<s>
Mata	B-Operating_System
Nui	I-Operating_System
Online	I-Operating_System
Game	I-Operating_System
(	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
Mata	O
Nui	O
Adventure	O
Game	O
or	O
Mata	O
Nui	O
:	O
The	O
Online	O
Game	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
2001	O
point-and-click	O
adventure	O
browser	B-Protocol
game	I-Protocol
developed	O
by	O
Templar	O
Studios	O
to	O
promote	O
the	O
Lego	B-Language
Bionicle	B-Application
line	O
of	O
constructible	O
action	O
figures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
developed	O
and	O
released	O
episodically	O
on	O
the	O
official	O
Bionicle	B-Application
website	O
throughout	O
2001	O
,	O
launching	O
in	O
January	O
and	O
concluding	O
in	O
December	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
cancelation	O
of	O
Lego	B-Application
Bionicle	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Mata	I-Application
Nui	I-Application
,	O
Mata	B-Operating_System
Nui	I-Operating_System
Online	I-Operating_System
Game	I-Operating_System
became	O
the	O
primary	O
vehicle	O
for	O
the	O
2001	O
Bionicle	B-Application
story	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
received	O
awards	O
from	O
the	O
marketing	O
industry	O
,	O
and	O
retrospective	O
reviews	O
have	O
highlighted	O
its	O
expansion	O
of	O
the	O
concept	O
of	O
what	O
Lego-related	O
play	O
can	O
be	O
and	O
its	O
popularity	O
among	O
fans	O
of	O
Bionicle	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mata	B-Operating_System
Nui	I-Operating_System
Online	I-Operating_System
Game	I-Operating_System
is	O
set	O
on	O
the	O
fictional	O
island	O
of	O
Mata	O
Nui	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
divided	O
into	O
six	O
elementally-themed	O
regions	O
:	O
the	O
aquatic	O
region	O
of	O
Ga-Wahi	O
,	O
the	O
jungle	O
region	O
of	O
Le-Wahi	O
,	O
the	O
icy	O
and	O
mountainous	O
region	O
of	O
Ko-Wahi	O
,	O
the	O
subterranean	O
region	O
of	O
Onu-Wahi	O
,	O
the	O
desert	O
region	O
of	O
Po-Wahi	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
volcanic	O
region	O
of	O
Ta-Wahi	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
elements	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
are	O
not	O
officially	O
canon	O
to	O
the	O
Bionicle	B-Application
story	O
,	O
as	O
they	O
were	O
not	O
officially	O
approved	O
by	O
the	O
Bionicle	B-Application
story	O
team	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
regarded	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
major	O
vehicles	O
of	O
the	O
2001-2003	O
Bionicle	B-Application
story	O
and	O
became	O
the	O
primary	O
story	O
medium	O
following	O
the	O
cancellation	O
of	O
the	O
planned	O
PC	O
game	O
Lego	B-Application
Bionicle	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Mata	I-Application
Nui	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mata	B-Operating_System
Nui	I-Operating_System
Online	I-Operating_System
Game	I-Operating_System
is	O
a	O
browser-based	B-Protocol
point-and-click	O
adventure	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
designed	O
to	O
run	O
using	O
Adobe	B-Operating_System
Flash	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
controls	O
Takua	O
,	O
an	O
adventurous	O
villager	O
on	O
the	O
island	O
of	O
Mata	O
Nui	O
;	O
Takua	O
is	O
also	O
the	O
playable	O
character	O
in	O
Lego	B-Language
Bionicle	B-Application
:	O
Quest	O
for	O
the	O
Toa	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
October	O
2001	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Mata	B-Operating_System
Nui	I-Operating_System
Online	I-Operating_System
Game	I-Operating_System
directly	O
follow	O
the	O
ending	O
of	O
Quest	O
for	O
the	O
Toa	O
,	O
and	O
featured	O
as	O
the	O
main	O
character	O
of	O
the	O
2003	O
film	O
Bionicle	B-Application
:	O
Mask	O
of	O
Light	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Peter	O
Mack	O
,	O
the	O
president	O
of	O
Templar	O
Studios	O
,	O
Lego	B-Language
had	O
contacted	O
the	O
team	O
in	O
1999	O
to	O
develop	O
material	O
for	O
their	O
upcoming	O
Bionicle	B-Application
line	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
two	O
companies	O
had	O
worked	O
together	O
on	O
previous	O
