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“  The time is now. The hero is you.  ”

– Tagline for FusionFall[1]

FusionFall logo (no planet)

Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall, or simply FusionFall, was an MMORPG platform adventure game developed by Grigon Entertainment and published by Cartoon Network. The game used the Unity engine as its client technology basis, and was one of the first major releases utilizing this technology. Furthermore, it had an E 10+ ESRB rating for cartoon violence and comic mischief.

Gameplay[]

Below are two excerpts from the original FusionFall website[2] that describe the game's gameplay and features.

Game Details/Frequently Asked Questions/1. What is FusionFall?

FusionFall is a Multiplayer Online Game that takes all of the best Cartoon Network characters and re-imagines them in an anime-inspired style, then sets them in dynamic new environments. Players create their own in-game avatar and fight alongside their favorite toons from the network's hit shows to save the world from an epic alien invasion. Players also can collect small, super-deformed versions of Cartoon Network characters along the way that provide powers and abilities to assist during missions.

It's a mix of all the action of a 3-D console platform game and all the customization, character development and open-ended world exploration of an MMORPG (massively multi-player online role-playing game).


Game Details/Frequently Asked Qustions/#. What makes FusionFall different from other MMOG's?

What sets FusionFall apart from other massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) is that it has game play elements over and above the traditional "quest, battle, level, repeat" model.

Many in-game missions incorporate platforming as a vital design component. In this, players can test out their reflexes and puzzle-solving abilities by having their characters jump across floating, moving pieces of the landscape to travel through challenging "infected zones" in the game.

The collection component of FusionFall goes far beyond merely gathering items and rewards. Nanos - small, miniature versions of popular Cartoon Network characters - are key to a player's success in the game. Nanos boost player characters' abilities by giving them special power-ups. As players collect Nanos, they have to think strategically, equipping them in different combinations to achieve goals and optimize their skills.

While FusionFall is an MMOG, it also has strong roots in casual gaming. Other MMOGs require players to spend hours at a time in a game to advance and level up their characters, but FusionFallis different. It's designed to be enjoyable for players who have a limited time in which to play. While you certainly can spend hours exploring this universe, you can also have a fun, action-packed experience in only 20 minutes of gameplay.

Additionally, FusionFall is grounded in a re-imagined version of the Cartoon Network Universe, offering players a unique experience that is familiar yet still filled with new adventure, characters, settings and experiences.

Players travel around the world of FusionFall mostly on foot, controlling their characters from a third-person perspective. The character can run and jump to move about, as well as swim. Travel across long distances is facilitated by using transports like Mojo's Monkey Skyway Agents or the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. vehicles.

Littering the game world are Fuse's monsters, which come in all shapes and sizes, usually relating to the area they inhabit. Players combat these enemies using a wide assortment of weapons. Weapons come in six types: pistols, rifles, shatterguns, rocket launchers, melee and thrown weapons. Players can equip two weapons at a time and switch between them at will.

The player's progress in the game is tracked by their Nanocom, a multi-purpose tool which covers all the game's menu functions. At the top-right corner is the minimap and the fusion meter. The Nanocom also regulates the players Nanos, which are visible in the bottom-right corner. To progress in the game, players collect fusion matter and taros, which serve as experience and money, respectively. Fusion matter also acts as the currency for editing a Nano's abilities.

Nanos are miniaturized versions of Cartoon Network characters which grant the player additional powers. Some Nanos have passive powers which increase the player's natural abilities, such as running or jumping. These only require the Nano to be equipped, such as Numbuh Two's speed boost ability or Mandark's jump boost ability. Other Nanos have manually activated powers that provide an edge in combat, such as direct damage or healing. These abilities have with a cooldown time once activated.

Players can socialize with each other through a list of predefined chat phrases and emotes in the Menu. Open chat is deactivated until the game is released.

