Nothing much of note from Templar’s Tumblr post on the Kini-Nui chapter. There’s some myth-making, trying to puff themselves up, probably because the MNOLG is the only thing they’ve ever made that anyone cares about. And starting from the Ko-Koro chapter (which came out in September) onward, they repeatedly bring up 9/11 in relation to their creative process, which is maybe a little offensive.
But let’s wrap up this party.
Last time, other people did most of the work while we took the credit. This time…destiny is fulfilled.
Part 8: The Battle Below (Click to expand)
ME: Gali’s Vision
As described in the last update, Gali forms a telepathic link with the Chronicler, allowing him to see what she sees as the Toa descend into the Mangaia. After each victory against a wave of Rahi, a cutscene of the events underground plays.
Just so you know, this update is almost all cutscenes. Not that it makes much difference in a screenshot LP.
VIDEO: The Toa Kaita
The Toa Kaita: Screencap Edition
BGM: Toa Kaita Transformation (you should probably listen to this)
We’re thrown rather abruptly into a riot of light and circuitry designs.
Disparate Bionicle parts click together.
These are the Toa Kaita. Tahu, Onua, and Pohatu combine to form Akama, Toa Kaita of Valor, while Lewa, Gali, and Opaka combine to form Wairuha, Toa Kaita of Wisdom. Each Toa set came with a third of the instructions for their particular combiner. Getting a gold Hau or silver Miru for them to wear was harder.
BGM: Mata Nui Theme
A pair of glowing eyes appears in the gloom, and follows after Wairuha.
In this cutscene, the Toa Kaita travel separately, and (spoilers) are going to come back together having done essentially nothing while apart. This is another case where for many years no one knew why this happened, and once again it’s because the MNOLG is depicting part of BIONICLE: Legend of Mata Nui in truncated form. Each of the Toa Kaita had a short level in LoMN, so this is a weak preservation of that.
VIDEO: The Manas
The Manas: Screencap Edition
BGM: Manas Theme 1
Akamai advances down his chosen path.
He senses movement.
These are the Manas, the mightiest of Makuta’s servants. They’re also the most expensive Bionicle sets, not just of 2001 but I think of all time, weighing in at $100 USD.
Like all the Rahi sets, the Manas came as a pair. However, the Manas were unique in that they were remote controlled, so they could drive around and fight each other. They were basically Technic sets. Since Lego never made any more RC Bionicles, I assume they weren’t popular.
VIDEO: Wairuha VS Manas
This is a fight all in shadow so it’s really hard to tell what’s going on in screencap form, so you know.
Wairuha VS Manas: Screencap Edition
BGM: Manas Theme 2 (you should probably listen to this)
The horde of Manas repeatedly leap at Wairuha. He is able to guard against several but eventually starts being overcome.
The comedy stylings of a giant robot being whacked in the face with RC cars.
He falls.
VIDEO: Toa Kaita VS Manas (this is the other half of the video that ended the last update)
Like the Hunters in the Drifts video, this cutscene is long and disparate enough I’m going to divide it in two.
1. Toa Kaita
ME: Dramatic Whoosh
Wairuha regains consciousness and rises.
BGM: Manas Theme 2 (quick reminder that you should probably listen to this)
The Manas, unsurprisingly, are still here.
One leaps at him.
Akamai with the save.
But there are plenty more where that one came from.
It will end the way I always knew it would: getting owned by robot crabs.
Wairuha immediately gets a faceful of crab guardian for his bold words.
He gets thrown into one of the many towers throughout the dim chamber, smashing through it.
This causes something fairly stupid to happen.
“WINDOWS ENCOUNTERED AN UNEXPECTED ERROR AND NEEDS TO…SHUT…DOWN…”
The Manas are robots. Not like other Bionicles, who are supposed to be biomechanical, but actual robots. Specifically, rather than store the Manas’ CPU inside its near-invincible shell, Makuta decided to put them in fragile towers in the middle of the battlefield anyone could damage just by being shoved into them.
It’s like the droid armies in The Phantom Menace only much dumber. But also not defeated by a 10-year-old so there’s that.
Incidentally, the Manas being robots is not canonical. In all other depictions, the Manas are just very dangerous Rahi. Makuta chose to use them as his guardians because of their ferocity, rather than being specifically associated with him.
The battle between the Toa and the Manas has been depicted differently in the MNOLG, the Bionicle Chronicles novels, and in a cutscene in Legend of Mata Nui, but none of these agree with the 2001 story bible. In that, the Manas thrive on heat and are weakened by cold. Rather than RC towers, the road guarded by the Manas has heat-generating towers, which the Toa Kaita destroy to slow the Manas and defeat them. This is, in my view, exactly as stupid as the Manas being RC robots.
I don’t know what this means. But I think it would be a good motto for like a fascist military state in an RPG or something, so feel free to steal that. I mean, I’m already going to steal it but you can steal it too. Ideas are free.
2. After the Battle
ME: Mysterious Door
The Toa Kaita arrive at the gates of the Mangaia.