projects	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
game	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Lego	B-Application
Mindstorms	I-Application
line	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2000	O
,	O
Templar	O
pitched	O
the	O
idea	O
of	O
an	O
adventure	O
game	O
similar	O
to	O
Myst	B-Application
(	O
1993	O
)	O
that	O
would	O
be	O
set	O
on	O
the	O
island	O
of	O
Mata	O
Nui	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
decision	O
by	O
Lego	B-Language
to	O
split	O
the	O
story	O
across	O
different	O
platforms	O
was	O
an	O
intentional	O
one	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Splitting	O
the	O
story	O
across	O
multiple	O
platforms	O
made	O
it	O
so	O
kids	O
could	O
always	O
learn	O
something	O
new	O
about	O
the	O
story	O
-	O
the	O
focal	O
point	O
of	O
Lego	B-Language
's	O
promotional	O
efforts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mata	B-Operating_System
Nui	I-Operating_System
Online	I-Operating_System
Game	I-Operating_System
was	O
a	O
key	O
part	O
of	O
Lego	B-Language
's	O
aggressive	O
multimedia	O
campaign	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
introduced	O
players	O
to	O
the	O
world	O
of	O
Mata	O
Nui	O
and	O
allowed	O
them	O
to	O
explore	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
cancellation	O
of	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Mata	I-Application
Nui	I-Application
in	O
October	O
2001	O
,	O
the	O
2001	O
Bionicle	B-Application
story	O
was	O
left	O
to	O
be	O
resolved	O
in	O
other	O
outlets	O
,	O
including	O
Mata	B-Operating_System
Nui	I-Operating_System
Online	I-Operating_System
Game	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
updated	O
regularly	O
with	O
new	O
content	O
,	O
which	O
allowed	O
Lego	B-Language
to	O
advance	O
the	O
story	O
of	O
Bionicle	B-Application
throughout	O
the	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lego	B-Language
hoped	O
this	O
approach	O
would	O
allow	O
interest	O
in	O
the	O
line	O
to	O
be	O
maintained	O
throughout	O
its	O
first	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
episode	O
of	O
Mata	B-Operating_System
Nui	I-Operating_System
Online	I-Operating_System
Game	I-Operating_System
was	O
released	O
in	O
January	O
2001	O
;	O
the	O
first	O
sets	O
from	O
the	O
Bionicle	B-Application
toy	O
line	O
itself	O
were	O
not	O
launched	O
until	O
May	O
and	O
June	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
story	O
and	O
setting	O
of	O
Bionicle	B-Application
took	O
inspiration	O
from	O
Polynesian	O
culture	O
and	O
languages	O
,	O
with	O
Māori	O
language	O
and	O
influence	O
being	O
especially	O
prominent	O
through	O
character	O
names	O
,	O
myths	O
,	O
tribal	O
symbols	O
,	O
and	O
rituals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Māori	O
groups	O
had	O
taken	O
particular	O
offense	O
to	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
word	O
Tohunga	O
,	O
which	O
in	O
the	O
Bionicle	B-Application
story	O
referred	O
to	O
the	O
island	O
's	O
ordinary	O
villagers	O
;	O
in	O
the	O
Māori	O
language	O
,	O
the	O
term	O
referred	O
to	O
experts	O
in	O
a	O
specific	O
field	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Māori	O
groups	O
sought	O
to	O
have	O
Lego	B-Language
remove	O
these	O
terms	O
from	O
the	O
toy	O
line	O
and	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lego	B-Language
denied	O
claims	O
of	O
cultural	O
appropriation	O
,	O
with	O
spokeswoman	O
Eva	O
Lykkegaard	O
noting	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
had	O
not	O
attempted	O
to	O
trademark	O
any	O
Māori	O
terms	O
and	O
had	O
only	O
sought	O
a	O
trademark	O
for	O
the	O
word	O
Bionicle	B-Application
,	O
which	O
Lego	B-Language
had	O
created	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
She	O
also	O
said	O
that	O
Lego	B-Language
had	O
attempted	O
to	O
avoid	O
interfering	O
in	O
Māori	O
culture	O
and	O
had	O
only	O
used	O
it	O
as	O
inspiration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Lego	B-Language
ultimately	O
agreed	O
to	O
stop	O
using	O
Tohunga	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
several	O
other	O
words	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