Controls[]

The controls are reprogrammable, but the defaults are:

  • Enter- Opens Menu
  • Left Mouse Button- Fire/Interact
  • Z-Fire/Interact
  • Right Mouse Button- Use Nano Power
  • X- Use Nano Power
  • C- Use Nano Potion
  • 1- Summon Nano 1
  • 2- Summon Nano 2
  • 3- Summon Nano 3
  • W- Forward
  • A- Turn Left
  • S- Backward
  • D- Turn Right
  • ↑ Arrow Key- Forward
  • ← Arrow Key- Turn Left
  • ↓ Arrow Key- Backward
  • → Arrow Key- Turn Right
  • Home- Autorun
  • ~- Close Window/ Open Logout Menu
  • I- Opens My Stuff
  • P- Opens E-Mail
  • J- Opens Journal
  • M- Opens Map
  • Tab- Swap Weapons (swaps weapon in slot 1 with weapon in slot 2)

Story[]

The story of Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall revolved around an alien invasion of the Cartoon Network universe. Cartoon Network's most iconic characters teamed up to repel Lord Fuse, an intergalactic destroyer, and his army of invaders from Planet Fusion, an enormous planet commandeered by Fuse. This planet has been traversing the galaxy and consuming every civilization it encounters for thousands of years, with each attack having given the planet greater gravity and power as it moves on to its next target.

Things come to a head when Fuse turns his sights on Earth, home to many of the Cartoon Network inhabitants. Upon arrivial, Fuse strategically sends out probes to the planet to gather information and start the assault. Quickly, Fuse's minions evolve and adapt to the Earth's environment, taking on distorted Fusion versions of common life forms, and through the use of Terrafusers, they begin to terraform the planet. The residences of the universe, both heroes and villains, join forces to repel the invaders, but they are severely ill-equipped against Fuse and his minions. The battle is nearly lost and Fuse lays waste to a majority of the planet.

Players joined the resistance and were able to battle against the invaders with the use of unique weapons and Nanos, the latter of which are collectible, miniaturized versions of Cartoon Network characters with specialized abilities.

Although the tutorial at the beginning of the game puts the player on a linear path when the first begin, the main game is open in terms of where the character can go and what they can do. Missions often involved dealing with the Planet Fusion threat, while others were more personal to the NPCs.

Subscription[]

Main article: Subscription

FusionFall originally had a paid subscription of $10 US a month[3] when it was first released. However, on April 19, 2010, the game was made completely free, giving all players the ability to access all missions, Nanos, items, and locations.

End of Service[]

For years, you've worked with the stars of the Cartoon Network Universe to stop the tyranny of Lord Fuse and his minions. Thanks to you, this corner of the world is safe again!

On Thursday, August 29, FusionFall will close for the last time, and we're going out in style! Join us for one last FusionFall Free-for-All, starting Friday, August 23. Your wildest dreams will come true, as you'll be granted nearly unlimited funds and elevated to level 36!

The Cartoon Network Games team would like to thank you for the years of gaming fun we've had together. Although this battle is over, the war continues in FusionFall Heroes. Please join us there, and stick around for more awesome Cartoon Network Games in the future![4]

On August 23, 2013, Cartoon Network announced that the game's availability would end on the 29th of August, 2013. During the final week, all players were given infinite funds and maxed-out levels.

System requirements[]

This is a list of system requirements for FusionFall. Computers who can't meet the minimal requirements are either sporadic, slow, or just do not work at all. An FAQ about system requirements and other technical aspects of FusionFall can be found here.

Minimum requirements[]

The primary requirements for FusionFall are as follows

  • OS: Windows XP/Vista/7, Mac OS X 10.4 or higher
  • Input: Mouse/Keyboard, Rumblepad 2, Xbox 360 controller, or PS2 controller
  • Screen Resolution: 1280 x 1024 x32
  • Web Browser: Safari 3, 4,or 5,or 6
  • Internet Explorer 6, 7, 8, or 9, Firefox 3, 4, or 5, and Google Chrome

Pixel shading[]

Microsoft Windows XP (Service Pack 3)[]

  • Pentium 4, 2.0 GHz or better
  • 2 GB of System Memory/RAM
  • DX9 Compliant Video Card with support for Shaders Version 2.0, 256 MB VRAM
  • Direct Sound Compliant Audio Card
  • Monitor that supports a resolution of 1280x1024x32
  • 2+ GB free hard drive space

Mac OS X 10.5, 10.6, or 10.7 (Leopard, Snow Leopard, or Lion)[]

  • Intel-based 2.4 GHz processor or better
  • 2 GB System Memory/RAM
  • Nvidia or ATI video card
  • 1280 x 1024 x 32 resolution monitor
  • 2 GB free hard drive space
Minimum[]
  • Microsoft Windows XP (Service Pack 2) or Vista
    • Pentium 4, 1.4 GHz or equivalent.
    • 512 MB System Memory
    • DX9 Compliant Video Card with support for Shaders Version 1.1, 64 MB VRAM
    • Direct Sound Compliant Audio Card
    • Monitor that supports a resolution of 1024x768x32
    • 2 GB Free Harddrive Space
  • Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)
    • Intel-based 2.0 GHz processor or better
    • 512 MB System Memory/RAM
    • Nvidia or ATI video card
    • 1024 x 768 x32 resolution monitor
    • 1 GB free hard drive space

