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Kuru Kuru Kururin

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Kuru Kuru Kururin
European box art
DeveloperEighting
PublisherNintendo
DirectorsHiroshi Sato
Masato Toyoshima
ProducerShinji Hatano
DesignersHironobu Fumita
Masahiro Yuge
Kenji Kawakita
Yuki Yonei
ProgrammerYasunari Watanabe
ArtistsShinichi Ōnishi
Yoichi Kotabe
ComposerAtsuhiro Motoyama
SeriesKururin
PlatformGame Boy Advance
Release
  • JP: March 21, 2001
  • PAL: June 22, 2001
GenrePuzzle
ModesSingle-player, multiplayer

Kuru Kuru Kururin[a] is a puzzle top-down video game developed by Eighting and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance (GBA). It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and in Europe and Australia on June 22 as a launch title. It was not released in North America until February 2016 via the Wii U's Virtual Console service. Kuru Kuru Kururin is the first title in the Kururin series and was followed by two Japan-only sequels, Kururin Paradise (2002) and Kururin Squash! (2004). The game was released on the Nintendo Classics service on February 8, 2023.

Gameplay

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This screenshot shows the Helirin flying through a straight tutorial stage, with a ghost outline of the Helirin indicating the previous record time. The game's interface displays the player's time, the record time, and Kururin with all three of his hearts remaining.
Kururin piloting the Helirin through a gap to reach the goal at the end.

The player controls a slowly spinning stick, and must maneuver it through a series of mazes without touching the walls.[1] The single player offers several goals per course, with each course presenting increasing difficulty.[2] The 4 player (single cart) multiplayer pits players in a race for fastest clear times.

The game starts with simple training levels, in which players are told how to play and how to get around the first corners. After that, there are three levels in each stage, which get progressively harder and longer. The obstacles and the look of the levels (ice, cave, machine, etc.) vary between stages. Taking damage incurs a time penalty, and losing all lives results in failing the level, requiring the player to restart the level from the beginning. Beginners can play the levels on Easy mode, where the stick is only half of its usual size.

There is a mode called Challenge mode, which is a collection of smaller levels, usually involving only one or two corners or objects to dodge.

Plot

[edit]

The story begins when Kururin's brothers and sisters go missing, and it is up to him to find them. Kururin is initially unsure that he is up to the task because he has never left his home world before. Being the adventurous and helpful fellow he is, Kururin agrees to rescue his lost family. Teacher Hare trains Kururin in the art of controlling the Helirin, a stick-shaped helicopter that has a slow-spinning propeller. Piloting the Helirin through the different worlds will be a difficult task, but using Teacher Hare's valuable lessons, Kururin bravely sets out on his adventure to rescue his lost family.[3]: 4 

Development and release

[edit]
The artwork features two images of a blue bird-like animal named Kururin, one viewed from the side, and one viewed from the front. He has a yellow beak and feet, a red handkerchief around his neck, rounded goggles on top of his head, and a thin swirl for hair.
Concept artwork of the titular Kururin illustrated by Yoichi Kotabe.

Kuru Kuru Kururin was developed by the Japanese company Eighting,[4] who had previously developed the Bloody Roar series.[5] This was Eighting's first video game created in partnership with Nintendo. While Eighting had previously worked on multiple arcade video games, employees at the company desired to create a game that was easier to play, citing Tetris as a key inspiration. Masato Toyoshima recalled a memory of him carrying long tables whenever he moved apartments, attempting to maneuver the table through the corners of rooms. Since he remembered feeling satisfied after successfully accomplishing these tasks, Toyoshima wondered if he could convert this aspect of his life into a video game concept. A draft was pitched to Hiroshi Sato of Nintendo, who found Toyoshima's idea of a spinning stick interesting, but claimed his colleagues at Nintendo didn't understand the appeal at the time. In their pitch, Eighting described themselves as developers over thirty years old, since they were not the target demographic for the game, but wanted to create something that an older audience could also enjoy.[6]

The game remained as a draft two years prior to its production due to the capabilities of Nintendo's consoles.[6] The Game Boy Color and Nintendo 64 were both considered as platforms, but the lacking technical components of the former and expensive cartridges of the latter did not correlate with the type of game Eighting wanted to create.[7] After the introduction of the Game Boy Advance, Hiroshi Sato drafted a version of the game using assets from the newly announced system, and gave Eighting his proposal to begin development on the project.[6] Nintendo reportedly liked the project, contributing some of its employees to assist the development of Kuru Kuru Kururin, including producer Hiroshi Sato.[7] The sole programmer, Yasunari Watanabe, drafted two versions of the game for arcade and Game Boy Advance, comparing the two for differences in how they controlled and how they looked on various monitors. The controls for the game, along with the rotation speed and length of the Helirin, were finalized after three months of development. Watanabe stated that over 200 courses were created for the game, but not all of them were great, causing the development team to combine different parts of courses together. Since the developers felt they should include something extra, a multiplayer mode was added, making the other players appear as ghosts as to not hinder the gameplay experience of progressing through a level.[6]

