''Ennuigi'' (or ''Ennuigi 1.0''
) is an
art
Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas.
There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
,
browser and
fangame
A fangame is a video game that is created by fans. They are usually based on one, or in some cases several, video game entries or franchises. Many fangames attempt to clone or remake the original game's design, gameplay, and characters, but it ...
created using
Pico-8 that combines ''
Super Mario Bros.
is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The successor to the 1983 arcade game ''Mario Bros.'' and the first game in the ''Super Mario'' series, it was first released in 1985 for th ...
'' and
boredom
In conventional usage, boredom, ennui, or tedium is an emotional and occasionally psychological state experienced when an individual is left without anything in particular to do, is listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occu ...
. ''Ennuigi'' is a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words[French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...](_blank)
word "
ennui
In conventional usage, boredom, ennui, or tedium is an emotional and occasionally psychological state experienced when an individual is left without anything in particular to do, is listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occup ...
" and the name of
Mario
is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...
's
fraternal twin brother Luigi
is a fictional character featured in video games and related media released by Nintendo. Created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi is portrayed as the younger fraternal twin brother and sidekick of Mario, Nintendo's masc ...
. The game was designed by Josh Millard.
Inspiration
The story of ''Ennuigi'' centers on Luigi's inability to come to terms with the lack of narrative in the original game.
In a
Reddit
Reddit (; stylized in all lowercase as reddit) is an American social news aggregation, content rating, and discussion website. Registered users (commonly referred to as "Redditors") submit content to the site such as links, text posts, images ...
thread, Millard commented "I
..think it's a pretty weird implied narrative once you step back and look at it, and enjoyed funneling some thoughts about all that into a recharacterization of Luigi as a guy who's as legitimately confused and distressed by his strange life as you'd expect a person to be once removed from the bubble of cartoony context of the franchise."
Gameplay
"Left" and "right" control "walk around," while "up" for "ruminate" and "down" for "smoke."
The player cannot "jump" as, according to the game, "Jumping is not consistent with ennui!"
''Ennuigi'' is
procedurally generated
In computing, procedural generation is a method of creating data algorithmically as opposed to manually, typically through a combination of human-generated assets and algorithms coupled with computer-generated randomness and processing power. In ...
.
It is available to play on the
Pico-8 Forums.
Reception
Character
Reviewers described Luigi's character in ''Ennuigi'' as "
chain smoking
Chain smoking is the practice of smoking several cigarettes in succession, sometimes using the ember of a finished cigarette to light the next. The term chain smoker often also refers to a person who smokes relatively constantly, though not ne ...
,"
"depressed,"
"laconic,"
"perpetually miserable,"
and "an angsty teenager who just finished writing a book report about
Albert Camus
Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His work ...
' ''
The Stranger''."
A reviewer said "it’s like Luigi read too much
Derrida
Derrida is a surname shared by notable people listed below.
* Bernard Derrida (born 1952), French theoretical physicist
* Jacques Derrida (1930–2004), French philosopher
** ''Derrida'' (film), a 2002 American documentary film
* Marguerite De ...
" while another adds "
Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism (and phenomenology), a French playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and litera ...
and
Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, Prose poetry, prose poet, cultural critic, Philology, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philo ...
too to that assessment."
''IndieGames.com''s Joel Couture called Luigi "a man commenting on a lifetime of strange things and events beyond his control."
Music
''
Polygon
In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two toge ...
''s Owen S. Good said "That brooding
chiptune
Chiptune, also known as chip music or 8-bit music, is a style of synthesized electronic music made using the programmable sound generator (PSG) sound chips or synthesizers in vintage arcade machines, computers and video game consoles.
The t ...
will have you questioning what you've really done with your life, too."
''The Mary Sue''s Jessica Lachenal described the music as "slow, plodding, aimless."
''Dangerous Minds''s Martin Schneider reviewed "The slow, tinny music is a perfect complement" to the game.
Video game
In 2015, the game was received by various news publications favorably. In a review for the
interactive movie
Across the many fields concerned with interactivity, including information science, computer science, human-computer interaction, communication, and industrial design, there is little agreement over the meaning of the term "interactivity", but mo ...
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
''
Night Trap
''Night Trap'' is a 1992 interactive movie developed by Digital Pictures and published by Sega for the Sega CD. Presented primarily through full-motion video (FMV), ''Night Trap'' tasks the player to observe teenage girls having a sleepover vi ...
'', ''
TechCrunch
TechCrunch is an American online newspaper focusing on high tech and startup companies. It was founded in June 2005 by Archimedes Ventures, led by partners Michael Arrington and Keith Teare.
