Before moving on to the next update, I have a little ~bonus content~. There’s a post on Templar Games’ Tumblr here on the absent content in the Onu-Koro chapter (it has minor spoilers for events in this update). The images are broken, but the salient point is that there was supposed to be some kind of minigame in which the Chronicler battled the Kofo-Jaga, ending with him being rescued or aided by Onua. The loss of the minigame resulted in Onua’s absence from his own chapter. As I’d thought, you were originally supposed to be able to trade with the Matoran at the market (specifically for disks to fight the scorpions with). However, there were various other details as well.
Regaining access to the Lightstone Cavern was supposed to lead to the tunnels being better lit (they were supposed to be dimly lit with torches rather than just being dark). Onu-Wahi was apparently meant to be significantly larger, with several aboveground roads with differing terrain. And rather than just going to the market in Onu-Koro, traders were planned to be scattered on various roads throughout the area. Oh, and the Kofo-Jaga (fire scorpions) were originally going to be ‘wolf rats’.
Anyway, on to today’s update…
I think this is a fan favorite along with Po-Koro. It’s certainly one of my favorite parts of the game.
Part 5: Deliverance of Le-Koro (Click to expand)
Last time, Taipu (and company) completed the Le-Koro highway, emerging into the dizzying sunlight of a tropical jungle.
BGM: A Walk in the Jungle (w/ ambience)
I used to think this song sucked, but it’s actually just really long (for a piece of soundtrack music) and gradually shifts from being both boring and unfitting to pretty cool.
“Onepu was right. It is so beautiful here. Whenua said I should make camp when we break through, but I want to go see Le-Koro and the tree-Matoran…”
On my playthrough right before I started the LP, I discovered to my surprise that this is NOT a But Thou Must. You can say no, and Taipu will just sorta hang out by the tunnel and be sad for the rest of the chapter.
We don’t want Taipu to be sad, do we? Of course not. So let’s say we’ll take him. Even though we don’t know the way.
Text bubbles frequently have the wrong depth in edge cases in this game, like this vine that doesn’t show up until you turn all the way to the left.
Probably in the village. Matoran usually don’t wander around outside. Only a couple of idiots would walk around in unfamiliar terrain with no way to defend themselves. It’s dangerous in the jungle, you know.
Taipu hops up on a big rock and seems to have spotted something.
Hey Taipu there’s something–
THERE’S SOMETHING BEHIND–!
…you.
okay maybe we should have left him behind
Well, he said he saw Le-Koro, so it must be close. Maybe they can help.
A path of lily pads leads toward a giant tree.
At the base of the tree is an elevator made of plant matter.
Operating the elevator is something of a non-puzzle. I don’t know if they’re supposed to represent buttons you press or if you’re sliding them up like shifting gears on a car, but regardless clicking one of the yellow beads slides it from the bottom of the symbol to the top. Click all three and the elevator will ascend.
BGS: Jungle Ambience
(The previous music continues to play in Le-Koro, I just thought having no music fit the mood better)
The village looks to be empty, at least at first glance. Not to ruin the mood, but there’s something very wrong about this bridge. Whenever you enter any screen that has the bridge in it, the bridge will initially be out of position, and then jump to the correct position.
The (round) village square is deserted, but there’s a flute lying on the ground.
Looking elsewhere, you can see a yellow kite flying on the right-hand portion of the village. But again, no people. Let’s take a look at that flute.
On examining it, you can see there’s a sort of blue box on the end. This device is called a Flutesong.
Clicking the flutesong causes a series of finger-holes to light up. Copy the sequence and you’ll play a song, like a tedious Ocarina of Time. This causes something to happen…
VIDEO: Le-Koro Revealed
There’s actually an Easter egg in this cutscene which was only recently discovered (I feel like I’d heard of it before, so maybe it was rediscovered).
If you click the masks of the three background Matoran in order from right to left…
They’ll rate Tamaru’s landing like Olympic judges. Each has a fifty-fifty chance of holding up either a zero or a one (in Matoran writing). If you want to trigger this yourself, the third Matoran doesn’t enter the screen until the cutscene is almost over, so your timing is tight. You don’t need to wait for him though; just click the two on the right before he shows up, then click him once he appears.
