Finding Nemo: The Video Game

Developed by	KnowWonder (PC) Vicarious Visions (GBA) Traveller's Tales
Published by	THQ Yuke's (Japan)
Platforms	PC, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox
Release date	May 11, 2003 (PC in North America) May 12, 2003 (other platforms in North America) September 26, 2003 (Europe) December 6, 2003 (Japan)

Finding Nemo: The Video Game is an action-adventure video game released in 2003 by Traveller's Tales. The game is based on the Finding Nemo film by Disney and Pixar.

The goal is to complete different levels under the roles of film protagonists Nemo, Marlin or Dory. It includes cutscenes from the movie and each clip is based on a level, e.g. hopping through a batch of jellyfish. It was also the last Disney/Pixar game developed by Traveller's Tales.

Characters

• Marlin: Marlin is one of the three playable characters in the game. Marlin is a clownfish who bravely journeys through the sea to search for his lost son Nemo, with the help of a forgetful, but friendly fish named Dory.
• Nemo: Nemo is one of the three playable characters in the game. Nemo is taken from his father Marlin by a diver who puts Nemo in a fish tank in his dentist office. Gill and the other tank gang members help Nemo escape the fish tank and find his father.
• Dory: Dory is one of the three playable characters in the game. Dory is a blue tang and she assists Marlin in his journey to find his son Nemo. Dory suffers from short term memory loss, causing her to forget things instantly after she says something.
• Gill: Gill is a moorish idol who is the leader of the tank gang. Gill is determined to get Nemo, the other tank gang members, and himself out of the dentist office and into the ocean. Gill appears in the "Mount Wannahockaloogie", "Training with Gill", and "The Plan" levels.
• Bruce: Bruce is a Great White Shark who appears in the "Minefield" and "Submarine" levels. Bruce invites Marlin and Dory into his submarine for a meeting, but goes into a feeding frenzy when he smells Dory's blood. Bruce, who has just completely lost it, chases after Marlin and Dory, who tries to avoid being eaten by him. Bruce is the only character in the game to have a different voice actor in the movie, being voiced by Jess Harnell rather than Barry Humphries.
• Tank Gang: The tank gang is a group of friendly fish who Nemo meets in the dentist's fish tank. They help Nemo get out of the dentist's office and find his father Marlin. Each member of the tank gang appears in the "Hide & Seek", "Mount Wannahockaloogie" and "The Plan" level (with the exception of Peach who doesn't appear in "The Plan" or "Mt. Wannahockaloogie"). Bloat is the only member to come in the "Training with Gill" level. All tank gang members are voiced by their original voice actors.
• Bloat is the pufferfish who swells up when he's angry or surprised.
• Gurgle is the neurotic, nervous royal gramma who hates germs and being dirty.
• Jacques is the French cleaner shrimp who loves cleaning the tank and doesn't want a single mess in it.
• Bubbles is the "bubble-obsessed" yellow tang who loves chasing after bubbles.
• Deb is the black and white humbug who believes her own reflection is her sister, whom she calls "Flo".
• Peach is a starfish who spends her time sticking to the wall of the fish tank studying what the dentist does and alarming the other tank gang members when something important happens.
• Tad, Sheldon and Pearl: Tad the butterfly fish, Sheldon the seahorse, and Pearl the flapjack octopus are the three students who Nemo befriends on his first day of school. They appear in the first three levels in the game: "Going to School", "Field Trip" and "The Drop Off".
• Whale: The Whale is one of the allies in the game. He assists Marlin and Dory go closer to the dentist office where Nemo is. The Whale only appears in the "Whale Chase" level where it swallows Marlin & Dory, who think its trying to eat them. You play as Dory to escape from the Whale's mouth.
• Anglerfish: One of the major enemies in the game. Marlin and Dory meets the anglerfish when they go to the dark abyss in search for the diver's mask. The anglerfish first appears in the "Mask Search" level where it tries to eat Dory if she goes too far from the current mission area, and in the "Anglerfish Chase" level as the main enemy where you have to avoid being eaten by it.
• Jellyfish: Jellyfish are common enemies in the game. Little jellyfish appears in early levels of the game, while the larger ones appear in the "Jellyfish Race" level, where you play as Marlin to beat Dory in a race to get through the jellyfish forest first.
• Mr. Ray: Mr. Ray is a spotted eagle ray who is Nemo's science teacher. He appears in the "Field Trip" level where you have to keep up with him and not get separated.
• Crush: Crush is a sea turtle who is one of the allies Marlin meets in his quest to find Nemo. Crush only appears in the "East Australian Current" level at the end where he tells Marlin and Dory to go through the current to advance to the next level.
• Moonfish: The moonfish are one of the helper characters in the game. In a race or a timed challenge, the moonfish form an arrow towards where you have to go. They also appear often in bonus levels throughout the game.
• Krill: The krill are used for protection throughout the game. When you find a krill, it follows you and you don't lose lives by enemies until there are no more krills following you.