References	O
to	O
the	O
Polynesian	O
gods	O
Rangi	O
and	O
Papa	O
were	O
removed	O
as	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
updated	O
,	O
while	O
re-releases	O
of	O
Mata	B-Operating_System
Nui	I-Operating_System
Online	I-Operating_System
Game	I-Operating_System
removed	O
and	O
replaced	O
"	O
Tohunga	O
"	O
with	O
"	O
Matoran	O
"	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
names	O
for	O
several	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mata	B-Operating_System
Nui	I-Operating_System
Online	I-Operating_System
Game	I-Operating_System
was	O
re-released	O
in	O
2006	O
in	O
downloadable	O
form	O
on	O
the	O
official	O
Bionicle	B-Application
website	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
accompanying	O
narrative	O
guide	O
written	O
by	O
Mark	O
Durham	O
of	O
the	O
Bionicle	B-Application
forum	O
Mask	O
of	O
Destiny	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
later	O
removed	O
from	O
the	O
Bionicle	B-Application
website	O
,	O
but	O
Templar	O
Studios	O
uploaded	O
an	O
official	O
version	O
to	O
their	O
site	O
in	O
April	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
the	O
discontinuation	O
of	O
Adobe	B-Operating_System
Flash	I-Operating_System
in	O
December	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
archived	O
by	O
Flashpoint	O
,	O
a	O
project	O
which	O
aimed	O
to	O
preserve	O
Flash	O
and	O
Shockwave-based	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mata	B-Operating_System
Nui	I-Operating_System
Online	I-Operating_System
Game	I-Operating_System
received	O
awards	O
from	O
the	O
marketing	O
industry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Leah	O
Weston	O
,	O
the	O
senior	O
developer	O
of	O
Bionicle.com,	O
said	O
that	O
Lego	B-Language
was	O
“	O
highly	O
pleased	O
”	O
with	O
Templar	O
's	O
work	O
and	O
noted	O
the	O
site	O
had	O
averaged	O
500,000	O
views	O
a	O
month	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2003	O
,	O
Fast	O
Company	O
highlighted	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
a	O
key	O
part	O
of	O
helping	O
Bionicle	B-Application
become	O
a	O
leader	O
in	O
the	O
toy	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
2011	O
Massachusetts	O
Institute	O
of	O
Technology	O
(	O
MIT	O
)	O
Media	O
in	O
Transition	O
7	O
:	O
Unstable	O
Platforms	O
conference	O
,	O
Aaron	O
Smith	O
cited	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
episodic	O
structure	O
as	O
a	O
reason	O
for	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
the	O
Bionicle	B-Application
website	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
kept	O
players	O
returning	O
for	O
additional	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
,	O
Mata	B-Operating_System
Nui	I-Operating_System
Online	I-Operating_System
Game	I-Operating_System
II	O
:	O
The	O
Final	O
Chronicle	O
,	O
was	O
later	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
2005	O
article	O
for	O
the	O
journal	O
Kritikos	O
,	O
Thorsten	O
Botz-Bornstein	O
noted	O
the	O
game	O
redefined	O
the	O
traditional	O
expectation	O
of	O
Lego	B-Language
play	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
simplest	O
thing	O
in	O
the	O
world	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
cited	O
the	O
confrontation	O
with	O
Makuta	O
,	O
who	O
declares	O
himself	O
incapable	O
of	O
being	O
destroyed	O
as	O
he	O
is	O
"	O
nothing	O
"	O
,	O
as	O
an	O
example	O
of	O
the	O
more	O
spatially	O
abstract	O
,	O
postmodern	O
approach	O
that	O
Bionicle	B-Application
took	O
to	O
the	O
concept	O
of	O
play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2020	O
,	O
Eric	O
Van	O
Allen	O
of	O
USgamer	O
cited	O
the	O
Mata	B-Operating_System
Nui	I-Operating_System
Online	I-Operating_System
Game	I-Operating_System
as	O
a	O
"	O
classic	O
"	O
Flash	B-Protocol
game	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2020	O
,	O
J	O
.	O
Brodie	O
Shirey	O
of	O
Screen	O
Rant	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
has	O
become	O
regarded	O
by	O
many	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
definitive	O
Bionicle	B-Application
experience	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
