Bird Week
| Bird Week | |
|---|---|
 Cover art |
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| Developer(s) | EMI/Toshiba/Lenar[1] |
| Publisher(s) | EMI/Toshiba/Lenar[1] |
| Platform(s) | Family Computer |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Bird life simulator Action[1] |
| Mode(s) | Single-player (study mode or full game) |
| Media/distribution | 2-megabit cartridge |
Bird Week (バード・ウィーク) is a Family Computer life simulation video game. The target age groups for this video game are young children regardless of gender, females regardless of age, parents, in addition to grandparents.[2] This video game was released using an aqua-colored cartridge.[3]
Contents |
[edit] Story
Under the sparkling light of the sun, there was a breezy fresh kingdom of birds.[4] There was a live bird living peacefully with the flowers that faced against a very tall tree.[4] Mommy was the name of the mother bird who moved out from her mother's den to start her own family.[4] She will grow and eventually plant a series of eggs in her nest.[4] Then the eggs hatched.[4] Mommy started to notice the world to be a dangerous place when she first laid eyes on her offspring.[4] With their big mouths, they were always hungry for their favorite food items.[4] Mommy jumped out from of her nest with a shazam to make sure her children never died of starvation. There are animals that are out to get Mommy.[4] While Mommy was content to feed her chicks around the flight, she found that the mushroom could disable many of the predators.[4]
[edit] Gameplay
[edit] General gameplay
The player plays as a bird and can either play the normal game or the study game. Both game modes are nearly identical except the study game only allows the player to play through one level[5] of their choice before abruptly ending. The player must feed butterflies to the baby birds so that they can grow big and eventually leave the nest.[6] It is suggested that they eventually become the "new mother birds" that take care of their offspring in the subsequent levels. There is an ending to this game. However, reaching the end requires considerable patience because it only comes out at the end of level 999 (approximately 28 repetitions of the game's thirty-six levels).
Each level represents a season in the ecosystem of a bird. The game starts out in early spring. As the virtual year progresses, the season evolves into summer and eventually into autumn. After autumn, the game repeats itself by portraying the following spring. Since harmful influences from sentient beings are not simulated in the game play, the forest that the birds live in is presumed to be a nature preserve. If the proper amount of butterflies are not fed to the babies, then the babies end up starving to death. The player will automatically lose a life if any of the baby bird dies. In addition to this, the player also loses a life when a predator catches the player trying to deliver butterflies to whose baby.[5]
Although the game is titled "Bird Week," the flow of seasons make it seem like virtual years are passing by (as opposed to virtual days of a week). There is no winter in the game because many of the game's enemies are that of the insect, bird, and small mammal species.
[edit] Characters
- Mommy
- Nature is full of dangerous animals.[4] Mommy has to feed her babies and ward off her enemies with by dropping mushrooms on them.[4]
- Pinky, Panky, and Ponki
- The baby chicks that Mommy has to feed.[4] It is suggested that each one of them becomes the new mother bird in the subsequent stages.[4]
- Eagle
- At first he flies slowly to catch the mother bird.[4] Eventually, he will start flying more rapidly.[4]
- Bee
- Bees fly very swiftly and persistently in order to kill the mother bird.[4]
- Woodpecker
- Usually, they're pecking at the trees. However, they can kill the mother bird if they come in direct contact with her.[4]
[edit] Graphics and sound
The graphics in Bird Week are well designed for an older game.[2] It is easy to tell the scary blackbirds (bad guys) from the nice bluebirds (good guys).[2] The music is monochromatic but whimsical.[2]
[edit] Cultural influences
In 2010, Healthy Option Dane, a jazz-influenced band from Burlington, Vermont, released a Bird Week-themed live performance music video. Footage from the game is included in the video. [7]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d "Release information". GameFAQs. http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/nes/data/578297.html. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ^ a b c d "Graphics and sound overview". SuperFamicom.org. http://superfamicom.org/famicom/info/bird-week. Retrieved 2011-11-03.
- ^ "Cartridge information". Dyndns.org. http://bootgod.dyndns.org:7777/profile.php?id=1262. Retrieved 2012-01-18.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Bird Week Instruction Manual (Japanese)". Geocities Japan. http://www.geocities.jp/frnyanko/setsumei/famicom/birdweek/birdweek.html. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
- ^ a b "Advanced information". HonestGamers. http://www.honestgamers.com/systems/guide.php?guide_id=4936&platform=NES&abr=NES&gametitle=Bird+Week. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ^ Bird Week "Basic information". MobyGames. http://www.mobygames.com/game/bird-week Bird Week. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ^ "Bird Week" music video. Vimeo
[edit] External links
- Bird Week guide at StrategyWiki
- Bird Week Music Video - Healthy Option Dane's "Bird Week" Music Video
