021, a near-complete beta copy of the game was obtained and leaked onto the internet. Fans eventually fixed the bugs, making it completely playable online the following year.[47]
In the originalGameCube release ofBilly Hatcher and the Giant Egg (2003), a limited version of the Game Boy Advance port can be unlocked and played via theGameCube – Game Boy Advance link cable.[48]Minigames inspired byChuChu Rocket! were included inSega Superstars (2004) andSega Superstars Tennis (2008).[49][50] ChuBei, Chuih, ChuPea, and ChuBach are also playable characters inSonic & Sega All-Stars Racing[51] andSega Heroes.
A sequel,ChuChu Rocket! Universe, developed by Hardlight, was released on September 19, 2019 foriOS,macOS andtvOS as alaunch game forApple Arcade.[52] It was removed in September 2022 without warning.[53]
Notes
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