Bird Week (バード・ウィーク, Bādo Uīku) is a life simulation video game released for the Family Computer. [2]
| Bird Week | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Lenar[1] |
| Publisher(s) | Toshiba EMI[1] |
| Platform(s) | Family Computer |
| Genre(s) | Bird life simulator Action[1] |
| Mode(s) | Single-player (study mode or full game) |
Gameplay
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[3] 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.[4] It is suggested that they eventually become the "new mother birds" that take care of their offspring in the subsequent levels. While an ending to this game was purported by Japanese gamers, finishing all 999 levels of Bird Week (approximately 28 repetitions of the game's thirty-six levels) actually results in the beginning of an endless loop instead that ends when the players loses all of his lives.[5]
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. Whenever a baby bird dies in the game, it develops a halo and becomes an angel in Heaven.[5] 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.[3]
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. The animated woodland creatures would later provide the inspiration for the dancing daisies on the Super NES video game Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.[2]
Characters
- Mommy
- Nature is full of dangerous animals.[6] Mommy has to feed her babies and ward off her enemies with by dropping mushrooms on them.[6]
- Pinky, Panky, and Ponki
- The baby chicks that Mommy has to feed.[6] It is suggested that each one of them becomes the new mother bird in the subsequent stages.[6]
- Eagle
- At first he flies slowly to catch the mother bird.[6] Eventually, he will start flying more rapidly.[6]
- Bee
- Bees fly very swiftly and persistently in order to kill the mother bird.[6]
- Woodpecker
- Usually, they're pecking at the trees. However, they can kill the mother bird if they come in direct contact with her.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d "Release information". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ^ a b "Graphics and sound overview". SuperFamicom.org. Retrieved 2011-11-03.
- ^ a b "Advanced information". HonestGamers. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ^ Bird Week "Basic information". MobyGames. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ a b "Ending/advanced gameplay information [[:Template:Jp icon]]". FC no Game Seiha Shimasho. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
{{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help) - ^ a b c d e f g h "Bird Week Instruction Manual [[:Template:Jp icon]]". Geocities Japan. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
{{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)