Levels

Console version

• Going to School
• Field Trip
• The Drop Off
• Mask Chase
• Catch Dory
• Minefield
• Submarine
• Hide and Seek
• Mask Search
• Anglerfish Chase
• Mount Wannahockaloogie
• Jellyfish Race
• Training With Gill
• East Australian Current
• The Plan
• Whale Chase
• Treatment Plant
• Fishing Net Rescue

Gameboy Advance version

• First Day
• Drop Off
• Meeting Dory
• Minefield
• Aquarium
• Abyss
• Training
• Jellyfish Forest
• Filter Block
• Turtle Drive
• Treatment Plant
• Finding Father

Starfish Bonuses

Completing certain side objectives within levels will award the player with a golden Starfish. Collecting at least one Starfish from a level will unlock its Bonus Level, whose completion awards an additional Starfish. Obtaining every Starfish from a level, including the Bonus Level, will unlock concept art for that level. If the player obtains all 60 Starfish and completes the final level, they will unlock a Giant Starfish on the Level Select Screen. Selecting the Giant Starfish will transport the player to a special area, where they can swap between the three characters, play with several Luxo Balls, and view any FMV cutscene.

The different types of Starfish Bonus are as follows:

• Bubble Ring Bonus - Awarded for swimming through every Bubble Ring in the level.
• Hero Bonus - Awarded for defeating every enemy in a level by trapping them with Bubbles and then darting into them. Only Snapping Clams and Hermit Crabs count for this.
• Pebble Bonus - Awarded for carrying the Red, Green and Blue Pebbles to their corresponding platforms.
• Bounce Bonus - Awarded for bouncing on every tile at least once during a bouncing section. Some levels add on an additional requirement, such as avoiding Squishies or not stepping on the same tile more than thrice.
• Race Bonus - Awarded for finishing a race in 1st place.
• Luxo Ball Bonus - Awarded for sending the Luxo Ball through every Luxo Ball Hoop in the level.
• Slide Puzzle - Awarded for solving a Slide Puzzle in a Bonus Level.
• Pairs - Awarded for finding all the matching card pairs in a Bonus Level.
• Simon Says - Awarded for winning every round of Simon Says in a Bonus Level. To win, the player must remember the shapes that the Moonfish form, and repeat the pattern.

Cast

• Albert Brooks and Jess Harnell - Marlin
• Ellen DeGeneres and Jennifer Hale - Dory
• Alexander Gould - Nemo
• Willem Dafoe - Gill
• Jess Harnell - Bruce
• Brad Garrett - Bloat
• Joe Ranft - Jacques
• Austin Pendleton - Gurgle
• Vicki Lewis - Deb
• Stephen Root - Bubbles
• Allison Janney - Peach
• Erica Beck - Pearl
• Jordy Ranft -Tad
• Erik Per Sullivan - Sheldon
• Bob Peterson - Mr. Ray
• Andrew Stanton - Crush

Reception

The game received mixed reviews for its colorful regions, mini games and adventures. However, the game received much lower scores for its other unfinished graphics and its enormously frustrating gameplay; the difficulty increases largely in levels such as "Catch Dory", "Minefield" and "Jellyfish Race", among others, for their quick nature and puzzling structure.

Versions

Nintendo GameCube version.

Xbox version.

Game Boy Advance version.

PC/Mac version.

PlayStation 2 version.

Differences from the film and between versions

Console version

• Coral and the barracuda do not appear and the game starts at the part where Nemo wakes up Marlin. This also happens in the Gameboy Advance version.
• After Nemo stumbles out, he doesn't get stuck in a hole. Instead, he quickly comes back.
• Nigel, the other pelicans, and the seagulls do not appear, although Nigel does appear in the Gameboy Advance version.
• The Krill have a more major role in the game.
• Many of the enemies featured in the game are not based on any of the characters in the film, although the pufferfish are based on Bloat.
• Nemo and Marlin met Tad, Pearl, and Sheldon along the way to school, with Nemo having to help them find Pearl, who has gotten lost in the caves.
• Obstacles encountered along the way to school are a giant clam, a pile of rocks, and snapping clams, which aren't featured in the film.
  • More than one giant clam appears in the Gameboy Advance version.
• Nemo and his friends had to follow Mr. Ray to a certain spot.
• While traveling to the Drop Off, the kids jump on sponges and explore caves before having to catch up with Mr. Ray.
• Mr. Ray doesn't carry the kids on his back.
• Nemo, Tad, Sheldon, and Pearl are the only students in Mr. Ray's class. The Gameboy Advance shares the same changes.
• The boat's anchor chain is diagonal rather than straight. The Gameboy Advance has the same thing.
• Nemo attempts to swim up to the boat upon seeing Marlin approaching. He doesn't express much anger towards his father like in the film.
  • Mr. Ray doesn't appear until after the divers show up.
• Nemo's attempt to swim away from the diver was longer in the game.
• After failing to catch up with the boat, Marling saw the diver's mask and tried to catch it, but he soon loses it.
• While following Dory, she stops three times before resuming the chase.
• Bruce has a different voice actor in the game.
• Besides having to go through the minefield, Bruce, Marlin, and Dory also had to go through octopus infested caves. They also interact with the mines in the game (most interactions involve game overs).
• Most of Bruce's meeting is skipped.
• Marlin and Dory went through other areas of the submarine that weren't shown in the film. At some points, they temporally lose Bruce.
  • They didn't had the mask while fleeing from Bruce, but they had it again after finally escaping. Although the mask got caught in Bruce's teeth like in the film, how they managed to retrieve it happens off screen.

