Ludography
71/100
Critics1 review
Endorfun cover

1995 · Onesong Partners · Puzzle · Strategy

Endorfun

Players control a cube that collects colored tiles that correspond to the color of the top face of the cube.

Released
17 October 1995
Platforms
Nintendo 64PlayStationWindowsmacOS
Genres
PuzzleStrategy
Developers
Onesong Partners
Publishers
Time Warner Interactive
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Bird view / Isometric
Themes
Fantasy

About

Endorfun is a 1995 puzzle video game developed by Onesong Partners and published by Time Warner Interactive for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh. It was later released in Japan under the title Cu-On-Pa for the Super Famicom and PlayStation. A Nintendo 64 version was announced (again under the title Cu-On-Pa) but never released. The game achieved notoriety for the extensive use of spoken "positive affirmations" on its soundtrack.

Keywords

  • abstract
  • trippy
  • countdown timer
  • abstract art style

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The player controls a small cube, referred to as a light body, by using the keyboard or mouse. The light body rolls along a grid (the unified field) collecting life force tiles (coloured tiles with a texture matching that of the cube) by rolling the cube over them such that the top face of the cube matches the colour of the tile. Coloured tiles of varying types appear randomly on the playing surface, but can be eliminated in the same manner as life force tiles.

Games are divided into multiple levels, each of which has a set time limit and a life force target. If a player collects the target amount of life force play proceeds to the next level. If the timer expires or the light body is unable to move (all adjacent grid spaces are blocked by coloured tiles) then the game is over.

Reception

Reviewing the Macintosh version, a Next Generation critic lauded the gameplay, saying it "soon becomes a Zen sort of experience in the same way that Tetris sometimes does". He added that the "abstract symphony of mesmerising graphics, colorful motion, and swelling, jazzy background tunes soon puts the player in that autopilot gaming state where complex movement sequences and on-the-fly strategies becomes second nature and all is forgotten but the rhythm." Despite this, he gave it only three out of five stars. Computer Game Review praised Endorfun for "addictive game play, cool visual effects and some good music."

Game review site GameSpot described it as a "challenging, if repetitive game", though adding that the game's graphics and subliminal messages made it into a "far more interesting fare", summing it up as a "challenging, unique puzzle game that is pleasant to look at and listen to". The author opined that the phrases included within the game ranged from ones he found "harmonious" (such as "I love the world and the world loves me") to ones he found "scary" (such as "It's OK for me to have everything I want").

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
macOS17 October 1995Worldwide
Windows17 October 1995Worldwide
PlayStationUnreleased
Nintendo 64CancelledUnreleased

Editions and related releases

Ported as
Cu-On-Pa SFC

Games like this

Collections3 collections

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.