''Lunar Pool'' (known as in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

) is a

sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

. It was developed in 1985 by

Compile In computing, a compiler is a computer program that translates computer code written in one programming language (the ''source'' language) into another language (the ''target'' language). The name "compiler" is primarily used for programs that ...

for the NEC

PC-8000 series The is a line of personal computers developed for the Japan, Japanese market by NEC. The PC-8001 model was also sold in the United States and Canada as the PC-8001A. Original models of the NEC PC-8001B (or sometimes the NEC PC-8000) were also so ...

(in Japan), the

Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the ...

(NES, in Japan, North America, and Europe), and the

MSX MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, the director at ASCII Corpo ...

(in Japan), and re-released for the

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...

on the North American

Virtual Console The Virtual Console was a line of downloadable retro video games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles and the Nintendo 3DS family of handheld systems. The Virtual Console lineup consisted of titles originally released on pa ...

on October 22, 2007. The game combines

pool Pool may refer to: Bodies of water * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a roc ...

(pocket billiards) with aspects of

miniature golf Miniature golf (also known as minigolf, putt-putt, crazy golf, and by #Nomenclature, several other names) is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest ...

. The object is to use a to knock each into one of the s on

pool table A billiard table or billiards table is a bounded table on which cue sports are played. In the modern era, all billiards tables (whether for carom billiards, pool, pyramid or snooker) provide a flat surface usually made of quarried slate, that ...

s of various shapes. The game offers sixty levels, and the friction of the table is adjustable. ''Lunar Pool'' was distributed by

Pony Canyon , also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966, which distributes music, films, home video, and video games. It is affiliated with the Japanese media group Fujisankei Communications Group. Pony Canyo ...

in Japan and

Fujisankei Communications International Fujisankei Communications International, Inc. (FCI) is the United States, American arm of the Fujisankei Communications Group, a Japanese media conglomerate of television and radio channels, magazine, newspaper, Gramophone record, record and video ...

for the rest of the world.

Gameplay

''Lunar Pool'' is played on virtual pool tables of different shapes, some containing obstacles. The player must shoot the cue ball to knock other colored object balls into the pockets. One

life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

is lost whenever the player either fails to pocket an object ball on three consecutive shots or pockets the cue ball. Completing a level awards one extra life, or two if the player has pocketed at least one ball on every shot. The value of each ball is determined by its number and the displayed "Rate" value, which starts at 1 and increases after every shot where the player pockets at least one ball. Failing this resets the Rate to 1. Bonus points are awarded for completing a level without a miss. The game ends after all lives are lost or 60 levels have been completed, whichever occurs first.

Modes

''Lunar Pool'' can either be played alone, against another player, or against the computer. If the game is played against another player or the computer, players take turns shooting the cue ball. If one player fails to knock at least one of the colored balls into a pocket, or pockets the cue ball, then it becomes the opponent's turn. The game includes an adjustable

friction Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and material elements sliding against each other. Types of friction include dry, fluid, lubricated, skin, and internal -- an incomplete list. The study of t ...

setting, which determines the rate the balls slow down after being hit, as if affected by different amounts of

gravity In physics, gravity (), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, a mutual attraction between all massive particles. On Earth, gravity takes a slightly different meaning: the observed force b ...

(thus the ''lunar'' reference in the title, along with

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...

-related background imagery within the game).

Cultural references

In the Mexican soap opera ''

María la del Barrio ''María la del Barrio'' (Literal translation, Lit: ''Maria From the Hood''/English title: ''Humble Maria'') is a Mexican telenovela produced by Angelli Nesma Medina for Televisa in 1995. The series is a remake of ''Los ricos también lloran'' ...

'', José María (

Roberto Blandón Roberto Blandon (born Roberto Blandon Jolly; March 8, 1961 in Mexico City) is a television actor in Mexico who starred in soap operas in that country in 1989, including the role of Henry in the soap opera "Mi segunda madre" producer Juan Osorio ...

) plays ''Lunar Pool'' on the

NES The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1985 video games Compile (company) games Cue sports video games Fantasy sports video games Fujisankei Communications International games Miniature golf video games MSX games Multiplayer and single-player video games NEC PC-8801 games Nintendo Entertainment System games Pony Canyon games Video games developed in Japan Virtual Console games