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Video Game / Elebits

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Elebits is a 2006 game for the Nintendo Wii developed by Konami. It was a launch title in Japan, and appeared in the US a bit later, and several months later in Europe and Australia as Eledees.

Elebits are small creatures that provide the world with electricity. Almost everything needs them to function: cars, TVs, toys, driers, electric signs, etc. The story revolves around young Kai, a boy whose parents are avid Elebit researchers. Thanks to their continuous research, Kai's parents seem to forget to spend more quality time with their son that they spend more time doing research. This only infuriates Kai a lot, blaming the Elebits for taking his parents away. One night, a lightning bolt strikes down the amusement park that a long-lasting blackout covers the city. Kai's parents go off to see what's going on at their labs while Kai is left alone at home. Wanting to see his favorite TV show, Kai picks up the Capture Gun and starts going around the house to capture all the Elebits running around, until things go out of control from there...

The game's concept is basically that there are these cute little creatures throughout the world that provide power to all objects. These creatures are running amok and it is your task to find them and then suck them up into your tractor beam-type gun (making it stronger and able to move more stuff). You do this by moving every item and opening every drawer, box door and window, and making a huge mess of things. At first you're stuck in a room or a house, but later on you walk the streets, launching cars into the air and pulling lampposts out of the ground.

As goofy as it sounds, it's actually quite a lot of chaotic fun, if you're willing to look past the fact that the game makes no sense and that the graphics are subpar. Other strong points include the beautiful artwork present in the cutscenes of the game, and the bouncy, jazzy soundtrack.

A sequel was released on the Nintendo DS in 2009, named Elebits: The Adventures of Kai and Zero. There was also a 2010 iOS game named Elebits: Capture.

Elebits contains examples of:

  • All Your Powers Combined: The final boss.
  • Artistic License – Physics: Gravity guns aren't real, of course...but who cares?
  • Amusement Park: The final set of levels takes place in an amusement park, with rides, an arcade, and a mascot that may be a little too familiar to fans of a certain not-too-kid-friendly Konami franchise.
  • Art Shift: In contrast to the fairly standard graphics of the actual gameplay, the cutscenes are done in an elaborate, painterly style.
  • Awesome, but Impractical: After obtaining S ranks on all missions, you're allowed to use the Vacuum Laser all the time, which makes Elebit capturing a lot easier. Although at first it sounds really awesome, it is not very recommendable to use it on missions with limited noise and breakable objects. Not to mention that will surely call the creepy Boss Black Elebits into the open. But then...
  • Be Careful What You Wish For: In the intro cutscene, Kai wishes there was no such thing as lightning. Coincidentally, this is followed by a power outage.
  • Console Cameo: You can find a Wii and a Wii Remote in some areas.
  • Defeat Means Friendship: Zero, the final boss, becomes Kai's friend in the end of the first game. Arguably all the other Elebits count as well.
  • Die, Chair, Die!: Levels often have furniture and other large objects in the way, which can eventually be picked up with a leveled up Capture Gun.
  • Excuse Plot: So a kid who doesn't like Elebits, which power everything, finds himself in a power outage. START MESSSING AROUND!
  • Fake Difficulty:
    • There are hair-pulling moments even in the earliest of levels that scream unfairness. The noise meter, for example, ignores blatant sounds as a plate falling to the floor from a good three feet, but it's apparently very good at picking sounds from items that don't even budge one bit when touched. As for the things that can break apart, you know the producers are being shady by randomly tossing in a glass pyramid in the kitchen that can easily make you fail the mission.
    • The Challenge missions have this a few times, such as filling a garage with basketballs to prevent capturing harmful Elebits while Black Elebits have enough strength to push said basketballs around to block you from getting the obtainable Elebits (and many times make you hit the black bastards who then hit you back).
  • False Friend: The Black Elebits are friendly creatures that provide no electricity whatsoever. They seem to hold a grudge against Kai's Capture Gun, though.
  • First-Person Shooter: The game is played from a first person perspective, as Kai uses the Capture Gun to capture all of the Elebits he can.
  • Gravity Screw: A few levels take place in zero gravity.
  • Guide Dang It!: Some of the unlockables require certain end-of-game titles. How to get those titles? GOOD QUESTION!
  • Haunted Technology:
    • Elebits can possess toy tanks, allowing them to fire energy bolts at Kai's Capture Gun.
    • Also the Second Phase of the Final Boss takes over a giant robot.
  • Humongous Mecha: Zero takes over a giant robot in his second phase.
  • I Just Want to Have Friends: Zero's motivation in the game.
  • Parental Abandonment: The reason Kai doesn't like Elebits - his parents are both avid Elebit researchers.
  • Rewarding Vandalism: Except in levels where it is limited, the player can break objects to reveal Elebits.
  • Ridiculously Cute Critter: The Elebits are all cute, tiny little creatures.
  • Scenery Porn: The cutscenes are so bright and colorful with way too many details to count.
  • Shout-Out:
    • Why did the Park's mascot had to be freaking Robbie the Rabbit from Silent Hill?!
    • The superheroes in the trailer on the stage of level 26 resemble Super Sentai.
    • The same level includes arcade machines from various Konami franchises, such as pop'n music.
  • Tech-Demo Game: This game was basically Konami having an excuse to play with the Wii Remote's various functions.
  • This Was His True Form: The final boss turns out to be a normal-sized white Elebit.
  • Wreaking Havok: The Game! Kai can use the gravity gun to cause all sorts of mayhem with the various objects in each stage. However, doing this too much can attract the Boss Black Elebits.

Alternative Title(s): Elebits The Adventures Of Kai And Zero

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