In 2010, AOL acquired the company for approximately ...
''s John Biggs recommended playing a little ''Ennuigi''.
''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
''s Jennifer Billock appraised the game favorably stating "thankfully, you can play."
''
Rock, Paper, Shotgun
''Rock Paper Shotgun'' (also rendered ''Rock, Paper, Shotgun''; short ''RPS'') is a UK-based website for reporting on video games, primarily for PC. Originally launched on 13 July 2007 as an independent site, ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' was acquir ...
''s Emily Gera praised the game with "It is excellent."
''
Destructoid
''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017, and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022.
History
' ...
''s Steven Hansen said it "makes for a fun, depressing little distraction as it looks literally at the cartoonish abstractions of the Mushroom Kingdom."
''Pajiba''s Vivian Kane described it as "Luigi minus that philistine Mario, plus cigarettes and deep thoughts."
''
Columbus Alive
''Columbus Alive'' (also presented as ''ALIVE''), was a free online news site serving Columbus, Ohio. The site focused on local music, art, dining, film and culture. Formerly distributed in print form each week on Thursdays, the final print vers ...
''s Brad Keefe listed ''Ennuigi'' on their list of fictional siblings remarking "Think it wasn’t hard growing up in his brother’s shadow?"
''The Mary Sue''s Jessica Lachenal called ''Ennuigi'' a "''hilarious'' parody."
''Motherboard''s Emanuel Maiberg remarked while it is a "small and funny browser game," it is "not as fun to play as the original ''Super Mario Bros''."
''Gamnesia''s Gabriel McBride found the game as "possible interpretation" to Luigi's actions and thoughts in official games and thus "manages to be pretty amusing in the process."
''
Boing Boing
''Boing Boing'' is a website, first established as a zine in 1988, later becoming a group blog. Common topics and themes include technology, futurism, science fiction, gadgets, intellectual property, Disney, and left-wing politics. It twice won ...
''s
David Pescovitz
David Pescovitz is partner and co-editor of Boing Boing, a technology and culture Web magazine. In 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests eru ...
reviewed the game "excellent."
''
GamesRadar
''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', ''Edge'' and '' Computer ...
''s Sam Prell, despite the concept, implored "It's funny though, I promise."
''Dangerous Minds''s Martin Schneider described ''Ennuigi'' as a "dreary,
Beckettian video game."
''The Next Web''s Mic Wright received the game favorably stating it "reveals the bleakness of Luigi alone time. There are no bad guys, no adventure, just smoking and moping."
In 2016, ''
Polygon
In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two toge ...
''s Owen S. Good said "
'Ennuigi''s gotten some attention lately."
''
PC Gamer
''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games ma ...
''s Steven Messner reviewed the game with "Where Mario games are typically upbeat and energetic, Josh Millard's reinterpretation of the Mushroom Kingdom is glum, sometimes pretentious, and sometimes wonderfully insightful."
''The Nerdist''s Blake Rodgers said "this side-scrolling game staring Luigi is equal parts hilarious and heart-wrenching."
''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
''s Jesse Singal called it "a very different, very dark take on its 'Mario Bros.' source material."
''
Wired UK
''Wired UK'' is a bimonthly magazine that reports on the effects of science and technology. It covers a broad range of topics including design, architecture, culture, the economy, politics and philosophy. Owned by Condé Nast Publications, it is ...
'' described it as "a darkly amusing take on video game worlds"
See also
*''
Super Mario Movie'' (2005) - A similar existential art game starring Mario
*
List of metafictional works
This is a partial list of works that use metafictional ideas. Metafiction is intentional allusion or reference to a work's fictional nature. It is commonly used for humorous or parodic effect, and has appeared in a wide range of mediums, including ...
*
List of portmanteaus
This is a selection of portmanteau words.
Animals Hybrids
* cama, from camel and llama
* cattalo, from cattle and buffalo
* donkra, from donkey and zebra (progeny of donkey stallion and zebra mare) cf. zedonk below
* geep, from goat and sheep ...
*
List of unofficial Mario media
Unlicensed developers and fans have created unofficial ''Mario'' media, especially video games, relating to the ''Mario'' franchise. These products include video games, ROM hacks, and animations. Due to the popularity of the franchise, some of t ...
References
External links
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ennuigi
2015 video games
Art games
Browser games
Fangames
Internet properties established in 2015
Metafictional video games
Unofficial works based on Mario
Video game fandom
Video games developed in the United States