Mata Nui Online Game

The Mata Nui Online Game is a title applying to two computer adventure games based on the 2001 and 2003 storylines of Lego BIONICLE universe.

The Mata Nui Online Game, was the first BIONICLE online web game that appeared on Bionicle.com in January 2001. Created by Templar Studios, the game was one of the main factors that caused BIONICLE to become a success. It was updated every month or so throughout 2001, until it received it's last update in December. In 2002, it received a small update allowing players to reset their game, and in 2003, a sequel, "Mata Nui Online Game II: The Final Chronicle" was launched. The game remained online until early 2004, when it was taken down to make way for new content. However, due to popular demand, it was re-released on Bionicle.com as an exclusive download in March 2006. This one had a few references to other point-and-click games, mostly 1995's MYST. This game could be counted as one of the few "MYST Clones" to not duplicate the gameplay of MYST.

Chapters

*January: Players is on the beach outside of Ta-Koro. Tahu's canister lies on the beach, and a large stone totem can also be found here. Macku is on the beach too.On top of a cliff is an Amaja Circle, where the player can view the legend of Mata Nui, and a telescope where players can look at the stars.
*February:Players can cross over to Ta-Koro. Here they can explore the Charred Forest, where they can meet Kapura, the gatehouse, where players meet Jaller, and the village itself, where players can meet up with Vakama. There is also a path leading to Ko-Wahi, but the guard doesn't let you there, only if you are a guard.
*March: Macku stays on the beach. The player can use her boat to visit Ga-Koro, which is strangely deserted. However, by diving underwater and collecting a gear, and then placing it into a machine, a sunken hut rises. Inside are the Ga-Matoran and Nokama. Gali will fight the Tarakava that trapped the villagers, and then leave. In Ga-Koro, you can talk to Nokama, Macku, and Nixie.
*April: The player can now travel to Po-Wahi. Here, an epidemic has occurred involving infected Kolhii balls. A bit of scouting around reveals that the seller of the balls, Ahkmou, got them from a quarry. Travelling to the quarry initiates a fight between Pohatu and a Nui-Jaga. Upon winning the fight, Pohatu and Takua flee from the quarry, and Pohatu resolves to help the Po-Matoran throw the Kolhii balls into the sea. After the infected Kohlii Balls are disposed of, Ahkmou seems to have disappeared, leaving behind a sign saying "gone fishing".

*May: The Player can now travel to Onu-Koro. Here, a Mining accident has caused a shortage in Lightstones. Going to the mine reveals that a huge lava flow has flowed over the path. the player can solve this by using a Lava Board and solving a small puzzle. The Players also finds out that there is an unbreakable rock layer at the bottom of Mine Shaft B. There lies a disk planted into the ground. The Player can travel to Ga-Koro to get a piece that fits in to it, revealing it to be a sundial. that opens the disk to reveal a small staircase to a room made of protodermis , but nothing to do there.

*June: Taipu and the other Onu-Koro diggers finish the tunnel to Le-Wahi. The Player can now travel to Le-Koro, where Turaga Matau and many other Le-Matoran are kidnapped and brought to a Nui-Rama nest. The Player joins with Kongu and rescues the Matoran.

*July: If the Player goes back to Ta-Koro, Jala will tell him about the soldiers missing in Ko-Wahi, and will ask the player to join the guard. If the player does, they can access the Ta-Wahi-Ko-Wahi Cablecar. The Player can now travel to Ko-Koro. There the player saves and meets Kopeke, and goes to Ko-Koro. There the player may want to talk to Turaga Nuju, but can not because Nuju does not speak Matoran. The Player can climb Mt. Ihu to find Matoro, where the player meets Kopaka. Nuju then asks the player to deliver a message to all the Turaga.

*August: The Turaga gathers volunteers to aid the Toa to Kini-Nui. The Player then goes around getting the volunteers and then talking to Macku to get behind the waterfall at Ga-Wahi. Then, the Matoran volunteers use their skills to get to Kini-Nui, where the player meets the Toa and agree to defend Kini-Nui while the Toa do their quest.

Continuity

Although the game wasn't approved by the BIONICLE story team, it is still considered by the fanbase to be a part of the BIONICLE canon. Initially, Greg Farshtey said that certain elements of the game, such as Pewku being a taxi crab, were not canon, although it has gradually been accepted back into the continuity. Another point of interest is that Matoro appears to use the power of his Kanohi Akaku, although it has since been stated that his mask had a built-in "zoom" feature, which was unrelated to the mask power. This theory has been strengthened by the fact that Nuju, as a Matoran and a Toa Metru, has a special zoom eyepiece.

Plot

Picking up from where Tales of the Tohunga took off, the first Mata Nui Online Game continues the ongoing adventures of Takua, Chronicler of Mata Nui. Apparently suffering from amnesia following his role in summoning the Toa Mata, Takua journeys across Mata Nui in search of adventure. Along the way, he finds himself recording the story of the Toa Mata, aiding other Matoran, running errands for the Turaga, and contending with scary Rahi. The game encompasses the storyline from the beginning of BIONICLE down to the Toa Mata's victory over Makuta and the rise of the Bohrok, as well as Takua's witnessing of the Bohrok's awakening.

Re-release

The game was made available for download from Bionicle.com in March 2006. The game now features a more user-friendly interface; the player can't save their game, but they can choose to continue playing from a certain "chapter" of the game. There are nine chapters, and the Book of Chronicles can also be viewed from this new title screen. There is a small help window that discusses the most basic features of the game, and the game can be played in German. The game itself is mostly unchanged, except that the word "Tohunga" is replaced with "Matoran". However, characters like Jaller and Macku are still referred to by their original names (Jala and Maku respectively), and the word "Koronan" is still used instead of "Matoran".

In addition, LEGO released a brand-new walkthrough that serves as a step-by-step guide through the game. It caused much excitement among the fanbase, since it is written in the form of a story that is supposedly written by Takua himself.

Trivia

*The Game is filled with hints of the future Bohrok invasion, which include:
** If you turn around when outside Le-Koro,you see writing in the Matoran script that reads "Wake one, you wake them all."
**When climbing Mt. Ihu, you black out and see the Bohrok symbol.
** When Climbing Mt. Ihu, you see a statue with the words "Beware the Swarm" in Matoran.
** At the end of the game, Takua witnesses the first Bohrok awakening.
** When looking at the telescope on the Seaside Cliff, (at the beginning beach) you can see an engraving of a Bohrok.
*Other writing in Matoran script also appears throughout the game, often providing interesting information when translated. For example, a carved rock at a merchant's stall reads "My friend went to Po-Koro and all I got was this lousy rock."
*When talking to Nuju, the text behind him reads "What do you get when you multiply six by nine?", a reference to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
*During the "Battle of Kini-nui" minigame, where the player commands matoran in a battle against the Rahi, the word "Tohunga" is still used in place of "Matoran.

References

ee also

*Mata Nui Online Game II

External links

[http://www.lego.com/eng/bionicle/games/matanuiOnline1.aspx Mata Nui Online Game (download)] from lego.com