History VideoGame / WonderProjectJ

This is the story of a eccentric craftsman who built himself a boy. But this wasn't a real boy; he was manufactured. His [[{{Disney/Pinocchio}} conscience]] would follow him around and help out when needed, and he would eventually have a great adventure when his creator-father is taken away. This might sound [[PinocchioSyndrome awfully familiar]] by now. But then the boy starts [[DerailedFairyTale kicking your dog, eating plates of food whole, blowing on a trumpet to try and call the turtle god forth, and worshiping gardening tools]]. And suddenly you're completely lost, and nearly broke from repair costs, since the little deviant can't help but jump into the wishing well for no explicit purpose...

This is the story of a eccentric craftsman who built himself a boy. But this wasn't a real boy; he was manufactured. His ''[[Disney/Pinocchio conscience]]'' would follow him around and help out when needed, and he would eventually have a great adventure when his creator-father is taken away. This might sound [[PinocchioSyndrome awfully familiar]] by now. But then the boy starts [[DerailedFairyTale kicking your dog, eating plates of food whole, blowing on a trumpet to try and call the turtle god forth, and worshiping gardening tools]]. And suddenly you're completely lost, and nearly broke from repair costs, since the little deviant can't help but jump into the wishing well for no explicit purpose...

This is the story of a eccentric craftsman who built himself a boy. But this wasn't a real boy; he was manufactured. His conscience would follow him around and help out when needed, and he would eventually have a great adventure when his creator-father is taken away. This might sound [[PinocchioSyndrome awfully familiar]] by now. But then the boy starts [[DerailedFairyTale kicking your dog, eating plates of food whole, blowing on a trumpet to try and call the turtle god forth, and worshiping gardening tools]]. And suddenly you're completely lost, and nearly broke from repair costs, since the little deviant can't help but jump into the wishing well for no explicit purpose...

* ShoutOut: The whole thing heavily channels the Carlo Collodi classic of ''{{Pinnochio}}'', with the boy's default name being Pino and his creator called Dr Geppetto (though the player can [[HelloInsertNameHere rename Pino]] should he/she wish).

* ContinuingIsPainful: A permanent {{Game Over}} is rare, but repairing Pino is costly and can result in a Game Over by bankruptcy. If Pino's health or energy dips below zero, it costs 3000 bucks to revive him. Add to that the annual cost of Pino's sleep, and Tinker can wind up ''deep'' the red if you're not careful.
* DisappearedDad: Geppetto inexplicably vanished not long after Pino was 'born.' Apparently, Geppetto's research has [[DistressedDude not gone unnoticed by the government...]]

* ShoutOut: The whole thing heavily channels the Carlo Collodi classic of Pinnochio, with the boy's default name being Pino and his creator called Dr Geppetto (though the player can [[HelloInsertNameHere rename Pino]] should he/she wish).

* ChekhovsSkill: The [[spoiler:very first task]] Pino is instructed to perform, to Messala's surprise.

* ContinuingIsPainful: A permanent {{Game Over}} is rare, but repairing Pino is costly and can result in a Game Over by bankruptcy. If Pino's health or energy dips below zero, it costs 3000 bucks to revive him. Add to that the annual cost of Pino's sleep, and Tinker can wind up ''deep'' the red if you're not careful.
* DisappearedDad: Geppetto inexplicably vanished not long after Pino was 'born.' Apparently, Geppetto's research has [[DistressedDude not gone unnoticed by the government...]]

* ContinuingIsPainful: A permanent {{Game Over}} is rare, but repairing Pino is costly and can result in a Game Over by bankruptcy. If Pino's health or energy dips below zero, it costs 3000 bucks to revive him. Add to that the annual cost of Pino's sleep, and Tinker can wind up ''deep'' the red if you're not careful.

Developed by former Technos staff who were also responsible for evolution-themed raising-sim ''VideoGame/EVOSearchForEden'', ''Wonder Project J'' has you controlling a fairylike robot, Tinker, to look after another young robot (known as a Gijin) and teach him what it means to be human. In order to raise the mechanical boy to be more human-like, you need to improve his stats. Similarly to the ''VideoGame/PrincessMaker'' games, different actions will raise some stats while lowering others; for example kicking a football is great for leg power, but lowers intelligence. You have to be sure to tell Pino if he's doing the right thing or not, by either praising or scolding him. If extreme action is necessary, Tinker is armed with a ''correctional'' device. [[HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood Which happens to be hammer shaped]]. And to think this was never localized!

* SurpriseCreepy: The Ginji and humans who were rounded up by Messala (including [[spoiler:Mimi]]) are never heard from again. Pino hears their voices calling out to him in the finale, implying that they're all dead.

* AIIsACrapshoot / GoodIsDumb: [[Geppetto made a mistake in [[spoiler:concentrating on Messala's intelligence first, rather than teaching him love]]. The result was [[spoiler:a Ginjin driven entirely by his pursuit of power]].

