Mata Nui Online Game

Original title: Mata Nui Adventure Game

Video Game
2001

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

A villager with no memories travels around the fantastical island of Mata Nui, helping its people fend against the Makuta's darkness and chronicling the achievements of the mighty Toa heroes... Read allA villager with no memories travels around the fantastical island of Mata Nui, helping its people fend against the Makuta's darkness and chronicling the achievements of the mighty Toa heroes.A villager with no memories travels around the fantastical island of Mata Nui, helping its people fend against the Makuta's darkness and chronicling the achievements of the mighty Toa heroes.

Writers
- Christian Faber
- Bob Thompson

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

8.4/10

YOUR RATING

Writers
- Christian Faber
- Bob Thompson

1User review

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos77

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
This game is the only media to depict the Toa's first confrontation with the evil Makuta. Nor the comics, nor the scrapped PC game Bionicle: The Legend of Mata Nui (2001), nor the first Bionicle novel features this scene. It was created solely by the developers of this game after Lego had given them the freedom to write the ending to the story, since the game Bionicle: The Legend of Mata Nui (2001) had been canceled.

Goofs
Due to the often rushed development and the constantly evolving art style, characters and objects can vary greatly in their appearance depending on which part of the game you're in. Most notably, the design of the Pakari mask changes throughout the game.

Quotes
Kapura: Are you the Makuta?
player: What is the Makuta?
Kapura: If you do not know what is the Makuta, then I guess you are not it. That is good.

Alternate versions
The game can currently be played in two different official versions and one fan-made version, none of which are fully identical to the original release.
Originally, the game chapters were released monthly, with various obstacles blocking the player's path at the end of each chapter. These obstacle scenes have become lost media and are not featured in re-releases. Maku was not present in the first two chapters upon the game's debut. The progress of the Red Star in the telescope was tied to actual 2001 dates, therefor it does not update if played now.
LEGO re-released the game in 2006 with a chapter-selection option lets players choose which part of the game they want to start at. This version also contains edits to the dialogue, such as the words Tohunga or Koronan being replaced with Matoran due to cultural sensitivity issues (however the word Tohunga does show up in the final minigame). Due to continuity concerns, the first Tahu cutscene was removed (it is still playable in the Book of Chronicles), and you start out with a bag and a lightstone, meaning you can play the early Ta-Koro and Ga-Koro chapters out of order. However, some dialogue files are missing from this release. Some members of the Chronicler's Company near the end only display empty dialogue boxes.
Templar Studios also re-released the game in 2013, closer to its original iteration. This version is mostly identical to the game's final 2001 update, meaning it retains the word Tohunga and the initial Tahu cutscene, Maku is on the beach from the start and the game lacks a chapter selection. However, this version likewise omits the obstacle scenes and some of the Chronicler's Company dialogue. In this version, the player starts out without a backpack and a lightstone.
There is also a fan-made update called the "Mata Nui Online Game Improvement Mod" from 2022 that reinstated the missing dialogue boxes and issued other fixes like grammar or spelling corrections, fixing animation errors and adding better quality image files. In this version, Maku only appears after the Ta-Koro chapter and the Red Star actually follows the player's progress. There are also additions not found in any official releases, such as new dialogue text for characters that reflect the story progression.

Connections
Followed by LEGO Bionicle: Quest for the Toa (2001)

Soundtracks
Killing Machines
(aka "The BIONICLE Music")
Written by Paul Hardcastle

User reviews1

Featured review

10/10

I loved this game!

Back in 2001, the Mata Nui Online Game was the introduction to the amazing world of Bionicle. Intended as a temporary marketing piece for a toy line, it turned into much more than that. The world is so creative and combines biomechanical robots with elemental powers and a tribal island setting. The island of Mata Nui feels like a truly "lived in" location as it has existing societies, many villager characters with personalities and a lot of mysterious places to explore. The game combines this fantastical setting with an eerie soundtrack, stylish animations, exciting battles, engaging quests, and of course, a very chilling cliffhanger! For more information on the prehistory of the Bionicle franchise, check out the notes and concept art on Christian Faber's blog where he reveals the initial development of the story and world.