Clu Clu Land is a maze puzzle game that Nintendo released for the Famicom in Japan on 22 November 1984; it was one of the NES launch titles in North America on 18 October 1985. The name anglicizes the Japanese onomatopoeia kuru kuru, meaning 'around and around'.
The player controls a balloonfish, Bubbles in the West and Gloopy in Japan, who uncovers gold ingots hidden in mazes and can turn only by grabbing Turning Posts. Sea urchin enemies called Unira can be stunned with a sound wave and pushed into walls. Akito Nakatsuka composed the music, and a hidden credit in the ROM names T. Sawano.
The game has an unusually long release history. The 1992 Disk System version, Welcome to New Clu Clu Land, was the last Famicom Disk System game, and Japan later got Famicom Mini and Virtual Console releases. Its gameplay also inspired DK: King of Swing, where Bubbles is an unlockable character.12
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Clu Clu LandNES launch title; TCRF gives October 1985 | NES | Oct 18, 1985 | Nintendo | 1 |
| NA | Clu Clu LandNintendo e-Reader cards | Game Boy Advance | Apr 21, 2003 | Nintendo | 1 |
| JP | クルクルランドKuru Kuru RandoFamicom; Japanese Wikipedia gives November 1984 | NES | Nov 22, 1984 | Nintendo | 1 |
| JP | VS.クルクルランドVS. Kuru Kuru Rando | Arcade | December 1984 | Nintendo | 1 |
| EU | Clu Clu Land | NES | Feb 15, 1987 | Nintendo | 1 |
| JP | クルクルランドKuru Kuru RandoWelcome to New Clu Clu Land; the last Famicom Disk System game, sold through disk rewriting | Famicom Disk System | Apr 28, 1992 | Nintendo | 1 |
| JP | クルクルランドKuru Kuru RandoSharp Zaurus; English Wikipedia gives September, Japanese Wikipedia 19 October 2001 | Other | 2001 | Nintendo | 1 |
| JP | クルクルランドKuru Kuru RandoFamicom Mini series | Game Boy Advance | May 21, 2004 | Nintendo | 1 |
| JP | クルクルランドKuru Kuru RandoVirtual Console, Disk System version | Wii | Mar 10, 2009 | Nintendo | 3 |
| JP | クルクルランドKuru Kuru RandoVirtual Console, Disk System version | Nintendo 3DS | Jun 12, 2013 | Nintendo | 3 |
| JP | クルクルランドKuru Kuru RandoVirtual Console, Disk System version | Wii U | Nov 20, 2013 | Nintendo | 3 |
| WW | Arcade Archives Clu Clu LandArcade version | Switch | 2018 | Hamster | 1 |
Also known as: クルクルランド JP3Kuru Kuru Rando JP1Vs. Clu Clu Land WW1Clu Clu Land: Welcome to New Clu Clu Land JP1Clu Clu Land D WW1
Box art by region
NA Clu Clu Land 
EU Clu Clu Land
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
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ContentArcade (VS. Clu Clu Land)
The arcade VS. Clu Clu Land has twice as many puzzles, a new enemy called Boss Unira and different level themes.1
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GameplayFamicom Disk System
The 1992 Disk System version is a port of the arcade game with small enhancements, including BEGINNER and EXPERT modes; in EXPERT the ingots are flipped from the start.3
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Bug fixFamicom cartridgeArcadeFamicom Mini
A bug in the cartridge version awards only 30 points for a perfect bonus stage; the arcade and Famicom Mini versions give the intended 3,000.3
Where to play legally today
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Nintendo Switch Online Subscription
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Arcade Archives Purchase
Reception
In a June 1986 Chicago Tribune survey of the NES catalog, Steven Kosek and Dennis Lynch singled it out for keeping their interest after repeated plays.1
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
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