<s>
Mischief	B-Application
Makers	I-Application
,	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
as	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
side-scrolling	O
platform	O
game	O
developed	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
gaming	B-Device
console	I-Device
by	O
Treasure	O
,	O
and	O
published	O
in	O
1997	O
by	O
Enix	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
internationally	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
assumes	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
Marina	B-Application
Liteyears	I-Application
,	O
a	O
robotic	O
maid	O
who	O
journeys	O
to	O
rescue	O
her	O
creator	O
,	O
Professor	B-Application
Theo	I-Application
,	O
from	O
the	O
emperor	O
of	O
Planet	O
Clancer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
first	O
2D	O
side-scrolling	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Treasure	O
's	O
first	O
release	O
for	O
a	O
Nintendo	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mischief	B-Application
Makers	I-Application
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Video	O
game	O
journalists	O
appealed	O
for	O
its	O
reissue	O
either	O
through	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
eShop	I-Application
or	O
in	O
a	O
sequel	O
or	O
franchise	O
reboot	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2009	O
,	O
GamesRadar	O
called	O
it	O
possibly	O
the	O
most	O
underrated	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mischief	B-Application
Makers	I-Application
is	O
the	O
first	O
single-player	O
2D	O
side-scrolling	O
platform	O
game	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Emperor	O
brainwashes	O
Clancers	O
to	O
kidnap	O
the	O
visiting	O
robotics	O
genius	O
Professor	B-Application
Theo	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Theo	O
's	O
creation	O
,	O
the	O
player-character	O
Ultra-InterGalactic-Cybot	O
G	O
Marina	B-Application
Liteyears	I-Application
,	O
pursues	O
the	O
professor	O
and	O
grabs	O
,	O
throws	O
,	O
and	O
shakes	O
the	O
obstacles	O
in	O
her	O
way	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
enemies	O
,	O
floating	O
"	O
Clanball	O
"	O
platforms	O
,	O
warp	O
stars	O
,	O
and	O
missiles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Treasure	O
began	O
to	O
develop	O
Mischief	B-Application
Makers	I-Application
in	O
mid-1995	O
,	O
before	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
's	O
launch	O
in	O
mid-1996	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
little	O
was	O
known	O
about	O
the	O
prototype	O
console	O
's	O
future	O
final	O
technical	O
specifications	O
,	O
graphics	O
implementation	O
,	O
and	O
development	B-Application
kit	I-Application
,	O
but	O
were	O
nevertheless	O
interested	O
in	O
the	O
console	O
and	O
its	O
improved	O
"	O
pixel	B-Algorithm
quality	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Historically	O
,	O
Treasure	O
developed	O
games	O
exclusively	O
for	O
Sega	O
consoles	O
,	O
which	O
made	O
Mischief	B-Application
Makers	I-Application
its	O
first	O
release	O
for	O
a	O
Nintendo	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Choosing	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
was	O
a	O
hardware-based	O
decision	O
;	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
64	I-Device
Game	I-Device
Pak	I-Device
cartridges	B-Protocol
were	O
more	O
expensive	O
than	O
CD-ROMs	B-Device
,	O
but	O
they	O
loaded	O
data	O
instantly	O
and	O
were	O
thus	O
more	O
conducive	O
for	O
action	B-Application
games	I-Application
such	O
as	O
this	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Treasure	O
CEO	B-Application
Masato	O
Maegawa	O
said	O
that	O
development	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
had	O
a	O
harsher	O
learning	O
curve	O
than	O
even	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
than	O
the	O
special	O
attention	O
required	O
to	O
build	O
a	O
single	O
boss	O
in	O
3D	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
did	O
not	O
use	O
features	O
specific	O
to	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Treasure	O
's	O
founders	O
had	O
come	O
from	O
Konami	O
,	O
where	O
they	O
had	O
worked	O
on	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Castlevania	B-Application
and	O
Contra	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
three	O
years	O
between	O
Treasure	O
's	O
founding	O
and	O
Mischief	O
Makerss	O
development	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
released	O
highly	O
regarded	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Gunstar	O
Heroesknown	O
as	O
"	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
definitive	O
16-bit	B-Application
action	B-Application
games	I-Application
"	O
and	O
Dynamite	B-Application
Headdy	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
average	O
of	O
12	O
people	O
worked	O
on	O
Mischief	B-Application
Makers	I-Application
,	O
with	O
up	O
to	O
15	O
at	O
times	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
the	O
team	O
was	O
different	O
in	O
composition	O
from	O
that	O
of	O
previous	O
Treasure	O
games	O
,	O
it	O
included	O
the	O
lead	O
programmer	O
and	O
character	O
designer	O
from	O
Gunstar	B-Application
Heroes	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Treasure	O
's	O
CEO	B-Application
