Bro it's just a flash game it can't be that good

[@blazerprototype8930]

Honestly, looking at it in retrospect, MNOG didn't have any reason to be as amazing as it was. But everyday since I'm glad that we had a flash game that tried it's hardest to be more than what it was. It wasn't just an interactive advertisement for a bunch of plastic figurines, it was a tale of hardship and courage, of destiny and unity. It's audience may have been children but the story of Bionicle didn't treat them like idiots, it wanted to give them something that they could latch onto and hold in their minds for years. Something that I think could not be topped by any other toyline, Lego or otherwise. We were more lucky than we realized and I'll always appreciate Bionicle because of it.

[@theghostinthemachine]

It didn't treat us as idiots- it tried to hold it's audience to a higher standard of storytelling then is given to most child's playthings. It succeed.

[@hilariousskullnamedcatzo647]

Actually it had too, since Bionicle was made during the years Lego almost went bankrupt, they needed Bionicle to succeed, so a good flash game that builds onto the world needed to be amazing

[@blazerprototype8930]

@@theghostinthemachine Hell yes it did.

[@xXx_Regulus_xXx]

it was made by Templar Studios if I'm remembering right, do they still exist?

[@quote6013]

​@@xXx_Regulus_xXxseems like they haven't made anything, the website provides old product tie in games, the twitters last post was 3 years ago, and the wiki page is dormant

[@alvarez332]

Lego: "It's just a fucking toyline, dont get too complex with it, kids dont care" Greg: *_WORD?_*

[@ArsonBoy5996]

I'm legitimately sad I'll never have the same sense of wonder and discovery that I had playing this game for the first time as a child, we didn't know how good we had it

[@essengerbionicle]

With games like this I like to wait a very long time before playing them again so i can experience a sliver of that again

[@dave2.077]

damn

[@DCG909]

​@@essengerbionicle It's unfortunate I've got a photographic memory... Most things I like I can only truly watch once and then I know the beats of the story and text 5 minutes before it happens again. I don't recall playing this before, maybe a minute or two, but I would have remembered the boxor. Might give it a go in the future.

[@marcusaaronliaogo9158]

@@essengerbioniclewhat is the music in the video?

[@andrumcawesome9]

Let the good times fly ❤️😭

[@amunra69]

The wildest thing was that this kept all our interest despite being released incrementally and there being no Twitter or central social media to announce updates. My 6 year old self just kept checking in each week on my own to see if the dudes had finished mining the tunnel yet.

[@doomspud6302]

That was the best part! That feeling when you found something new was amazing. And, it meant that you couldn't just rush through the whole thing in one sitting. The reason we remember it all so well is because we played it over months, instead of an hour.

[@RedBonkleMan8534]

“I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them.” The Golden Days of Bionicle 2001-2003

[@mr30u79]

For me, I grew up with it during the 2006-2008 era, but I remember playing MNOG on the Bionicle website and being completely enamored with it. Very few things can evoke nostalgia like this game.

[@ianhorvath5791]

It's wild that I wasn't even a toddler yet in those years and I still have nostalgic memories for this game

[@alexandreclement9399]

Lego flash games were unbelievably good Orient Expedition in my heart forever

[@essengerbionicle]

i completely forgot about OE that was an absolute gem as well

[@kerianhalcyon2769]

Anybody else remember that weird Technic/Mindstorms game that they made where the character's a janitor on a ship that crashes onto an uncharted planet in the solar system, and they have to send commands to their cool robots to go explore the uncharted wilderness and crash sites in order to place a rescue beacon in orbit? Whoever was in charge of coordinating and suggesting all these games was a genius.

[@smallboyahoy]

@@kerianhalcyon2769do you remember the name? That sounds awesome

[@kerianhalcyon2769]

@@smallboyahoy I'd have to go and investigate, might take a while. I used to know because I played the game religiously until completion as a kid, and it more or less helped awaken a love of scifi when I was younger.

[@KamiCatzee]

How about Lego Mars Mission? I think it was like an RTS game.

