I’m sure they’re open to sequels outlining other story years, but they definitely are just doing the 2001 story. It’s the simplest, most manageable storyline and I assume any additional stories would only lead up until Metru Nui. Honestly I think it’s insane how good this looks for a fan game. I hope it sees release.
Really nice to see some progress on this game, especially since the Quest for Mata Nui one has gone radio silent for like a year now I do like how this one took the suggestion from QFMN comments and has the Rahi defeated by removing their masks instead of straight up killing them
@octobotimus Yes. Quest For Mata Nui is a StarCraft II mod. But this video was gameplay for Masks of Power. It's a completely different project made by completely different people. And it quite clearly says it's made in Unreal Engine. This is it's own thing and not a mod. You're confusing the two.
I’m aware of the distinction I first brought up QFMN in the context of “the other one” opposite Masks of Power. MoP is not at all hiding it’s use of Unreal unlike QFMN’s Starcraft usage
SPARK I'll get it out of the way right at the start, Spark is the worst figure in the series. He isn't any worse than any of the others on a technical level, but he's just generic and brings nothing new to the table. This review will mostly be a vehicle to explore what's up with the Mutant Slizers. As discussed last time in the Millennium review, the second half of the Slizer storyline is marked by a meteor crashing into the planet, and all of the catastrophe this causes. There's a broken translation of a German ad that describes it as follows, "There is peace on the Planet Slizer... until the day a meteor thunders through the atmosphere and strikes the surface... half the planet is crushed into microscopic parts! Many Slizer die in the explosion. From their fragments mutate four new Slizer. They are big, strong, fast and deathly dangerous! And all four are trying to control Planet Slizer. That's why they shoot at everything that moves - including the other Slizer!" Parts of this are at odds with the general consensus of the Slizer canon (which is itself very questionable), namely that Millennium is among the "four" vicious mutants and that the planet was at peace prior to the meteor strike, but this gives the general idea (also note the mention that "many" Slizers die in the story - this, along with Electro's box art, suggests maybe there are other characters beyond those who received sets). The Slizers are 100% robotic, but somehow, some way, the meteor crash allowed them to mutate as if they were alive. As the art shows, the meteor conveniently struck the bad guys' half of the planet, and the four "good" Slizers were available in stores for seven months longer than the others, surviving into this new era. So, these last three sets we'll see are actually horrible, twisted and remade versions of previous characters. It's never explicitly stated who's who, but it's easy enough to figure out - Spark here, is really our old buddy Electro. If I were to put these two side by side and tell you one is a freak mutation of the other, you'd probably guess it wrong. And that's part of what makes Spark so boring. This interesting, characterful little bug guy got turned into a totally average bipedal guy who has almost nothing noteworthy about him at all. He's not the "wow, purple" guy because we already got that in his past life. He's not the straight man because Amazon already did that. He's hefting that new Technic panel as a big blaster, but that's not even unique to him within the wave. He's got his own face print, but big deal, most of the others do too. Really one of the only nice little touches here is the yellow worm gear - it could have easily been black like a lot of other figures, but instead it adds another splash of on-theme color that I was wishing a lot of the first wave figures had done. That's cool. If you really want me to bend over backwards, he also has his legs set up differently so the wide side faces front-to-back. Like all the other figures, these little variations in build with such a limited part pool are nice, but all the other figures did this while also having their own gimmick and character. Spark just doesn't have that; he feels more like someone's "cool" MOC of cannibalized Slizer sets. I guess there is a little bizarre appeal to him precisely because he is so boring, like Electro was already so screwed up that whatever process mutated him had no choice but to make him more normal instead. He's a freak among the other Mutants because he isn't weird at all. But this really only works if you're reading deep into these very limited product blurbs. Standing on a shelf with other figures he just doesn't stand out. (An encounter that canonically cannot happen) Spark is described as "adaptable and intelligent" which I guess I can see. His faceplate is very cold and calculating, lightning bolts hovering over large, dead eye sockets. The main design is brutal and angular and tones down the inefficient asymmetry we're used to. I buy that he just goes around hunting people down dispassionately, firing his cannon indiscriminately. Like Judge, this is one where I totally buy the print as the face and can't really imagine it as a mask for the Slizer head underneath. The disks for these last three figures are a little different. Like with Millennium, there are no additional disks, no second wave of blind packs. What comes with the set is the extent of it. These kind of tell a linear story as the number of pips increase, as we see the meteor approach (other figure), crash, and the various Mutants rising in the ruins. They also glow in the dark, like the 2004 Kanoka disks, which is a nice "creepy mutant" touch. Honestly, the art for this set might be my favorite part of it. I love how we can see the stormy region Electro came from in the background, with Spark now approaching what is presumably the smoldering ruins of the Slizer Dome at the center of the planet and beginning the assault. The pieces of rebar sticking out of the ground, the bits of meteor in the air in the back, it's super atmospheric. Notably, this last wave features no new elemental creatures anywhere and generally feels a lot more apocalyptic and bleak. Again, not necessarily a bad figure, but he gives off major loser vibes. Spark is the guy who shows up to the Halloween party with a "404 costume not found" t-shirt.
