Podcast - 003 - Clu Clu Land

In this episode we take a look at Nintendo's arcade classic, Clu Clu Land.

IS IT STILL FUN?

Clu Clu Land is it's most satisfying when you put time into it. Like all arcade games at the time, Clu Clu land is a game that is easily learned, but hard to master. As a sample, you could get everything you need out of Clu Clu land in as little as one playthrough. The concepts presented in the early stages really don't evolve and if you find the controls frustrating it's easy to drop out. The controls make or break the game, but that's why we recommend putting some time into the game before scrapping it. If you pick up the controls fast enough you might just become addicted.

IS IT STILL PLAYABLE?

As mentioned in the episode we found the playability of the game really came down to the controls. Make no mistake this is a frustrating game that can be fun and maybe even relaxing if you "get good" at it. As far as accessibility, Clu Clu Land offers many options to play. In addition to the NES cartridge, it was also released on the Game Boy Advanced as part of the NES Classic series, The E-reader, and on the Wii, Wii U, and 3DS virtual console. It also appears as a bonus game in Animal Crossing for the GameCube which is in my opinion one of the more interesting ways to play all these NES games. If you get yourself a copy (currently they are around $20 loose on eBay), let us know what you think!

IS IT STILL IMPORTANT?

Clu Clu Land is one of the NES Launch games that Nintendo has kept relevant throughout the years, but we're not exactly sure why. It's not exactly a recognizable IP even though Nintendo R&D1 worked on the game. Even the concept of the game hasn't been reintroduced in any way from Nintendo or copy cat clones. For these reasons we can't really call Clu Clu Land important.

THE VERDICT: Clu Clu Land is definitely not for everyone. If you have access to the game give it a shot, we think you could decide in as little as fifteen minutes if the game is for you. The years have not been kind to Clu Clu Land and we can say with confidence this is not an essential game.

At the end of every stage, you are rewarded with a nice design