Development[]

FusionFall was created as part of Cartoon Network's growth initiative to expand their business online,[5] and originally went by the name Cartoon Network MMOG, as shown in an early trailer.  First announced in mid-2007 at San Diego Comic-Con,[6] FusionFall was set for release in Summer 2008, but was delayed until January 14, 2009.[7] Initially, the game required a paid subscription to play. However, the game became free-to-play on April 19, 2010.[8] The game featured elements and characters from many Cartoon Network original series, redesigned in an anime style by Midori Foo. After five years of operation, the game closed down on August 29, 2013.

FusionFall started development around April 2006, but the project was trying to get green lit for about four years before this. Various U.S. companies were met with for the creation of the game, but eventually Grigon Entertainment was chosen. As Chris Waldron describes, this was because of the variety of games produced in Korea in contrast to the West, and the style of media Grigon had. [9] When it came to the character designs, some of the characters were made older to be more in line with the demographics of the game.[10]

Beta Testing[]

FusionFall Beta Registration Ad

FusionFall beta registration advertisement

FusionFall had multiple 'sneak peek' weekends up to its release where players briefly got to experience the game.[11][12] A beta test for FusionFall was ran on December 28, 2008,[13][14][15] with the full game launching a few weeks later.

Music[]

The music for FusionFall is composed by Seth Podowitz. Some of the music was released for download on the official website, but said downloads are no longer available due to the game's shutdown. A full playlist of the music tracks used in FusionFall can be found here.

Cast[]

Reception[]

The game has a 75% on Metacritic, 7/10 on MMORPG.com, and 4/5 on Common Sense Media. IGN gave the game a 7/10, stating that while the game isn't as high-tier as other MMOs released at the time (namely World of Warcraft and Warhammer Online), its mechanics made it streamlined and more accessible for younger audiences.[16] The game also received a 7 from MMORPG.com.[17]

Videos[]

Trivia[]

  • Not much merchandise was created for the franchise. The most significant of it was distributed during the 2007 Comic Con, which included a shirt, a mousepad, the FusionFall: Worlds Collide manga, a bouncy ball based on a Fusion Spawn, a messenger bag, and other items.
  • According to a tweet by George Krstic, one of the writers for FusionFall: Worlds Collide, during the development of FusionFall, there were early talks about creating a feature film based on the IP.
  • FusionFall appeared in the pilot episode of the Cartoon Network live-action series Tower Prep under the title of "Adventure Quest", and had a different UI from the actual game.

See also[]

References[]

  1. Used in FusionFall trailers, and in the FusionFall game guide.
  2. (4.23.2010) Wayback Machine - FusionFall Game Details/Frequently Asked Questions
  3. (5.27.2010) Wayback Machine - FusionFall Community/News
  4. http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/forums/thread.jspa?threadID=84174&tstart=0
  5. "This MMOG is a key part of Cartoon Network's growth strategy, and is an important complement to our mobile, broadband and our existing online business" - Jim Samples - gameindustry.biz - "Cartoon Network to develop MMO with Grigon Entertainment"
  6. Anime Superhero - "TZ @ SDCC: Cartoon Network Universe: "FusionFall" MMORPG Details"
  7. (12.08.2010) Wayback Machine - Community/News/"FusionFall Officially Launches"
  8. (5.4.2010) Wayback Machine - FusionFall Community/News - "FusionFall is Free Today!"
  9. Gamasutra - "Q&A: Waldron Talks Cartoon Network FusionFall MMO"
  10. "In the Cartoon Network Universe, some of the characters are "aged up" a bit to bring them all into the same basic age-range of the target audience. That’s why Dexter looks a bit different." - GameZebo - "Interview with Rich Weil, FusionFall/But the characters don’t look like Ben or Dexter!"
  11. (12.11.2010) Wayback Machine - FusionFall.com/Community/News/page 8
  12. Inside Mac Games News: FusionFall: New Trailer, Upcoming Sneak Peak Free Play
  13. (12.08.2008) Wayback Machine - FusionFall.com/Community/News
  14. [1]
  15. [2]
  16. IGN.com - Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall Review (Page 3)
  17. Fusion Fall Review - MMORPG.com

External links[]

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