[@johnwalker1058]

Doc: "I'm so sorry, but due to your advanced stage cancer, you only have about 2-3 minutes left to live." Me: *watches this video* *dies happy*

[@Likonan]

As long as we're around to remember them, they will never die.

[@BlitzkriegOmega]

Tell the tale, Preserve the literature, Keep circulating the tapes. There was always a new generation that can be enamored the same way we were back in the time before time.

[@darkghor6372]

I'll admit it, when the game ended when I played it as a child, I cried because I was sad I couldn't live on Mata Nui with them. Kinda like "Post-Avatar Depression" after people left the theater in 2009, wishing they could live on Pandora. You just wish you could live there, and you feel sad that that reality is never coming.

[@doktawhawee9870]

Most kid's toy lore: You must team up and stop the evil Dr. Dark from spreading evil! Bionicle lore:

[@luddsen8314]

It’s odd that the fight scenes here were better than they were in the movies, where they didn’t dodge a single attack.

[@luddsen8314]

Also, love is canon! ❤️

[@essengerbionicle]

those poor matoran got absolutely bodied

[@marcusaaronliaogo9158]

This game is peak art form with the best use of the limitations of flash and made the best atmosphere of discovery.

[@coolbionicle]

Quite literally using the limitations to rheir advantage!

[@stuarts9521]

This moves me not just because of the nostalgia, but also because it is so apparent that LEGO put so much passion, creativity, and wonder into this first year, and it’s so readily apparent. These weren’t robots; they were biomechanical, with heart and soul, and complex designs that still capture the imagination today. Healthy or not, I haven’t gone a month without listening to the MNOG soundtrack at the gym, just to experience a tiny fraction of that wonderful dopamine it produced more than two decades ago. Thanks for your content my man!

[@ianhorvath5791]

Do you have a link to the soundtrack that you listen to?

[@stuarts9521]

@@ianhorvath5791 This might not be what you're looking for, but this is the playlist I generally listen to when I'm feeling the MNOG mood. It's the most complete and least compressed that I've found, but it's not 'cd quality', but that hardly detracts from it IMHO. kzbin.info/aero/PLUPGCsWJPPmJkbP0b0VYA_AC8KzVEvry6 I recall reading somewhere that the original composer of the MNOG/MNOGII soundtrack lost the hard drive on which they were stored, so it's lost media unless someone recreates it.

[@wowdisgoodfuf8598]

I’m sad that I never got to experience much of Bionicle lore until I saw the movies as a kid, but experiencing it all as an adult was amazing because of that I think

[@essengerbionicle]

i think it would be interesting discovering it for the first time as an adult

[@SlapStyleAnims]

Same here. I was only getting into Bionicle in like 2010 since I was too young to experience it earlier than that

[@wowdisgoodfuf8598]

I had plenty of the actual toys as a child but knew nothing about the actual stories behind the characters or anything like that

[@godofnewts5750]

@@essengerbioniclecan confirm that it is

[@purplehaze2358]

"Game stories can't be good." Meanwhile, a game's story:

[@dafoex]

Not a story. A Legend.

[@ossianback]

The ending scene with the flowers always made me wistful. God I love this franchise.

[@lololol924]

Where are those scenes from? I didnt know there was Bohrock saga content?

[@smallboyahoy]

@@lololol924the mata nui online animations, I think

[@lololol924]

@@smallboyahoy the game? That only covered 2001 era content and didn't go into the bohrock

[@neinja66469]

​@@lololol924there were more animations shortly after

[@HunhowsShadowStalker]

​@@lololol924They're from the Bohrok Animations, which were short videos in the style of MNOG.

[@zaxitron2714]

It’s not just a flash game it’s a piece in a puzzle to the greatest Lego theme This is the story of Bionicle

[@mattguy1773]

its the best flash game ever made

[@Levitz9]

I was there. I was there when Takua took his first steps on the shores of Mata Nui. I was there when there when Gali protected her people from the rahi. I was there when Pohatu raced back into the desert, the infected Comets no longer an issue for his people. I was there when the braves of Le-Koro rode against the rahi swarms, and when Lewa struggled against an infected Kanohi. I was there when Kopaka appeared before us in the blizzard. I never got to finish my journey with Takua. But I was there. I know that sandy shore. I know those winding caves. I know those rivers of lava. It would be nice to go back someday.

