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Toa Bios Updated on BIONICLE Website


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BZPower members Toa of Gallifrey and TuragaOfVirtues have observed that the BIONICLE website has received a small update today, fixing the Onya typo and also adding information about primary color (as if you couldn't see that), element (duh), favourite environment, masks (confirming that masks carry elemental powers), primary and secondary weapon and signature moves (Kaboom-arang?). A new week, a new tidbit of story information, I suppose!

 

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What's the point of the masks, now? ...Well, the Toa do need the masks in order to use their powers at all, but... still...

 

It appears that now they don't have more natural control over the elements. They must use the masks powers to do it.

 

 

I guess Lego thinks more than one power per character is "too much" for "the kids of today" or something.

 

Don't get me wrong, this doesn't RUIN it for me. I'm still gonna get all the sets, and there are things about it that I like... but dangit, some of these decisions are just unnecessary.

 

Oh well. At least mask powers are still interesting on Nova Orbis.

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The Toa- A Bionicle Retelling by NickonAquaMagna http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/25275-the-toa-a-retelling-of-bionicle/

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Looking more and more like a reboot, which isn't a terrible thing. I'm thinking that that the developers and writers really sat down the last couple of years to plan this out and decided to redo the story in a way that is even more approachable, easier for people to keep up, and still has enough new twists and concepts to keep veteran fans interested and appreciative.

 

I'm definitely interested and appreciative, at any rate. They're keeping the names, giving them personalities that are reminiscent echoes while still seeming like new characters, and even have apparently changed how their elements work. No innate elements, just mask powers. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out for dynamic battles and puzzles where each one has only one power (unless there's more to it, which there probably is).

 

And we now have canon forms for the elemental masks. :D

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Part One of the Chrysalis Saga

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If anyone is disappointed that we wont be seeing classic mask powers, I just want to let you guys know that there is a possibility of them coming back.
LEGO did say that they wanted to respect the roots. And I believe they did just that with these new sets and their designs. Besides, just because the Toa don't have their mask powers from Gen 1, does not mean that we won't see them in the future of the storyline, whenever LEGO needs to upgrade the sets. Powers of Shielding, Speed, Strength, X-Ray, etc. could come back when these Toa receive an upgrade to their armor next year.
I mean if the Toa now all of a sudden were to have all their mask powers and maxed out abilities for the first year, there isn't much room for improvement (storywise) when the sets get upgraded for next year. Im sure no one wants next years upgrade to just be "improved armor". 

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Am I the only one thinking that Takanuva's mask would fit in perfectly now? :P

Now that you mention it, his mask does fit in really well with them. :)

 

But back on topic, I am sad that the mask don't have the powers they had in the original story. But as others have pointed out, they could still come into it later on. 

 

And I think it is going to cool seeing a story with the Toa Mata without their mask powers and just their elemental powers. It could make the story more interesting. Time will tell on that.

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That formatting is bugging me so much, I hope they fix it. The whole website could use a lot of work, but I'm sure they'll get around to it. 

 

I like that they outright said Lewa is sarcastic now, and will have his axes form "wings". He's basically Matau :P

 

Yeah. Even before this update, I felt as if the new Lewa was a combination of old Lewa and Matau. Which I don't mind. It gives Lewa a little room to be serious, too, and not just the team goofball who always gets mind-controlled and rescued by Onua.

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How well will you die?

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<br />

 

Please. Please please please throw a couple of <br /> tags in there. PLEASE.

 

Oh well, Pohatu ain't the amusing funny friendly whirlwind he used to be.

He's still a whirlwind though. Which kinda upsets me, since his biggest plus for me was the stone powers.

I am quite upset that even though they have masks of their elements they don't have total control over said element. At least Pohatu doesn't anyway...Also, I can't stand those blatant flaws they put in the characters' personalities. The original Toa all had character flaws, from Mata to Mahri. But they were less obvious, you had to know the characters to know what they were good at or not good at. The obnoxious and obvious inclusion of these forced character flaws is just a lazy writing tool for writers who don't care to invest time and energy and thought into a character. I also feel that it's a lazy way of trying to convey the characters to young audiences as "not perfect". Simple reading of the comics of the old story, not to mention the books/online serials, would provide a wealth of well-rounded characters with good and bad traits. And as the guy up there ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ said, Lewa is basically Matau.