Nobody but Kongu and Tamaru say anything. Let’s start with Tamaru.
This is how Le-Matoran talk. The MNOLG goes pretty heavy on it; subsequent tellings have just had them occasionally combine words instead of dropping articles and direct objects like they’re on fire.
“Who are you?”
Not so sure about ‘highfly Vinesman’…
“What attack?”
“What are Rama?”
Tamaru explains the situation; Kongu is more about telling you about the characters you can purchase.
“Who are you?”
“Who is Matau?”
“Who is Lewa?”
It’s question three, Takua. The Toa is always question three.
“Goodbye.”
The next sequence trigger, like happens repeatedly in the MNOLG, isn’t difficult but it is odd. You need to go…
…to the right. This normally leads to the platform with the kite on it I showed earlier, but this time it triggers a cutscene.
VIDEO: Rama Swarm
Screencap Version
BGM: Rama Swarm
Doesn’t look like a big deal to me.
Oh, that can’t be good.
Oh crap! Rama-swarm!
I said that already Kongu.
Scramble what? You mean like, run?
Is…is that an air-horn?
Le-Koro’s Kewa Force takes to the sky!
And here’s a big one. I wonder which one WE’RE going to ride?
BGS: Jungle Ambience
The birds the other Matoran are riding are Kewa, while the big one Kongu is on is called a Kahu. In the mood to be confused? Due to name changes following the Maori lawsuit, both types of bird were renamed the Gukko, with the differences being chalked up to being different breeds. Eventually it was decided that Gukko is indeed the species name, but the two subspecies should still be called Kewa and Kahu - just not copyrighted.
The kite has been changed from yellow to red. Presumably they fly different kites to signal different levels of alertness.
What’s that? Did you just say “Traveler, do you want to play a minigame?” Hell yeah I do!
What follows is one of the great moments of cinema history.
VIDEO: The Kahu Soars into Battle (you should probably watch this)
SCREENCAP VERSION
BGM: Battle in the Skies - 1st Movement (Takeoff) (you should definitely listen to this)
What’s this music?
Sir, what are you doing?
Sir? Sir? Is this an extended parody?
Sir this is a bird, not an airplane why are you even–
Sir this bird is NOT airworthy it has holes in it.
No.
No. No.
YES YES YES IT HAS ENERGY WINGS
The battle for Le-Koro begins.
You might be asking yourself, was that Ride of the Valkyries? Yes. Yes it was.
Did you think that was a JOKE? Did you think my evocation of this prestigious 19th-century composer mere JAPERY!? Nay! I planned it ALL!
BGM: Battle in the Skies - 2nd Movement (Jungle)
Welcome to the Mata Nui Online Game’s second major minigame. The objective is to throw discs at the Nui-Rama as they pass by. Some will ignore you, but some will approach and claw at the Kahu you’re riding. The Kahu can take three hits (in this screencap, it’s already taken one). If it gets clawed a fourth time…
VIDEO: Kahu Injured 
You’re then returned to Le-Koro and can try again from the beginning.
BGM: Battle in the Skies - 2nd Movement (Jungle)
Now, this minigame has some issues. Not all of them work against you. For example, in this screencap, this Nui-Rama clawed at me but didn’t do any damage for some reason.
BGM: Battle in the Skies - 3rd Movement (Clouds)
After a minute or two, Kongu ascends into the clouds.
The big problem with this minigame, making it almost unplayable on modern computers, is that everything just moves too fast. The Nui-Rama zip around the screen too quickly for you to hit reliably, dodging in and giving hits before you can react.
I believe the accepted method to deal with Flash games that run too fast is to use Cheat Engine. I didn’t do that. Instead I revved up Dolphin and ran Mario Kart Wii in the background to eat up resources and slow down the game. It…did the job, but the framerate isn’t exactly buttery smooth.
There’s one other thing about this minigame, which is another issue with it in your favor.