This might sound weird but I think my favorite part of that demo is seeing the Kahu fly off into the distance, complete with weird energized wings trailing green light behind it and that signature MNOG shriek. It really helps to feel the world feel lived-in and gives the Rahi a great deal of grandeur, even if it was a bit that was done and over with in the span of like five seconds.
I will get around to the last two Slizers eventually but I wanted to share another collection I completed recently. I started my Mata collection in 2016, with Onua, when G2 was reinvigorating my interest in Bionicle. Over the past six years I've slowly put together the team in a way that meets my comically frugal expectations. I bought each of these figures individually, complete with canister, for about $12 each over the years (the exception was that Pohatu was missing his mask, but a few of the other figures came with rare bonus masks, so I consider it to be square). Some came with instructions or the little posters, some didn't. Some have some cracked joints or minor wear, others are fairly pristine. These days it's very easy to acquire almost anything, but 90% of the enjoyment of collecting for me is being a little more discriminating. It would have been very easy to just purchase any one of the dozens of $200 ebay lots for all six Toa, but I like the experience of hunting for good deals, and figures that have clearly been well-loved and have their own stories. The person I got Gali from packed in a bunch of other little Lego pack-in material from around the time (and for some reason, the full instruction manual for Krekka), and her poster had the little corner advertising other sets endearingly cut out, likely to be stuck to the fridge with a magnet. It's very satisfying to have put the team together this way. There were literally hundreds of opportunities to get them without the canister, or missing some parts, or overpaying for one that otherwise meet my specifications, etc. Waiting it out made finally getting Pohatu recently all the more exciting. These guys have come from all over the country, lying in wait for many years and passing through other stories until finally all being united here with me. That's what makes collecting special for me.
I did the same thing! I even got some gold and silver Kanohi with my Mata way back when. Building the team, even though I did it quicker than you, was way more satisfying than just getting it. It let me re-experience what I would've as a kid. That's awesome that your team is complete after all these years. Congrats!
I have the same mindset when it comes to collecting secondhand figures and how each of them have their own stories that make them unique, even if you yourself will never learn them in full. And yeah, seeing all six of the OGs lined up, plus the cannisters? Absolutely COMMANDING presence in both appearance as well as cultural significance. Well done!
Glad to see there's still such love for the Mata. A similar but not quite as exciting story was brought to my attention to share; I got five of the Tohunga for like $6 a pop in 2015. Could never find a Jala that I was happy with the price on, I think he's always been the most expensive because he's only one mask swap away from being Takua. Found one for a steal about a month ago. This was less like completing a journey and more like finding the missing piece, especially because Jala would go on to lead most of these characters, lol. Overall it is kind of crazy how much frenzy MNOG spawned around these six sets. Decades later people still cannibalize these to fill out their villages. These guys are so adorable and probably will always be my overall favorite Bionicle sets. There are more impressive and playable models, but the Tohunga are instantly mysterious and cute, while still packing in several functions and a cool aesthetic.