 

Am I the only one thinking that Takanuva's mask would fit in perfectly now? :P

Now that you mention it, his mask does fit in really well with them. :)

 

But back on topic, I am sad that the mask don't have the powers they had in the original story. But as others have pointed out, they could still come into it later on. 

 

And I think it is going to cool seeing a story with the Toa Mata without their mask powers and just their elemental powers. It could make the story more interesting. Time will tell on that.

 

Toa Okoto*

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Mask of Ice. Not Mask Of X-Ray Vision. Kopaka has no reason to get rid of the Mask of X-Ray Vision. Now can people please stop giving people false hope by saying it's not a hard reboot?

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Mask of Ice. Not Mask Of X-Ray Vision. Kopaka has no reason to get rid of the Mask of X-Ray Vision. Now can people please stop giving people false hope by saying it's not a hard reboot?

...Was anyone trying to convince others it was a soft reboot/continuation? I'm pretty sure any hope of it being one went out the window on Thursday. And the mask powers are pretty much the least of that confirmation.

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I feel like we could still get mask packs, but instead of each mask giving the traditional Kanohi power it gives the power of the element. I.E. Kopaka obtains white Hau, now has control over fire

 

I just really want mask packs to come back

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I feel like we could still get mask packs, but instead of each mask giving the traditional Kanohi power it gives the power of the element. I.E. Kopaka obtains white Hau, now has control over fire

 

I just really want mask packs to come back

 

There's a reason there's only one Avatar in the Avatar series. Bionicle could do without having six of them.

 

I mean, I miss the mask packs too, but giving each Toa control over all six elements would be a bad way to go about it.

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I feel like we could still get mask packs, but instead of each mask giving the traditional Kanohi power it gives the power of the element. I.E. Kopaka obtains white Hau, now has control over fire

 

I just really want mask packs to come back

There's a reason there's only one Avatar in the Avatar series. Bionicle could do without having six of them.

 

I mean, I miss the mask packs too, but giving each Toa control over all six elements would be a bad way to go about it.

When you put it that way I guess it makes sense, hehe

 

In that case, maybe the golden masks are just power boosters? Like, Avatar State but with only one element

 

Kopaka standing before an avalanche like, "Master State, yip yip!"

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My guess? The basic mask gives basic elemental abilities, while the golden ones give full elemental control plus a bonus power akin to the original kanohi powers.

That seems to be the case. The golden masks are needed for the Toa to unlock the full potential of their elemental powers, as explained in this post. This image seems to imply that Kopaka's advanced ability, "Frost Sphere", has a similar power to the Mask of Shielding, even though it's now one of his elemental ice powers.

 

I really like this change! It means the Toa's powers will now be thematically linked and there's no more trying to remember "Wait, who had the Mask of Sonar again?". Let alone trying to figure out WHY certain mask powers are given to certain characters.

 

To use an Avatar parallel as everybody else seems to be doing, the basic masks would be like basic Earthbending/Firebending/Waterbending, while the golden masks would allow the wearer more advanced techniques like the ability to bend metal/lightning/plants.

Edited by Aanchir
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<br />

 

Please. Please please please throw a couple of <br /> tags in there. PLEASE.

 

Oh well, Pohatu ain't the amusing funny friendly whirlwind he used to be.

He's still a whirlwind though. Which kinda upsets me, since his biggest plus for me was the stone powers.

I am quite upset that even though they have masks of their elements they don't have total control over said element. At least Pohatu doesn't anyway...Also, I can't stand those blatant flaws they put in the characters' personalities. The original Toa all had character flaws, from Mata to Mahri. But they were less obvious, you had to know the characters to know what they were good at or not good at. The obnoxious and obvious inclusion of these forced character flaws is just a lazy writing tool for writers who don't care to invest time and energy and thought into a character. I also feel that it's a lazy way of trying to convey the characters to young audiences as "not perfect". Simple reading of the comics of the old story, not to mention the books/online serials, would provide a wealth of well-rounded characters with good and bad traits. And as the guy up there ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ said, Lewa is basically Matau.