[@tborke]

This game and Bionicle in general still live rent-free in my head and experiencing MNOG as a kid and again as an adult is a big reason for that. Thank you for this trip back to the good times :3

[@RetroidsMusic]

Ill Always be Happy knowing i existed at the same time as all of this.

[@justsomefox8910]

As someone who’s never experienced that game before, this video alone was enough to make me start shedding tears

[@BlitzkriegOmega]

There should be an easy to access repository of The old schoolastic books, movies, and flash games. A place that we can direct those curious enough to enter the fandom to really immerse themselves. Discover the world the same way we did back in 2001

[@SR-388]

@@BlitzkriegOmega but there is! biomedia project has pretty much everything, the comics, the movies, the books, the music, the games. and especially mnog

[@Raidmasterprod]

This might be better than the movies.

[@MrAbgeBrandt]

This was wonderful. Felt absolute goosebumps when the Ta-Matoran guard came to the fight at Kini-Nui. And Maku + Huki and Jala + Hahli are totally together.

[@gmsniperll9804]

I love this game

[@SlapStyleAnims]

Same

[@jessebeegee]

i just want the plastic warriors to know peace

[@kerianhalcyon2769]

The only thing I wish that Lego had done more was make multiple chapter sequels for the Mata Nui Online Game to give people more reasons to explore the island we've all grown to love. I love the Bohrok animations, but I wish I could have lived them like how I lived the Quest for the Masks. Still, I'm thankful for what we got in the end. This game was the best part of my young childhood. I remember taking time out of my day to go visit the local Library just so I could play this game whenever I could, so I got to watch firsthand as the game slowly developed, adding chapter after chapter over the weeks and months leading to its finale. It's still on my bucket list to someday try and recreate this amazing game that every one of us fans loves.

[@geekydude9149]

Truly a work of art. I didn't get to play it when it came out because I was pretty much a baby. Fortunately, I got to play it thanks to the biomediaproject. It's awesome to be part of the Bionicle community because so many creative and passionate people keep creating visuals, videos, MOCs. Bionicle has never really died in my opinion, the fandom truly keeps on carrying the Legend of the Bionicle through so many content creators like you, it's heartwarming.

[@alexanderberrones2165]

it’s not good it’s the greatest

[@DragonaxFilms]

It's incredible to me that LEGO was able to pull off such good animation in an ancient version of Flash. It's perfectly stylized to look good while still being very limited and minimalist.

[@Matoro464]

i miss bionicle

[@Xaxerix]

A true beauty. Been bugging a good friend of mine recently about Bionicle and how good it is. Reccomended a couple sets for him to pick up along with checking out the flash game. Very happy to have gotten yet another friend of mine into this beautiful theme.

[@dtinagliastudios]

It's always odd explaining to people that my favorite video game is a point and click detective flash game from 2001

[@pencilwatchesstuff791]

This is what I saw when I ate food cooked by a mouse.

[@Trinidall]

I've been playing MNOG since 2007 and every year I played through it again at least once, till last year I was too busy with crazy life events that I had no time for any games. This has inspired me to start the tradition again 💙

[@2006Mercury]

I FORGOT ABOUT IT AMAZING

[@Bee_Tea_Sea]

There is a great sovl that comes with the flash of old. It is an era gone now only to be fondly remembered like this here, its all we can do now is look back and remember with a smile

[@Rinesmyth]

I was a fool back then. All I played was the Dino Attack flash game

[@Amphibian42]

comments about the video are unneeded, we both know it's quality, but, i do have to say, that music is so good.

[@essengerbionicle]

The song is from a movie called Minari, I HIGHLY recommend it

[@Amphibian42]

@@essengerbionicle thank you!!

[@SolarFlareAmerica]

Maybe when we die, we go there. Probably not, but hey, why not right? They were our friends too, and we miss them.

[@grimbeasties5313]

I don't know if anything will capture the magic that bionicle had, but seeing so many people keeping the spirit and memory of it alive gives me hope for what people will one day create in the future.