said	O
that	O
the	O
staff	O
liked	O
to	O
expand	O
into	O
new	O
genres	O
,	O
though	O
primarily	O
in	O
genres	O
where	O
the	O
staff	O
had	O
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
sought	O
to	O
depart	O
from	O
the	O
Gunstar	B-Application
Heroes	I-Application
shoot	O
'	O
em	O
up	O
design	O
,	O
and	O
chose	O
to	O
build	O
Mischief	B-Application
Makers	I-Application
around	O
an	O
original	O
"	O
catching	O
"	O
gameplay	O
mechanic	O
,	O
which	O
became	O
the	O
hardest	O
aspect	O
to	O
implement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
foreign	O
(	O
non-Japanese	O
)	O
aesthetics	O
were	O
popular	O
with	O
other	O
Japanese	O
developers	O
,	O
Treasure	O
's	O
CEO	B-Application
said	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
games	O
did	O
not	O
look	O
"	O
particularly	O
foreign	O
"	O
and	O
could	O
appeal	O
to	O
Japanese	O
audiences	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
publisher	O
sought	O
Treasure	O
for	O
its	O
reputation	O
in	O
the	O
action	B-Application
game	I-Application
genre	O
,	O
and	O
had	O
approached	O
Treasure	O
several	O
times	O
before	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
project	O
surfaced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Treasure	O
CEO	B-Application
Maegawa	O
was	O
already	O
fond	O
of	O
Enix	O
,	O
having	O
applied	O
unsuccessfully	O
to	O
work	O
there	O
as	O
a	O
student	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
choosing	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
,	O
Treasure	O
thought	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
a	O
"	O
good	O
idea	O
"	O
to	O
work	O
with	O
Enix	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similar	O
to	O
how	O
Treasure	O
ended	O
its	O
historic	O
loyalty	O
to	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
by	O
developing	O
Mischief	B-Application
Makers	I-Application
for	O
Nintendo	O
,	O
Enix	O
had	O
just	O
recently	O
ended	O
its	O
historic	O
loyalty	O
to	O
Nintendo	O
by	O
signing	O
Dragon	B-Device
Quest	I-Device
VII	I-Device
of	O
its	O
Dragon	B-Application
Quest	I-Application
franchise	O
to	O
Sony	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mischief	B-Application
Makers	I-Application
was	O
the	O
only	O
game	O
displayed	O
at	O
the	O
Enix	O
booth	O
at	O
the	O
April	O
1997	O
Tokyo	O
Game	O
Show	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Near	O
the	O
Japanese	O
launch	O
,	O
Treasure	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
continue	O
to	O
develop	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
with	O
the	O
Japan-only	O
Bakuretsu	B-Application
Muteki	I-Application
Bangaioh	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
September	O
and	O
later	O
introduced	O
to	O
North	O
America	O
as	O
Bangai-O	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mischief	B-Application
Makers	I-Application
received	O
"	O
mixed	O
or	O
average	O
reviews	O
"	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
video	O
game	O
review	B-Application
aggregator	I-Application
Metacritic	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
"	O
Gold	O
Hall	O
of	O
Fame	O
"	O
score	O
of	O
32/40	O
from	O
Japanese	O
magazine	O
Famitsu	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
added	O
that	O
the	O
puzzles	O
require	O
thought	O
,	O
unlike	O
those	O
in	O
other	O
action	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
objectives	O
were	O
not	O
clear	O
until	O
after	O
the	O
first	O
few	O
levels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Casamassina	O
praised	O
the	O
transparency	O
effects	O
,	O
anti-aliasing	B-Algorithm
,	O
mipmapping	B-Data_Structure
,	O
and	O
scaling	O
rotations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	B-Application
Power	I-Application
said	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
the	O
best	O
side-scroller	O
since	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
World	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Next	O
Generation	O
wrote	O
that	O
"	O
only	O
diehard	O
2D	O
platform	O
fans	O
"	O
would	O
be	O
interested	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
did	O
not	O
meet	O
standards	O
set	O
by	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
64	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
contrast	O
,	O
GameFan	O
said	O
that	O
Mischief	B-Application
Makers	I-Application
did	O
for	O
2D	O
what	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
64	I-Application
did	O
for	O
3D	O
,	O
and	O
suggested	O
that	O
Sega	O
should	O
be	O
influenced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GamePro	O
instead	O
argued	O
that	O
the	O
similarity	O
to	O
Mario	O
is	O
superficial	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
Mischief	B-Application
Makers	I-Application
had	O
carved	O
out	O
its	O
own	O
niche	O
with	O
unique	O
gameplay	O
mechanics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Zachary	O
Miller	O
of	O
Nintendo	O
World	O
Report	O
said	O
that	O
it	O
may	O
be	O
most	O
bizarre	O
and	O
surreal	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
game	O
,	O
but	O
Gamasutras	O
John	O
Harris	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
premise	O
is	O
"	O
only	O
strange	O
to	O
people	O
who	O
have	O
never	O
heard	O
of	O