Note the position of my cursor in this screencap. All the Nui-Rama that attack you follow the exact same movement pattern. They will appear in the middle-left of the screen, move to the middle-right (where my cursor is), and finally move to the bottom-left of the screen and claw at you. Your best chance to hit the Nui-Rama is when it’s here, in the second position. Just leave your cursor here and click when it approaches. If you wait until it’s closer, it’ll likely hit you before you hit it. If you try to hit it from the first position, it’s definitely a smaller target and I think it might be programmed to dodge from there.
Anyway, we were in the clouds.
After a little while, Kongu will dive again.
While flying through the clouds, the Nui-Rama attack pattern is different. I’m not sure where you want to aim then. I think it may be the exact middle of the screen.
BGM: Battle in the Skies - 2nd Movement (Jungle)
In listening to the Battle in the Skies music closely for the first time, I’ve realized it’s actually a pretty complex piece of adaptive music. The actual execution is choppy (this game is full of clicks from audio cutting in or looping poorly), but the bones are there. What I’ve split up into ‘movements’ are really one contiguous(-sounding) song. It also has more moving parts than it appears to have; a slightly different set of tracks plays when flying through the clouds and flying above them. The modifications to the song made to suit the scenery are well chosen.
BGM: Battle in the Skies - 4th Movement (Hive Approach)
After a little while, Kongu plunges below the forest canopy.
The minigame is secretly over at this point. None of the Rama flying by will attack you.
Since I mentioned adaptive music, about a year ago I was looking through Game Maker (Studio 1.4) and I discovered it has support for adaptive music. That is, you can create groups of audio files that, when played, the system will ensure are synced up with sample-perfect precision.
That was when I realized I…couldn’t really think of anything I’d want to use adaptive music for. This minigame sort of singlehandedly re-convinced me that adaptive music could be interesting.
Kongu we’re…REALLY close. We’re not like…flying into the Nui-Rama hive, are we?
We’re flying into the Nui-Rama hive.
These orange Rama will divebomb you on an unfamiliar trajectory, often in pairs. But I promised you the minigame was over, and I didn’t lie. They just…don’t do damage for some reason. I’m not complaining.
Finally we reach the summit.
VIDEO: Into the Great Hive (there’s actually a difference between this cutscene and my recorded footage so be sure to check the Screencap Edition for some EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT)
Screencap Edition
BGM: None
Kongu sends his Kahu into a badass bird of prey dive.
ME: Hive Entry
The hive is just as big on the inside.
On the floor are the silhouettes of some Matoran.
If and only if you took Taipu with you to Le-Koro, he’ll be here, halfheartedly swinging his pick. Actually the MNOLG is pretty buggy so he probably shows up here sometimes even if you didn’t bring him.
A glowing blue bug shows up near him…
And gives him a comedic electric shock for his indolence.
The shocking will continue until morale improves.
Resuming our universally scheduled programming, nearby…
Is Turaga Matau.
Kongu flies into the chamber.
Something flashes past, too fast to see.
ME: Shock!
Whatever it is, it strikes and injures the Kahu.
Crash landing.
Well, we made it to the Nui-Rama hive. But I don’t think this quite qualifies as a rescue. The Matoran have apparently been captured by the Nui-Rama in order to, um…work. Since they’re five times bigger and have giant claws, I’d expect the Rama would be better suited to do it themselves.
According to the treatment on Templar’s blog, the original plan seems to have been that the Matoran were captured to be food for the Nui-Ramas’ larvae. I imagine their Lego liaison disapproved of that idea.
On the right side of the room, one of the Le-Matoran (and Taipu) are caring for the njured bird. Nearby, Matau and Kongu are deep in conversation. The only person we can talk to is Matau.
“Keep your voice down, traveler, and sing as you work. And hope Lewa comes to save us.”
“Who are you?”
Our hero has a one-track mind.
“Will Lewa come to save us?”
Sure, Onua was a no-show, but otherwise the Toa have been pretty reliable at arriving conveniently in moments of crisis.
I don’t like where this sentence is going…
The sequence triggers in the MNOLG remain obtuse as ever. To proceed, you need to click on this hole in the far wall.
VIDEO: The Fight in the Hive (you should definitely watch this)
Screencap Edition
BGM: Infected
Someone steps into view. Somebody green. With an axe.