[@doktawhawee9870]

In our lifetimes? Maybe there will be something that has the magic, but ultimately, that's what makes it magical: It's one of a kind. And perhaps, to not squander it, we should cherish it rather than hope to endlessly bring it back with deminishing returns.

[@afurhat4726]

Youre right, it isnt that good...its that perfect

[@citrusjuicebox]

Even ignoring the platform, I think MNOG is easily one of the best point-and-click adventure games ever made. It did so much with so little, not just in terms of game assets, but also how much LEGO actually supported the project. Templar Studio created an absolute masterpiece with literally canonical leftovers that basically framed and defined the narrative and aesthetic for the apex of Bionicle storytelling. After MNOG 2, when the characters first spoke in Mask of Light, and Tony Wedgewood was no longer the only human voice in Bionicle media, something beautiful ended.

[@KeruToL]

I started playing through this game for the first time today.

[@Kraanox]

This reminds me of how much of a moron I was, all I did for like an hour every other day was collect shells and flax to sell for widgets, got bored, didn't play for a while, and then came back and realised you were supposed to fix the bridge and, you know, play the actual rest of the game.

[@mathewhaight]

You need to stop doing this to me. I am here for the laughs not the feels.

[@picklechin3061]

You gon make me cry

[@edward18517]

Checking my messages on here I thought this video's title was a reply to me from somebody on some video's comment's section. I was about to go off so hard XD Yeah, it's a Flash Game, but it's the absolute best damn Flash Game there ever was. Getting to live the adventures, see the communities of the island, help out the Toa, rollercoaster into that climax that's sort of ported over from the never-to-be Computer Game, and realize that the guy you're playing as at the end is the same guy from the Gameboy Advance game establishing Takua as essentially the main character of the original years as you see him develop into a hero himself. It's not only just a great Flash Game, it's one of the greatest experiences I've ever had.

[@wrrrwrrr872]

I played this game, as a kid who didnt know any English. I remember i was stuck in some cave for very long time lmao

[@bestshadow6585]

That's how I felt as a kid in MNOG II XD MNOG at least had a german translation, but not the second game

[@bestshadow6585]

I still love the flash games till this day and have so many memories with it. When I was a very young kid, I was only allowed to play for 30 min on PC and I had to play this game so often, that I managed it one time to beat it in about 30 min. I once went to the telescope because I had nothing to do and fell asleep to the sounds. When Taipu managed to break through the wall to create a road to Le-Koro, I was so happy seeing the light pouring in. I started actually learning the Matoran Alphabet, so I could easier find the ways in the game. The fight between Onua and Lewa is still awesome till this day. The first time I reached the snow storm area of Mount Ihu to find Matoro... man the struggles XD The battles of Kini Nui of the Matoran and Toa were just awesome. And the ending... god. I remember the first time reaching it and I loved the sounds of the music and firework so much I just sat there as long as I could XD This game is just so damn legendary, I love it. I wanted to play MNOG 1.5 too, but I never found a full version, even on BMP back then. Not sure if it's finished now and MNOG 2 I still play sometimes if I just want to travel and grind/craft stuff :)

[@andromeda_va39]

Just beat it. I was really little when Bionicle was in its golden age, so I didn't play this as a child, but playing it for the first time now was still amazing. Mata Nui is now safe from the threat of the Rahi, but I fear I/Takua may have awoken a greater danger. Which I found multiple hints at by reading the Matoran script throughout the game. "Wake one and you wake them all" was written just outside of Le-Koro, and "Beware the swarm" in Ko-Wahi.

[@notflygonas]

mnog peak flash tbh,,,

[@Garmagic2yFhenrakh9]

I wish I had played it when it came out but I didn't know how to speak in English at the time. Thank god Biomedia Project rescued this game when I learned

[@blaster915]

Honestly, the best Bionicle game in nostalgia. Thank you so much for sharing the link. I had long thought it was a treasure lost to time 🥺❤

[@YasaiTsume]

I have felt before, I can feel again.

[@drunkfellow959]

To be fair, most flash games are good, but this is the best

[@psychicpotatoboy]

Anyone here heard of that indie project Bionicles Masks of Power?