* GoodIsDumb: Geppetto made a mistake in [[spoiler:concentrating on Messala's intelligence first, rather than teaching him love]]. The result was [[spoiler:a Ginjin driven entirely by his pursuit of power]].

This is the story of a eccentric craftsman who built himself a boy. But this wasn't a real boy; he was manufactured. His conscience would follow him around and help out when needed, and he would eventually have a great adventure when his creator-father is taken away. This might sound [[PinocchioSyndrome awfully familiar]] by now. But then the boy starts kicking your dog, eating plates of food whole, blowing on a trumpet to try and call the turtle god forth, and worshiping gardening tools. And suddenly you're completely lost, and nearly broke from repair costs, since the little deviant can't help but jump into the wishing well for no explicit purpose...

Developed by former Technos staff who were also responsible for evolution-themed raising-sim ''VideoGame/EVOSearchForEden'', Wonder Project J has you helping a fairylike robot, Tinker, to look after another young robot (known as a Gijin) and teach him what it means to be human. In order to raise the mechanical boy to be more human-like, you need to improve his stats. Similarly to the ''VideoGame/PrincessMaker'' games, different actions will raise some stats while lowering others; for example kicking a football is great for leg power, but lowers intelligence. You have to be sure to tell Pino if he's doing the right thing or not, by either praising or scolding him. If extreme action is necessary, Tinker is armed with a ''correctional'' device. [[HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood Which happens to be hammer shaped]]. And to think this was never localized!

* ChekhovsSkill / WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: The very first task Pino is instructed to perform, to Messala's surprise. [[spoiler:Who knew a kickball could be so deadly?]])

''Wonder Project J: Mechanical Boy Pino'' is a [[PointAndClickGame point-and-click]] [[SimulationGame raising sim]] utilizing 2D art, a strong OsamuTezuka-inspired aesthetic, plus a bit of StudioGhibli thrown in for good measure. Neither this game nor its sequel was [[NoExportForYou officially released outside of Japan]], but both have been [[FanTranslation fan-translated]] into English.

For a setting which starts out light-hearted, it has some dark undertones. For the last 50 years humans and Gijin have lived uneasily together, with increasing bigotry directed at the robots. Gijin sympathizers are arrested, members on both sides are murdered, and the King even orders our boy sentenced to death because of his origin.

* BeardOfBarbarism: If Pino does beat Jeane in the colosseum, then a [[EyepatchOfPower one-eyed]] and bearded swordfighter named Gardy will face Pino -- and he's even ''tougher''.

* GoldenEnding: A rare instance of the perfect ending actually being ''sadder'' than the other endings. [[spoiler: Pino doesn't recover from his wounds, and Tiffany marries a lord from the neighboing kingdom. However, Pino is reincarnated as her infant son]].

* ItHasBeenAnHonor: King Corlo, when it seems like all is lost. As Messala trains his gunsights on the Island, the King intoes, "Corlo, may you live forever."

* NewGamePlus: Upon completing Act 10, the game rewinds to Act 2, this time with Geppetto grading your progress. Pino gets better grades if he completes all his task without sleeping too much.

* ThePowerOfLove: Circuit J, which Messela neither fully understood nor [[DidntSeeThatComing saw coming]]. When it finally activates, [[spoiler:a pinkish WaveMotionGun erupts from Pino's body and engulfs Messala's airship]].

* SequelHook: The best ending depicts the birth of Pokko, [[spoiler:who is Pino reincarnated]]. He appears in ''Wonder Project [=J2=]''.

* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman

* EvilOnlooker: Messala on the Super Famicom box art.

* HelloInsertNameHere: The whole thing heavily channels the Carlo Collodi classic of Pinnochio, with the boy's default name being Pino and his creator called Dr Geppetto (though the player can rename Pino should he/she wish).

''Wonder Project J: Mechanical Boy Pino'' is a [[PointAndClickGame point-and-click]] [[SimulationGame raising sim]] utilizing beautiful 2D art, and a strong Osamu Tezuka (Astroboy) inspired aesthetic, plus a bit of Studio Ghibli thrown in for good measure. Neither this game nor its sequel was [[NoExportForYou officially released outside of Japan]], but both have been [[FanTranslation fan-translated]] into English.

* DropTheHammer

* ExtremeOmnivore: You might not think it, but apparently a soccer ball is delicious, and Pino knows it. Laugh as you will, but that's a $2,000 ball lodged in his mouth. This would be a good time to have Tinker whack Pino on the head with the mallet (If Tinker is slow on the draw, the item is LostForever).

* RidiculouslyHumanRobots
* RoboticReveal

* BoomerangBigot:

* AnEntrepreneurIsYou: No such thing as a free lunch, even for robots. To pay for Pino's education and maintence, you can make some extra money by farming or singing at your local Ginjin bar. Unfortunately, the bar is later shut down by the government as part of Messala's crackdown.