Oh. It’s Lewa.
There’s a cool effect of something swirling through the glow of Lewa’s eyes.
Behind him hovers a huge, wasp-like creature. This is a Nui-Kopen (which can be made by combining the two Nui-Rama that make up the 2001 Nui-Rama set).
The Le-Matoran are understandably agitated by the sight of their protector corrupted by Makuta.
The Nui-Kopen holds Lewa’s original mask in its claws.
Suddenly, the ground starts to shake.
Something erupts from the ground.
Could it be…?
“Kept you waiting, huh?”
BGM: The Fight in the Hive (you should definitely listen to this)
“The Fight in the Hive” is the first of several remixes of a piece of Bionicle-related music just called “The Bionicle Music” by a guy named Paul Hardcastle. It totally slaps and is pretty much synonymous with Bionicle from 2001 through 2004.
(The original song may actually have a different name; there are several Hardcastle made and I don’t know which is technically the original. The copyright claim on this song for example says the song’s name is “Killing Machines”, but I know there are other similar songs called “Bionicle Age” and “Obey the Force”.)
Enough babbling about music, Lewa immediately goes on the attack.
For the first time in the MNOLG, we see a Toa change masks. Onua switches his Mask of Strength (Pakari) out for a Mask of Shielding (Hau).
He’s surrounded by a protective barrier. I just noticed the designs on the Hau’s barrier are the same as on the sundial back in the Great Mine. There’s no meaning to that; it’s just an efficient reuse of assets.
Lewa bounces off the shield and crashes into the far wall.
The glow in his eyes briefly alters.
The moment passes.
They battle in silhouette for a little while. This circumvents the Lego marketing team’s concerns about violence while also being much easier to animate.
It ends with Onua smashing into a wall this time.
One of those blue bugs from before shows up.
Onua switches to the Mask of Telekinesis (I had to look it up, but it’s called the Matatu).
He makes small rocks float off the ground and launches them at Lewa.
Lewa easily deflects them…
But fails to react to the much larger, glowing object that was thrown at the same time.
It knocks his infected mask off.
Freed from Makuta’s control, Lewa slaps his original mask back on.
Said original mask if the Miru, the Mask of Levitation.
Which he uses to get onto the Nui-Kopen.
He switches to the Mask of Mind Control (which because it’s a Noble Mask I again had to look up; it’s called the Komau)…
…and uses it to take control of the Nui-Kopen.
And just like that, the day is saved.
If you were wondering about the seating arrangements, here they are.
BGM: Le-Koro Band - Suva Ceremony (this might be my favorite tune in the game)
Some Kewa-riders do some skywriting (somehow) of the symbol of air.
Matau raises his staff.
This is the Le-Suva, or Lewa’s shrine. We saw the Ta-Suva in Ta-Koro, but no others appear in the game. The Suva look the lids of the canisters the 2001 sets came in (or should I say the lids look the Suva). If I recall correctly, as each Toa gathers the Masks of Power, they bring the masks to the Suva, and they switch masks through some unexplained teleportation magic rather than carrying all the masks on their person.
Lewa emerges from within the Suva…
…with a gold mask.
This is not canon. As in, this isn’t even in canon to THIS game. When Lewa appears later, he’ll have his regular mask. I think Templar may have misinterpreted or gotten unclear information about how the Toa would obtain their gold masks, and assumed that the Toa just needed to find all the masks, which is not the case.
That’s not important I actually really like this scene.
BGM: Le-Koro Band
The village is back to normal and everyone is celebrating.
If you head back to the right side of the village, Tamaru is chilling by himself (based on his character, he’s probably too uncoordinated to dance). The kite is now green, signaling peacetime.
Matau gives us a second Flutesong. Playing this one allows us to ‘fast’-travel to any village on Mata Nui. That sounds nice but between playing the song and the cutscene it’s honestly not much faster than walking most of the time.
“What of Lewa and the Golden Kanohi?”
Matau foreshadows future events. Of course, if you own any of the Toa, the instruction booklet makes it pretty clear what the Toa Kaita are.
Next time…well, by process of elimination I’m pretty sure I know where we’re going next.