To make the game appeal to kids more, the development team decided to create an original character.[6] Yoichi Kotabe worked on the character designs for the game, creating illustrations for Kururin and his family members. He was instructed by Sato to create a pilot of a vehicle, so Kotabe designed the protagonist as a "bird-like animal" with parents.[7][8] Sato claimed that the character design for Kururin stuck out among Kotabe's other creations, since he would normally create characters based on rabbits or squirrels when working with Nintendo.[6] One of the directors pitched the idea to have all of Kururin's siblings be coordinated to a different color of the rainbow, which Kotabe liked, implementing a colorful and diverse palette to the family. For the father, his crest was designed to represent all of the children's colors.[7][8]

It was first announced at the Nintendo Space World 2000 trade show.[4] It was estimated that the development process was around 60 percent complete while on display.[9] It released on March 21, 2001 in Japan and June 22, 2001 in Europe. Kuru Kuru Kururin released as a launch title for the Game Boy Advance alongside three other Nintendo-published games, these being F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, Super Mario Advance, and Napoleon in Japan only.[10][11][12] An official guidebook titled the "Kuru Kuru Kururin Complete Manual" was published by Famitsu in 2001, which contains level layouts for all levels in the Adventure and Challenge modes.[13] In the official guide book for Nintendo Space World 2000, an icon was displayed indicating the title would be compatible with the Mobile Adapter GB. This, however, was not implemented into the final release.[9] A Chinese version of the game was developed for the iQue Game Boy Advance, but was unreleased.[14] Kuru Kuru Kururin was re-released on the Wii U Virtual Console service on July 16, 2014 in Japan and December 22, 2015 in Europe.[15][16] Kuru Kuru Kururin released for the first time in North America on February 11, 2016, becoming the first imported title from the Game Boy Advance on Wii U Virtual Console.[17][18] The game also released on the Nintendo Classics service on February 8, 2023 alongside the launch of the Game Boy Advance online application.[19][20]

Reception

[edit]

Prior to its release, it was named the best handheld game at the ECTS trade show by Gestalt of Eurogamer.[34]

Kuru Kuru Kururin received generally positive reviews from critics.[28][35] It was praised for its simple yet addictive gameplay. Eurogamer rated the game a score of 9 out of 10 points. The reviewer lauded the game's learning curve and stated that there would be no other puzzle game on the Game Boy Advance at the time that can "rival Kuru Kuru Kururin for its sheer addictiveness and fun-value".[24] Nintendo World Report gave Kuru Kuru Kururin the same score as Eurogamer and declared that it is "simple enough that anyone can pick this game up and play". The reviewer praised the game's multiplayer mode, which he described as "an absolute blast", as well as its lasting appeal, but also commented that the "cutesy" characters and music would be a turn-off for "a lot of people".[26] Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot rated Kuru Kuru Kururin 7.1 out of 10 and described its graphics as "simple but effective". He stated that the game is "excellent at filling up small periods of free time with its short, level-based nature".[25] Computer and Video Games was less impressed by the game, rating it 5 out of 10. The reviewer declared the game to be "extremely frustrating" and said that it lacks "the perfect simplicity" of other puzzle games such as Mr. Driller and Tetris. Nonetheless, he also commented that the novel gameplay of Kuru Kuru Kururin "will find many fans" and that the multiplayer mode is "unexpectedly brilliant".[21]

The game was nominated by Eurogamer for Best Designer in their 2002 awards.[36] Contributors to GamesRadar+ considered it one of the best Game Boy Advance games, as well as one of the best puzzle video games, calling it a "maddeningly tricky gem".[37] Graham Russell of Michibiku recommended the title as a European and Japanese import.[38]

Legacy

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A sequel, Kururin Paradise, was released in 2002 for the Game Boy Advance. It released in Japan only, even though Kururin Paradise was previously showcased at E3 2002, the first time a Kururin game had been announced for the American market.[39] Another sequel was also released only in Japan for the GameCube in 2004, entitled Kururin Squash!, which became the only title of the series to use 3D computer graphics, as well as to appear on a home console.[40]

