Somebody's been taking magic shrooms
Amongst some of the more non-conventional titles on show at E3 this week, is Mushroom Men: The Spore War for Wii and Mushroom Men : Rise of the Fungi on Nintendo DS.Mushroom Men inhabit the world that goes on while humans are looking the other way, in the twilight hours when we sleep. After the comet had passed, the scientists concluded that the strange, green dust had no effect on the world. No one noticed as mushrooms, cacti, flowers and vines began to awaken into full consciousness. Tribes quickly formed, building plant and fungi nations and with nation building…came war!
The story of Mushroom Men is told in Acts, each Act occurring in a completely unique environment. Each version of the game (DS and Wii) tells different portions of the history of the Mushroom Men universe. The DS and Wii versions are completely different stories from one-another.
The DS version, Mushroom Men – Rise of the Fungi, is the first release and shows the development of the Mushroom Nations, starting very early in Mushroom Men history. The early days of the Mushroom Men were simpler times as the Mushroom Men were just learning to walk, communicate and interact with their world. As the Mushroom Men learn how their world works, they take the player with them, developing their skills, abilities and histories up to the start of the Spore Wars.
The Wii title, Mushroom Men – The Spore Wars, picks up during the escalating war between the mushroom factions. The world is more hostile and combat is more complex. New tools and weapons are developed to assist in the escalating battles. The player takes on the role of a misfit and unexpected hero destined to bring about the conclusion of the Spore Wars while solving his own personal quests. The game presents the story simply, providing a strong sense of continuity to the single-player game without intruding on the gameplay.
Mushroom Men and their other sentient neighbours neither speak nor understand human languages such as English. But they still communicate, and to the human playerit sounds like mumbling.
Continued overleaf