• Bruce regaining his senses, the mine explosions and the submarine almost crushing Marling and Dory is omitted.
• When heading down into the dark abyss to retrieve the mask, Marlin doesn't back off.
• When placed in the fish tank, Nemo wasn't entirely frightened of its inhabitants, but he had to find them. This also happens in the Gameboy Advance version.
  • Gill does not appear until the "Mount Wannahockaloogie" level. He does not speak until the "Training with Gill" level.
  • The dentist does not appear in that scene.

• While trying to find the mask, Marlin and Dory had to got through a maze of pipes.
• Marlin doesn't get temporally stuck in the anglerfish's stomach. But he will end up in its mouth should the player fail to dodge it.
• During the Mount Wannahockaloogie event, Nemo had to fix leaks before undergoing the test, which involves swimming through rings of fire bubbles rather than just passing through a stream of bubbles.
  • Bloat, Gurgle, and Bubbles don't dress up in this scene.
• Fire breathing tikis are found in the tank, but they only appear in the "Mount Wannahockaloogie" level.
• The yellow diver does not move in the game, but Nemo had to lower it to stop a leak in the "Mount Wannahockaloogie" level.
• Gill doesn't talk about their escape plan. He does in the Gameboy Advance version.
• Nemo did not had to go into the filter. His first failed attempt is replaced with him instead training with the tank gang. His second attempt instead involves looking for pebbles to block the filter's fan, but from the outside.
• Marlin and Dory don't encounter the Moonfish before reaching the trench. They instead apparently go over the trench on their own and immediately encounter the jellyfish swarm.
  • It is unknown how they found out that they must follow the East Australian Current.
  • Squishy does not appear.
  • Dory only bounces on the jellyfish a few times before and during the race while Marlin does this more often.

• The part where Marlin notices that Dory did not come out from the jellyfish swarm is cut and it instead starts at the part when Marlin goes back in to look for her after the "Jellyfish Race" level is beaten.
• Dory not only plays tag with the baby turtles but also with Marlin. Other games involve hide and seek with the baby turtles and a race, which serves as the exit.
• Marlin and Dory manage to get ahead of the whale, but are eventually eaten. They also had to travel through the whale's body to escape.
  • Because of this, it is unknown if the whale was really trying to help them or not.
• Marlin and Dory do not encounter Nigel nor do they visit the dentist's office. They instead reunite with Nemo upon reaching Sydney.
• Nemo had to go through the sewers after Gill helps him escape down the dentist's sink, which is mostly like a maze.
• During the fishing net scene, Nemo didn't go into the net. He instead helped Dory from the outside. Marlin did not protest against this.
• After the net broke, it immediately cuts to the part where Marlin and Dory race to school. The game also ends at the part where Nemo and Marlin hug.

Gameboy Advance version

• Marlin provided lots of advice in the game.
• Besides darting, a new tail slap ability is featured in this version.
• Dory is not playable.
• Unlike the console version, enemies cannot be defeated.
• Nemo had to help Mr. Ray find Tad, Pearl, and Sheldon.
• The dentist only appeared in his diver suit in the game.
• Nemo did not try to touch the boat after swimming up to it.
• The diver's mask being knocked into the water is omitted, but Marlin and Dory still find it.
• Bruce goes ahead to the submarine rather than accompanying Marlin and Dory, who went there on their own.
• Marlin and Dory had to look for Blenny in the same.
• Dory does not get a nosebleed, and Bruce becoming violent is unexplained.
• Marlin and Dory escape the minefield after the explosions happen.
• Gil is the first fish Nemo met in the tank.
• The yellow diver gets stuck in the game and Nemo had to dart into it to get it unstuck.
• The Mount Wannahockaloogie event happens after Nemo finds everyone.
• The part where Marlin and Dory almost get crushed by the submarine is cut.
• The training level is different from the console version. Instead of following Gil and doing two activities in a row, Nemo had to do three different random activities to earn fifteen shells, which is needed to beat the level.
• When Marlin suggests going over the trench, Dory didn't argue about it. Therefore, Marlin didn't need to trick her.
• Marlin and Dory did not race to get out of the jellyfish swarm nor did they bounce on them.
• Marlin rescuing Dory from the jellyfish took longer, but unlike the film, she wasn't in the tentacles of a jellyfish. Marlin also passed out from exhaustion rather than from the jellyfish stings.
• The race event is the only thing from the console version that is featured in this game, but it also involves keeping up with Crush.
• Nemo only enters the filter once and had to travel through a maze of pipes while carrying a pebble to jam it.
• The whale doesn't appear in this game.
• The fishing net scene does not happen in this game. Nemo and Dory instead find Marlin at the end of the last level. The game also ends with Nemo and Marlin going home.