Cool Cool Toon

Cool Cool Toon[lower-alpha 1] is a rhythm-based music video game exclusive to the Dreamcast. It was developed and published by SNK and released only in Japan on August 10, 2000 due to a combination of SNK going bankrupt and the Dreamcast's declining popularity in North America.

Cool Cool Toon
Developer(s)SNK[1]
Publisher(s)SNK
Platform(s)Dreamcast
Release
  • JP: August 10, 2000
Genre(s)Rhythm
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay

The letters A, B, X, and Y appear at the edge or in the middle of a large circle on the screen. The player must use the analog stick to move a marker to the letter and press the corresponding button on the controller at the right time. If the player misses too many letters, they level down. If the performance level goes to zero, or it is too low, the game is over.

Development and release

Cool Cool Toon was developed and published by SNK. The composer, Yasumasa Yamada, considered it a fresh game to work on due to it being a game with music as a central premise. He based the soundtrack's tempo on music used by motion-captured music of the time. When making the music, he had to work with the programmers to approach it in the best way. He contributed four songs to the project, with most of the work being done by other members of staff. According to Yamada, the development of the game was very "business-oriented."[2] The art design was led by Ippei Gyoubu,[3]

It was originally teased on March 22, 2000, when SNK posted promotional artwork on their official website and categorized the game as "Rhythm comic". A side game titled Cool Cool Jam was released alongside the game for the Neo Geo Pocket Color exclusively in Japan. A localization was planned and aimed for an early 2001 release in North America, but was cancelled due to SNK filing for bankruptcy, and the declining popularity of the Sega Dreamcast in the North American markets. [4] An English fan translation was released in 2023.[5]

Reception

Reception of the game has been mostly positive. Reviewers praised the art style and original use of the analogue stick.

References
Translation
  1. Japanese: クルクルトゥーン, Hepburn: Kuru Kuru To~ūn
Citation
  1. "GameSpot". 27 April 2000. Archived from the original on 2010-01-07. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
  2. Greening, Chris (June 19, 2014). "Yasumasa Yamada Interview: SNK Veteran on the Sound of Fighting". Video Game Music Online. Archived from the original on August 13, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  3. "Cool Cool Toon". Official Sega Dreamcast. No. 6. July 2000.
  4. "Cool Cool Toon Slew Slew News - IGN". 23 March 2000. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  5. https://www.timeextension.com/news/2023/07/fan-translation-of-snks-dreamcast-rhythm-game-cool-cool-toon-now-available
  6. Thompson, Jon (August 18, 2000). "Cool Cool Toon (Japanese)". allgame. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  7. "Cool Cool Toon" (PDF). Edge. No. 90. November 2000. p. 102. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  8. Davis, Ryan (September 20, 2000). "Cool Cool Toon (Import) Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 5, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  9. Williamson, Colin (August 18, 2000). "Cool Cool Toon (Import): SNK bids a fond farewell to the Dreamcast, and blasts into the musical genre". IGN. Archived from the original on May 5, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  10. "Weekly Dreamcast Soft Review:COOL COOL TOON" (PDF). Dreamcast Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 27. August 18, 2000. p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 17, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  11. "Test Dreamcast: Cool Cool Toon" (PDF). Consoles + (in French). No. 106. November 2000. p. 130. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 17, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2020.


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