[@watsedhaene]

The sound effects are burnt into my memory

[@jackgirard7289]

I felt this in my soul. Real hiraeth going on.

[@Cadrua]

I'm convinced sometimes that word was made specifically for bionicle

[@jackgirard7289]

@@Cadrua Agreed

[@justanother19yearold]

I don’t know if I’m in the minority here, but I can’t believe people like Bionicle movies when THIS exists. This is what the movies should’ve been

[@koryaiine7393]

Some toys just had so much heart poured into them. Bionicle will never fail to amaze me with its lore and beautiful stories like this one.

[@PraxsisTheForgotten]

I was only 3 when the Mata first landed, missing out on the sets and never had a computer to play the games... but with this video, i feel like i can still be a part of them. We'll never forget the adventures and journeys we had and MADE ourselves... who knew little bits of plastic would bring so much joy and community... and i love every moment. Thank you for this ^-^ And congratulations on making the big time Essenger, cant wait to see what you and Cryoshell create next!

[@endertronicinc.7463]

I legitimately forgot jailer and hewkii both got GF's lol. Even funnier that Hahli became a Toa with them

[@Chronicler177]

One of the first bits of storytelling that stuck with me, made me obsessed with Bionicle, and shaped my storytelling forever. God what a time. What a special, unique, unduplicatable time.

[@lewa3910]

Gathered friends. Let us enjoy once again, the tale, of the Matanui Online Game.

[@saulgoodman442]

Its more then a flash game

[@vthesnail]

Mnog was basically the first game I ever played. And while I didn't quite understand what was going on since I was so young, its memory has never left me since.

[@NigelShrekberry]

Not just a flash game but THE flash game

[@browncow5210]

Great memories here. This game helped define early 2000s internet.

[@caoimhinmccann4449]

And what a game it is.

[@creativekid95]

I recently did research into this game and the visuals never cease to amaze me every time. And this was a Flash game. Such a tribute to animation and storytelling. I wish they would have made animations for the other years in this medium.

[@timetoa2000]

Love is canon! That part was giving me goosebumps with the song playing

[@jimbo1722]

That cutscenes are beyond top notch quality oml

[@vincentpey3929]

This really hits me in the feels...

[@LaggyKar]

I didn't play MNOG until this year, but I'd been missing out. It really made the island of Mata Nui feel alive

[@heartlessnobody1143]

Bionicle was already over when i first saw the movies, and i didnt undertood anything from them, and given bionicle wasnt even sold in my country as far as im aware, i never even got the chance to know about it until about a year ago, i respect all of the people who made and still make content about this franchise, because to me, its still the first time. Godspeed gentlemen

[@liser]

Well this made me replay the game for the first time in decades, thanks for that LOL! Though I think what makes this set of stories engaging is these aren't the heroes of the story, just the people caught in the middle. It's so interesting to me that the writing/promotional team put so much time and effort into tell the story of the villages and stuff, to make the island of Mata-nui feel like an actual place. The borok swarms story in particular I think works REALLY well too because we get to see just how much damage their doing. It does a lot to explain the stakes of the conflict and in many ways grounds the heroes of the story (the Toa) by showing their not omnipresent and how the Toa really can't be everywhere at once. Just man, good stuff.

[@iamkablam8096]

I’m so grateful I got to experience the Bionicle craze at the very beginning. To a lot of people, it’a just a line of Lego toys but to me, it was an incredibly immersive experience. You could feel the love put into the design, the lore, the games, and the music ❤️❤️❤️

[@EricTheCleric93]

Wow talk about unlocking a forgotten memory.

[@SmellyNerd]

I love you Essenger this was beautiful

[@franciscoledee-shave9095]

Ah I have Chills. I remember how amazing it was playing this on my dad's computer when he worked late.

[@azvdcrafts6147]

I think this one really deserves a remaster. One with 4K 2D animation, with increased frames, a remastered ost and voice acting. Is it asking too much?

[@essengerbionicle]

There is a chance I may jump at doing an audio remaster of the entire game but that is pretty ambitious because there are 642 sound effects in the game and a lot of songs

[@azvdcrafts6147]

@@essengerbionicle plus the voice acting. Damn, that's a lot of work...