BGM: Silence
“Our link is broken. If you wish to fulfill your destiny, and record the last moments of this time, you must find us.”
ME: Dramatic Whoosh
Phew, that was a long video. Back to…gameplay?
BGM: Kini-Nui Jungle
Topside, the united forces of the villages have fended off the Rahi attack.
Well, Shortfly Vinesman. And I did the deepwood wayfinding.
Kongu explains why the conveniently timely aid was so conveniently timed. In order to wipe out the Chronicler’s Company, Makuta had to pull back the forces he had attacking the villages. But that meant the villages no longer had to hole up and defend themselves, and could assist us at Kini-Nui.
Despite being on-screen, Hafu has no dialogue.
Kopeke and Matoro (who is here apparently) also have no dialogue, but that’s less surprising.
Puku apparently came along with the Ussalry.
“Whenua says you should come there, and quickly. But not on foot. Take Puku! She followed us all the way here. I think she has been looking for you.”
No Taipu. I’m going on an adventure alone. You stay here and um…stand around.
VIDEO: Ussal Ride
This is a special cutscene just for this journey. It’s not very interesting.
BGM: Onu-Koro
We’re back in Onu-Koro.
The village is shut tight against the Rahi.
Onepu said we should speak to Whenua, so let’s do that thing.
“They say Gali has called on you. There has been a disturbance in the Great Mine. The Golden Mask you discovered has disappeared, and a passage has opened there.”
“My workers are too afraid to go near it. We believe it is another entrance to the Makuta’s lair. It is your destiny to find the Toa, Chronicler, no matter what the outcome. I hope you have the courage to face it.”
And he leaves us with a typo.
BGM: Onu-Wahi Tunnels
As you’d expect, the tunnels are almost completely abandoned. This is what the Great Mine looks like right now.
BGM: A Strange Discovery
As Whenua reported, the gold mask is gone.
Clicking the cross mark on the pedestal causes it to retract.
VIDEO: The Chronicler Descends
Screencap Edition
The walls of the chamber retract.
The whole thing is actually a giant elevator.
Who is THAT handsome fellow?
Five minutes from the end, we finally see who it is we’re playing as. Takua the Chronicler.
Like I said in the thread title. Also in the Ta-Koro update.
BGS: Mangaia
It’s too dark to tell where you are at first.
But this wreckage is the remains of the towers that controlled the Manas. Which means that red light must be…
Where Makuta is waiting.
VIDEO: In Makuta’s Lair (it’s the final fight, you should watch this)
This is the longest cutscene in the game by far, so I’m again dividing it in two.
Act One
BGM: Silence
Takua peers through the doorway into the room.
ME: Dramatic Whoosh
The six Toa stand ready to confront their enemy. Above them…
BGS: Vortex (this plays under the entirety of the dialogue portion of this cutscene)
The Makuta is seemingly nothing but a swirling mass of parts.
ME: Pathetic Oboe
“But you–you are–”
“I am that which you have sworn to protect.”
“Tahu, it’s a trick! We must destroy him!”
There’s a lot of “As long as there is darkness in the human heart, I shall return” in this final cutscene. As a kid of course it’s quite profound and evocative–as an adult it’s just a puppet show. Everyone acts out their assigned role, though at least “dreams” or “the future” never come up.
There is some literal meaning, at least, that can possibly be derived from some of Makuta’s words. They relate to overarching plot points in the Bionicle storyline–ones planned from the beginning but not revealed until 2009.
To explain it without having to also explain the entire backstory, I think the original idea in the story bible was that Makuta was less of a physical enemy and more like a disease, infecting Mata Nui (both the Great Spirit and the island). So he is engrained in the world and can’t be removed from it by physical means.
“The people of the world are builders. But look into their hearts…and you will find that they also have the power to destroy.”
ME: Glaring Eyes
BGM: The Bionicle Music (this isn’t the exact arrangement that plays but whatever here’s the full song)
Makuta’s Matoran body is ripped apart by, um…black slime tentacles.
Which also shoot out in pursuit of the Toa.
Makuta’s dialogue suggests he’s going to transform into something, but instead he just starts shooting tentacles at the Toa. In the outline there’s vague description of Makuta transforming into various different forms to fight the Toa, including shadow versions of themselves (that much is in the 2001 story bible). All that was cut, probably because planning and animating that much would be beyond the scope of what Templar could feasibly do, but also this fight - while not exactly complex - is long as it is. Makuta wouldn’t get a physical form until 2003.
The Toa scatter in the face of the onslaught.
Kopaka tries evading with the Mask of Speed.
But he’s overwhelmed the moment he stops running.
Onua tries standing his ground with the Mask of Shielding instead.
It does succeed in blocking the attack…
SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: The Mask of Shielding (hereafter “Hau”) does not protect the wearer from attacks they cannot see.
Onua is sent flying past Pohatu.
POHATU: “How are ‘Earth’ and ‘Stone’ supposed to be different ele–”
POHATU: --meeeeeeeeeeeeeeents…!"
