The biggest feature that didn't make the cut in this release is any semblance of a sharing program. Overall, it's a very pleasing aesthetic that is nothing short of museum quality. Working in conjunction with the accessible controls, the understated design is source of comfort, allowing its users to explore and create without being overwhelming. Flipnote Studio 3D is no stranger to this concept, boasting an incredibly clean interface with large buttons, easily identifiably icons, and sound effects that help bring the look together. When creating an application used for art, there should be an artistic quality to the program itself. It doesn't take long before you're swapping brushes and mixing colours with the best of them. It can all be a bit much to grasp, and first time users are bound to make plenty of mistakes before getting it right, but once you've spent a little time with the application it becomes second nature. Simple two button combinations consisting mostly of a directional and lettered inputs provide shortcuts, alleviating the need to constantly be opening and closing the menu to change tools or undo actions.
The majority of inputs require the console's touchscreen for what should be obvious reasons, but physical buttons are also incorporated in intuitive ways. Once started, you will be given the option to choose between two sets of tools which are aptly named "normal" and "advanced." It's a good idea to start off with the normal kit to get acclimated with the basics before moving on to advanced, a kit that contains all of the tools from normal but adds more and allows you to use them in different ways.Ĭontrolling Flipnote Studio 3D is easy work, especially once you've become accustomed to the variety of tools. There is a short tutorial in the beginning that sets you on the right path, but it's mostly about using the tools creatively during the short time that the tutorial lasts, it shows you how to work with the basics, but it simultaneously encourages exploration. There is a bit of a learning curve that comes with mastering the controls and making the most out of the array of tools, but Flipnote Studio 3D does just the right amount of hand-holding to get you where you need to be without feeling overwhelming.
Photographic Flipnotes can also be created, taking photos with the 3DS's camera and importing them directly into the project. Users can now create fully 3D illustrations, not unlike those in Colors! 3D, and bring them to life right on the 3DS console. One of the biggest additions is the use of layered 3D, a feature that obviously was not available on the DSi. The tools at your disposal remain mostly the same, but there are more ways in which they can be used. The original was such a well-tuned and finely polished machine that it should come as no surprise that this new iteration builds off of that in the best of ways. The core mechanics of Flipnote Studio make the transition to the 3DS well, leaving little room for error. After what seemed from the outside like development - or at least localisation - hell, this app has managed to come out the other end mostly unscathed. Repeated delays and mixed information persisted for nearly two years until now, with the highly anticipated Flipnote Studio 3D released in North America exclusively through Club Nintendo. Turnaround for release outside of Japan wasn't quick though, leaving many fans in other territories waiting in limbo for quite some time. It's not often that a game or application brings users together on a personal level, and that's something that speaks volumes about how appreciated the original app truly was.įollowing the 2013 discontinuation of Flipnote Hatena and the release of Flipnote Studio 3D - the original app's 3DS successor - in Japan, the promise of a new application around the world was enticing.
Coupled with Flipnote Hatena, an online service that allowed creators to share their work with other users, it's no small wonder that Flipnote Studio was so well loved within the community. As an application that assisted in creating flip-book style animations on the DSi, the concept was simple, but the amount of creativity that users put into it was what really made Flipnote so special. From its launch in late 2008 until its eventual discontinuation five years later, Flipnote Studio was a smash hit among both the casual and professional creative types.