* EvilTowerOfOminousness: Corlo's

* HyperactiveMetabolism: If Pino gets upset, feeding him [[TradmarkFavoriteFood pudding]] will restore his mood, while special batteries will restore his HP and mental energy.

* KarlMarxHatesYourGuts: There's only one shop in the game, and the prices can get prohibitive. You can sell some of the duplicate items you find on your quest, but the resale price is cut in half.

* NoEndorHolocaust: Messala's crippled airship misses hitting Corlo Castle by just a hair, smashing into the island outskirts instead. No word on whether anybody is killed in the giant explosion.
* ThePlan

* SurpriseCreepy: The Ginji and humans who were rounded up by Messala (including [[spoiler:Mimi]]) are never heard from again. Pino hears their voices calling out to him in the finale, implying that they're all dead.

''Wonder Project J'' is a [[PointAndClickGame point-and-click]] [[SimulationGame raising sim]] utilizing beautiful 2D art, and a strong Osamu Tezuka (Astroboy) inspired aesthetic, plus a bit of Studio Ghibli thrown in for good measure. [[NoExportForYou Neither was officially released outside of Japan]], but both have been [[FanTranslation fan-translated]] into English.

Developed by former Technos staff who were also responsible for evolution-themed raising-sim ''VideoGame/EVOSearchForEden'', Wonder Project J has you helping a robot fairy, Tinker, to look after another young robot (known as a Gijin), teaching him what it means to be human. In order to raise the mechanical boy to be more human-like, you need to improve his stats. Similarly to the ''VideoGame/PrincessMaker'' games, different actions will raise some stats while lowering others; for example kicking a football is great for leg power, but lowers intelligence. You have to be sure to tell Pino if he's doing the right thing or not, by either praising or scolding him. If extreme action is necessary, Tinker is armed with a ''correctional'' device. [[HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood Which happens to be hammer shaped]]. And to think this was never localized!

* ArtificialStupidity

* EvilChancellor
* EvilCounterpart

* GottsCatchEmAll: All that's left to complete Pino is to fill his 7 heart circuits and awaken Circuit J.

* JustLikeRobinHood:
* KarlMarxHatesYourGuts

* ShonenHair

* BeardOfEvil / BlondGuysAreEvil
* BoomerangBigot
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience

* EvilTowerOfOminousness
* ExpositionFairy
* ExtremeOmnivore

* HyperactiveMetabolism: If Pino gets upset, feeding him pudding will restore his mood, while special batteries will restore his HP and mental energy.

This is the story of a eccentric craftsman who built himself a boy. But this wasn't a real boy; he was completely manufactured. His conscience would follow him around and help out when needed, and he would eventually have a great adventure when his creator-father is taken away. This might sound awfully familiar by now. But then the boy starts kicking your dog, eating plates of food whole, blowing on a trumpet to try and call the turtle god forth, and worshiping gardening tools. And suddenly you're completely lost, and nearly broke from repair costs, since the little deviant can't help but jump into the wishing well for no explicit purpose...

Developed by former Technos staff who were also responsible for evolution-themed raising-sim ''VideoGame/EVOSearchForEden'', Wonder Project J has you looking after a young robot (known as a Gijin), teaching him what it means to be human. In order to raise the mechanical boy to be more human-like, you need to improve his stats. Similarly to the ''VideoGame/PrincessMaker'' games, different actions will raise some stats while lowering others; for example kicking a football is great for leg power, but lowers intelligence. You have to be sure to tell Pino if he's doing the right thing or not, by either praising or scolding him. If extreme action is necessary, Tinker is armed with a ''correctional'' device. [[HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood Which happens to be hammer shaped]]. And to think this was never localized!

''Wonder Project J'' is a [[PointAndClickGame point-and-click]] [[SimulationGame raising sim]] utilizing beautiful 2D art, and a strong Osamu Tezuka (Astroboy) inspired aesthetic, plus a bit of Studio Ghibli thrown in for good measure. Neither was officially released outside of Japan, but both have been fan-translated into English.

Developed by former Technos staff who were also responsible for evolution-themed raising-sim ''VideoGame/EVOSearchForEden'', Wonder Project J has you looking after a young robot (known as a Gijin), teaching him what it means to be human. In order to raise the mechanical boy to be more human-like, you need to improve his stats. Similarly to the ''VideoGame/PrincessMakerPrincessMaker'' games, different actions will raise some stats while lowering others; for example kicking a football is great for leg power, but lowers intelligence.

For those worried the game is too light-hearted, it actually has some very dark undertones. For the last 50 years humans and Gijin have lived uneasily together, with increasing bigotry directed at the robots. Gijin sympathizers are arrested, several on both sides are murdered, and the King even orders our boy sentenced to death because of his origin. Unsurprising this was never localised!

* ShonenHair