[@essengerbionicle]

@@azvdcrafts6147 oh probably not with voices i think that would ruin the vibe

[@Abdul-zz2vn]

It's surprising how well this game holds up just shows how innovative talent will stand the rest of time even 20 years later there's such an active community for a silly bio mechanical toy line

[@magwen9]

It makes me glad to have kept all the files of this game!

[@xJohnnyBloodx]

it was just like growing up. The world was mysterious, yet simple at the same time. All that mattered was the here and now, no past or future to worry about, no distant lands. And as we grew up, the story got as complicated as our lives.

[@KnotsOfWonders]

My 8yo mind was blown away by the scope of the game and being able to explore all the different places, the simplistic art style and cinematography also reminded me a lot of Samurai Jack as well. 1:37 Now I'm 30 and am also blown away by the fact that someone managed to make such a fleshed out adventure game on a flash player. Also cringing at the phone bill I racked up for my mom because I was playing on dial-up 😬

[@rejectclone4504]

I really wish I could have experienced playing the flash games as a kid, but sadly I was literally too young (like.... one year old 😅😭) but hey, I'm glad that I finally got into Bionicle as a young adult now! I might not have the same feeling of wonder when playing/watching the flash games like other folks, but hey I'm still blown away by the lovely clean-cut art direction and the overall charm of the flash games! 💕

[@brandon.tate77]

Thank goodness for the BioMedia Project for preserving this and all sorts of other amazing pieces of Bionicle lore. I still love booting up MNOG to this day! 🤘😭

[@nautilusnotasquid]

MAN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BORN EARLIER BECAUSE I MISSED IT AND ONLY KNOW I CAN ENJOY IT. Also DAMN THE RAMA NUI LEVEL WAS HARD

[@binary1045]

Older flash games in general just hit different

[@TheSpectralFX]

Man, I remember collecting the comics for these.

[@RedStar441]

As paradoxical as it might sound, Bionicle didn't need the toys to be one what it is now.

[@EmperorOfTheScrubs]

This game and the Toa Metru promo CDs were peak bionicle

[@GreatFox42]

why did it take so long for me to see this The MNOLG is the unsung hero of the franchise IMO. I think it was vital to Bionicle's early success, because it was easily accessible, both in the commercial sense (didn't need to buy it like the books, just an internet connection) and in the lore sense. Playing as an amnesiac matoran whose job is to _chronicle_ all the events going on was _brilliant._ Sure, the amnesiac player cliche was common even back then, but there's a very good reason it's used so much. It makes it very easy for the player to be introduced to the world and have its concepts explained to them. And the MNOLG did a fantastic job of introducing not just the lore, but Mata Nui as a place. Emulating Myst's style of gameplay was a brilliant way to make the player feel even more connected to all the characters they would meet and help out along their journey. It also had _really_ good music and a phenomenal art style and animation (by the standards of of the time at least). And lego knew that, which is why it continued the animations for the next few arcs (and also kept the focus on the Matoran, making sure we still had that connection to the characters we grew to love, and show what's at stake while the Toa were off battling the new threats).

[@DeltaMx94]

I'm not crying, YOU'RE crying...

[@Transformers2Fan1]

*ugly crying* iirc I never finished the one because my computer wouldn't load it right. Damnit, I keep telling myself to go back and reread all the comics and etc... I forget when I trailed off. My brother and I collected *EVERY SINGLE TOY* for absolute ages... rip

[@sebastianpocuch7602]

We did not have internet until 2009 and I learned english around 2012. As a huge bionicle fan since the toa metru toys came out, I am very sad that I did not have the oportunity to experience all the online stuff like flash games when I was a kid. None of my friends had internet either, all we could od was play for a little bit during the school computer classes when teacher was not looking.

[@lorenzolara1148]

There really need to be a cartoon of this franchise.

[@RodsRetroplays]

Good times.

[@-._Radixerus_.-]

Bionicle got so much effort for the same reason Rock Raiders and Johnny Thunder's series did: The adults realized that they loved it too.