anime	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
Famitsu	O
reviewers	O
admired	O
Treasure	O
's	O
signature	O
robot	O
designs	O
and	O
were	O
puzzled	O
by	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
choice	O
to	O
use	O
buttons	O
instead	O
of	O
the	O
3D	O
analog	B-Device
stick	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
compared	O
the	O
Calina	O
character	O
to	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
Shadow	O
Mario	O
in	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
Sunshine	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
O'Neill	O
wrote	O
that	O
the	O
intricate	O
controls	O
were	O
"	O
the	O
antithesis	O
of	O
a	O
friendly	O
,	O
approachable	O
,	O
and	O
intuitive	O
platformer	O
"	O
because	O
they	O
used	O
every	O
button	O
on	O
the	O
controller	O
(	O
including	O
the	O
directional	B-Device
pad	I-Device
)	O
,	O
though	O
he	O
said	O
that	O
players	O
who	O
persevered	O
through	O
the	O
difficult	O
controls	O
would	O
find	O
them	O
"	O
inventive	O
and	O
unique	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
added	O
that	O
the	O
complex	O
controls	O
allowed	O
for	O
experimentation	O
that	O
led	O
to	O
new	O
and	O
fun	O
gameplay	O
,	O
and	O
though	O
the	O
throwing	O
enemies	O
mechanic	O
seemed	O
to	O
follow	O
from	O
Gunstar	B-Application
Heroes	I-Application
,	O
the	O
Clanball	O
platforming	O
was	O
unintuitive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
John	O
Harris	O
of	O
Gamasutra	O
wrote	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
borrowed	O
other	O
elements	O
from	O
Gunstar	B-Application
Heroes	I-Application
,	O
with	O
similar	O
protagonists	O
,	O
collectible	O
gems	O
,	O
and	O
bosses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Harris	O
also	O
put	O
Marina	O
's	O
"	O
grab	O
"	O
in	O
a	O
lineage	O
of	O
Treasure	O
's	O
signature	O
counterattack	O
mechanics	O
(	O
where	O
a	O
player	O
can	O
escape	O
an	O
attack	O
with	O
a	O
well-timed	O
button	O
press	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
he	O
extrapolated	O
out	O
to	O
counterattacks	O
in	O
Viewtiful	B-Application
Joe	I-Application
and	O
Soul	B-Application
Calibur	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sushi-X	O
of	O
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
added	O
that	O
the	O
technique	O
of	O
looking	O
for	O
a	O
boss	O
's	O
weak	O
spot	O
was	O
similar	O
to	O
Metroid	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gamasutras	O
John	O
Harris	O
noted	O
its	O
"	O
tremendous	O
variety	O
"	O
in	O
gameplayfrom	O
a	O
Track	B-Application
&	I-Application
Field	I-Application
remake	O
to	O
outrunning	O
a	O
missile	O
barrageas	O
rare	O
for	O
2D	O
platformers	O
,	O
and	O
commented	O
that	O
"	O
it	O
is	O
obvious	O
that	O
Treasure	O
poured	O
their	O
hearts	O
into	O
this	O
game	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Peter	O
Bartholow	O
of	O
GameSpot	O
summarized	O
Mischief	B-Application
Makers	I-Application
as	O
"	O
a	O
good	O
game	O
that	O
will	O
leave	O
players	O
wanting	O
more	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
frequent	O
reuse	O
of	O
a	O
small	O
selection	O
of	O
titles	O
,	O
objects	O
,	O
sound	O
effects	O
,	O
soundtracks	O
,	O
and	O
bland	O
backgrounds	O
(	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
"	O
impressive	O
"	O
boss	O
battle	O
animations	O
and	O
effects	O
)	O
led	O
GameSpots	O
Bartholow	O
to	O
suggest	O
that	O
Mischief	B-Application
Makers	I-Application
was	O
limited	O
by	O
its	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
space	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Video	O
game	O
journalists	O
from	O
sources	O
such	O
as	O
GamesRadar	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
World	O
Report	O
cited	O
Mischief	B-Application
Makers	I-Application
as	O
suited	O
for	O
reissue	O
either	O
through	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
eShop	I-Application
or	O
in	O
a	O
sequel	O
or	O
franchise	O
reboot	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Retro	O
Gamer	O
placed	O
the	O
"	O
masterpiece	O
of	O
mayhem	O
"	O
80th	O
on	O
its	O
list	O
of	O
"	O
essential	O
"	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
games	O
for	O
its	O
"	O
unbridled	O
quality	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2009	O
,	O
GamesRadar	O
called	O
it	O
"	O
possibly	O
the	O
most	O
underrated	O
and	O
widely	O
ignored	O
"	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
years	O
since	O
,	O
Retro	O
Gamer	O
reported	O
Mischief	B-Application
Makers	I-Application
as	O
a	O
somewhat	O
rare	O
collectible	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
rarity	O
score	O
of	O
7/10	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
website	O
wrote	O
that	O
Mischief	B-Application
Makers	I-Application
was	O
received	O
poorly	O
because	O
players	O
wanted	O
3D	O
instead	O
of	O
2D	O
gameplay	O
in	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Marina	O
reappeared	O
as	O
an	O
unlockable	O
character	O
in	O
Treasure	O
's	O
1999	O
Rakugaki	B-Application
Showtime	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2023	O
,	O
the	O
Smash	O
Remix	O
fan	O
mod	O
for	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
added	O
her	O
as	O
a	O
playable	O
character	O
in	O
version	O
1.3.0	O
.	O
</s>