Gali has the highest AGI due to being a blue…
But she also gets owned.
Makuta has no strong feelings one way or the other about the direction the battle is going.
But he apparently lets the Toa get back in formation.
Again!
Tahu casts Magic Missile at the darkness.
I took a 4 hour break and that was the best joke I could come up with for this scene. “Tahu casts Magic Missile at the darkness.” Really.
I just realized this is like the only time the Toa use their elemental powers in this game.
Lewa hits Makuta with a really strong breeze or something.
Onua shoves a green orb into the ground.
This creates some green slime energy or something.
Pohatu just stomps.
There, that looks like it…might be doing some damage.
Or not.
Never mind it worked he was just saying he’d be back in the next Avengers.
BGM: Silence
The vortex collapses, raining mechanical pieces everywhere.
Beams of light descend, teleporting the Toa away.
Chronicler found.
Act Two
On the far side of the chamber, another giant door slides open.
Takua investigates.
ME: Mysterious Door
He approaches a strange structure, almost like the comb of a beehive.
He leans in close to examine one of the pods. He can almost see something inside…
ME: Glaring Eyes
You did it, Takua. You woke one.
The pod ruptures, and the creature inside bursts out.
BGM: Fleeing the Bohrok
Takua wisely decides to run.
Don’t you remember, Takua? You wake one, you wake them ALL!
Except you didn’t wake them, actually Makuta sent a signal to activate the Bohrok prematurely, so it’s not that any particular ONE was woken, they just all woke simultaneously, and…
Look it’s a catchy slogan.
Takua comes upon a thingy. Are you prepared for what’s about to happen? Because I’m not.
The Bohrok are closing in.
Something in Takua’s backpack is going to get him out of this situation. Can YOU guess what it is?
It’s not the flute.
It’s not the heat stone.
Or the Ta-Koro Ensign.
Or the Letter from Nuju.
It’s…
The Po-Koro chisel.
How’s…how’s that going to help?
No.
NO.
Why is there a nodule in the Bohrok nest that, when you shove a chisel in it, creates an energy sphere…
That surrounds you…
Flies you through the air at high speed…
Into a tube that leads you to…
To here.
BGM: Silence
Okay, I’m gonna need a minute to center myself after everything that just happened.
Nonspecific things. And centering myself I think is going to require several linebreaks.
So somebody reading doesn’t accidentally scroll down and see the epilogue…
Before they’ve watched the climax.
Or read the climax.
Or both.
Both is quite likely.
Here’s the epilogue.
BGS: The Beach
We’ve returned to the beach. But this time, Vakama is waiting for us.
Incidentally, the three seconds it takes to click through these two screens are gameplay and thus their presence makes the MNOLG speedrun 5:36 longer than it otherwise would be.
VIDEO: Vakama’s Final Speech (it’s the final cutscene, you should watch it)
Vakama's Final Speech: Screencap Edition
BGM: Beach Chant (Mata Nui’s Theme w/ ambience)
Or at least one or two more. They kinda lose interest in your character after 2003.
BGM: The End (please listen to this)
He’s referring to BIONICLE: Quest for the Toa, which has been brought up in the thread.
Fireworks are set off, celebrating the defeat of Makuta.
And with that, we’ve made it to the end.
The game has no credits, unfortunately. The only names I know are Paul Mack, Templar’s president, and Justin Luchter, who did the music (“The Bionicle Music” is by Paul Hardcastle, and some of the game’s music, mainly from early chapters, is freeware).
I don’t think it’s possible for me to sum up this game. The Mata Nui Online Game certainly isn’t something I would recommend on its own - not for its story and certainly not for its gameplay. My feelings on this game having finished this LP are pretty much the same as when I started. The backgrounds in this game are lush and beautiful, the use of ambient sound is truly excellent, and there are many standout pieces of music. If you’ve been reading through but skipping the music, my personal favorites are the Mata Nui Theme, Telescope, Underwater, Gali VS Tarakava, Pohatu VS Nui-Jaga, Battle in the Skies, Le-Koro Band - Lewa’s Gold Mask, Sanctum, The Chronicler’s Company (which I undersold in the LP because I don’t feel like there’s a ‘definitive’ version of it), Manas Theme 2, Vakama’s Final Speech, and of course The Bionicle Music’s many arrangements.
I’ve assembled all the BGM, BGS, and ME I recorded for this LP into a playlist here (it’s currently unlisted, but I’ll make it fully public eventually). That means I’ve made the closest thing to a complete OST there is for the Mata Nui Online Game. Your move, Biomedia Project!
But back to my closing thoughts. It would be accurate to call the MNOLG a successful piece of marketing, but that would be belittling it. Templar took some toy prototypes and a list of facts and lore and succeeded in turning it not just into a world, but in a world players wanted to come to understand. A mystery people wanted to know the answer to.
It’s just too bad no one ever made a Bionicle video game ever again. Ever. Again. EVER.