Several references to the Kururin series are made in the Super Smash Bros. series. The Helirin makes a cameo appearance as a Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001), but is incorrectly referred to as "Heririn" in the American version.[41][42] The Helirin later appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008) as an Assist Trophy. Unlike most Assist Trophies, it doesn't attack, but it becomes part of the stage, and can be used as a platform or a wall.[43] Several other characters and vehicles in the Kururin series appear as Trophies and Stickers in the game.[44][45] In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018), the Helirin appears as a collectable Spirit.[46] Elements from Kuru Kuru Kururin have also made cameo appearances in some of Eighting's other developed titles.[47] One of the characters introduced in Kururin Paradise appears in Master of Illusion (2006) on the Nintendo DS.[48] The cartridge for Kuru Kuru Kururin also appears in Pikmin 4 (2023) as a collectable Treasure.[49][50] In a 2023 interview, James Montagna, director of games such as Mighty Milky Way (2011) and Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp (2023) at WayForward, expressed interest in creating a new entry in the Kururin series. He also claimed that the gameplay of Kuru Kuru Kururin inspired the creation of Vitamin Connection (2020).[51][52] Kururin has also been labeled as an inspiration for multiple indie games, including Roundabout (2014),[53][54] Spinny's Journey (2021),[55] and Spinfrog: All Aboard The Frogcopter (2022).[56]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Japanese: くるくるくるりん

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Frankle, Gavin. "Kuru Kuru Kururin - Overview - allgame". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  2. ^ "Kuru Kuru Kururin Review Revisit". Nintendo World Report. February 19, 2016. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  3. ^ Kuru Kuru Kururin Instruction Booklet (PDF) (in English, Dutch, French, and Spanish). Eighting, Nintendo. 2001. pp. 1–93. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  4. ^ a b IGN Staff (August 9, 2000). "More Game Boy Advance Shots". IGN. Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
  5. ^ Carless, Simon (November 3, 2005). "Japanese Developer Eighting Files For Public Listing". Game Developer. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "３. 開発者インタビュー『くるくるくるりん』" [3. Developer Interview "Kuru Kuru Kururin"]. Nintendo.co.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  7. ^ a b c d "Yōichi KOTABE / 小田部羊一 – Part IV: Diversification and transmission". VGDensetsu. Archived from the original on April 22, 2025. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  8. ^ a b Okumura, Kisko (October 15, 2018). "クッパのイメージはスッポン。任天堂のキャラクタービジュアルの礎を作った、小田部羊一氏がみずからの仕事をふり返る(3/3)". Famitsu (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 20, 2025. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  9. ^ a b Nintendo Space World 2000 Official Guide Book. Enterbrain. 2000. p. 32.
  10. ^ Usul (March 21, 2001). "Game Boy Advance, au tout début de l'été" [Game Boy Advance, at the very beginning of summer]. Gamekult (in French). Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  11. ^ Dagdag (December 28, 2000). "Game Boy Advance : annonce officielle" [Game Boy Advance: official announcement]. Gamekult (in French). Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  12. ^ "ゲームボーイアドバンスが発売された日。色鮮やかなワイド画面に感動。ローンチタイトルは『F-ZERO』や『くるくるくるりん』をはじめ驚異の全30作品【今日は何の日？】" [The day the Game Boy Advance was released. The vibrant widescreen screen was a thrill. The launch titles included 『F-ZERO』 and 『KuruKuruKururin,』 as well as an astounding 30 titles. [What day is it today?]]. Famitsu (in Japanese). March 21, 2025. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
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  40. ^ Gantayat, Anoop (October 14, 2004). "Kururin Squash Playtest". IGN. Archived from the original on April 3, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
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  42. ^ HAL Laboratory (December 3, 2001). Super Smash Bros. Melee (GameCube). Nintendo. Scene: Trophies.
  43. ^ Sakurai, Masahiro (February 6, 2008). "Assist Trophies". Smash Bros. DOJO!!. Nintendo. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
  44. ^ Sakurai, Masahiro (April 8, 2008). "Trophy List". Smash Bros. DOJO!!. Nintendo. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
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  48. ^ "いろんな場面で大活躍！" [Great for all occasions!]. Magic Encyclopedia. Nintendo. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
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  51. ^ Scullion, Chris (May 6, 2023). "Advance Wars reboot director says he wants to make a new Kuru Kuru Kururin or Chibi Robo". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  52. ^ MinnMax (May 5, 2023). Nintendo Abandoned It, These Devs Reimagined It. Retrieved January 27, 2026 – via YouTube.
  53. ^ Nichols, Scott (September 18, 2014). "Limo game Roundabout is well worth a spin". Digital Spy. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  54. ^ Phillips, Tom (February 17, 2015). "Limo-spinning Roundabout turns to Xbox One this Friday". Eurogamer. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  55. ^ Musgrave, Shaun (January 18, 2021). "SwitchArcade Round-Up: Mini-Views With 'Writhe' and More, 'Spinny's Journey' and Today's Other Releases, and the Latest Sales". TouchArcade. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  56. ^ Ronaghan, Neal (October 27, 2022). "Spinfrog: All Aboard The Frogcopter Review Mini - Review Mini". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
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