All it sounds like to me is Lego providing some character traits so we can get to know the new versions of the Toa while we wait for the official release. Can't claim that the writing is lazy when there isn't any writing to judge yet. All our past characters sound equally "lazily written" when you write out a couple sentences describing them with no other content to work from. Just isn't fair to compare single paragraph summaries to years and years of stories as if they're the same thing. I'm reserving any judgement until Bionicle starts and we see these characters in action, other than my opinions of the traits themselves, of course (and it's that they're adorable). I'm confident that Lego has figured out how to write characters well, considering they already have experience from those first ten years of Bionicle followed by several years of television shows for the other lines and their incredibly successful feature film.

 

I like that the bios are there summing up what these characters are like, 'cause it's very handy for all the kids who won't be able to get the books or other media through which the story is told. While a lot of us may remember Bionicle as having extremely rich, deep, rounded characters, there are many out there whose entire understanding of what their plastic action figures are supposed to be like came from 30 second commercials. Not everyone has the time, money, and opportunities to read every book, comic, and web serial and see every movie and web animation in order to get the full experience. Simplifying the characters down to their most basic traits or quirks-- roguish, wise, afraid of the dark, leader, bad at jokes, calm-- makes it easy for all kids to understand (especially if they're translating the web page from english to a foreign language) all the most important things about them, and makes it easy to have 90 second animations that aren't bogged down by having to go through establishing everyones personalities and fine nuances from the ground up. This makes all of Bionicle very accessible as the most important thing to start with is the characters of the toys you're selling. From there, you're free to expand on them in the books and web animations all you like, but instead of everyone else missing out on the important bit, the readers and watchers are just getting something extra out of it.

 

Like I said, I'm confident the writers aren't going to rely on these descriptions of the Toa as crutches and and excuse not to build on them more. This is a company that is #1 in what it does resurrecting it's first original story property. They know what works and so far everything points to them running with that. They're not going to take the easy way out, I think they're gonna wow us again.

Edited by Pomegranate
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Nah, I really disliked this elemental mask thing. So this means that, if by any chances their masks are removed, they will become 100% powerless ? A Toa's mask is important, sure, but they should have other abilities. Remove their masks and they basically become tall Matoran ? Not cool man.

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I have been pretty optimistic and happy about the reboot so far, but there are two things I really don't like about this update.

 

The first is the mask powers. If the Toa have natural control over their elements, then the mask is redundant (and yes, I realize that Gen 1 Takanuva and Makuta share this problem, but it bothered me back then too). If the Toa do not have natural elemental powers, then that makes them less special since anyone who can wear the masks can do anything they can do.

 

The second thing is that one of Onua's main traits is described as sleepy. He is beginning to sound more and more like the bears from Chima, which are one-note, unfunny, boring, terrible characters even for Chima's standards (not that I hate Chima or anything, I just don't think it is up to par with Gen 1 Bionicle or Ninjago).

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I have been pretty optimistic and happy about the reboot so far, but there are two things I really don't like about this update.

 

The first is the mask powers. If the Toa have natural control over their elements, then the mask is redundant (and yes, I realize that Gen 1 Takanuva and Makuta share this problem, but it bothered me back then too). If the Toa do not have natural elemental powers, then that makes them less special since anyone who can wear the masks can do anything they can do.

 

The second thing is that one of Onua's main traits is described as sleepy. He is beginning to sound more and more like the bears from Chima, which are one-note, unfunny, boring, terrible characters even for Chima's standards (not that I hate Chima or anything, I just don't think it is up to par with Gen 1 Bionicle or Ninjago).

 

The latter point of the elemental masks isn't necessarily true; in the original Bionicle, it took mental focus to use a Kanohi that Matoran just couldn't attain, thus ensuring only certain powerful beings could wear the masks. Now, obviously intense mental focus just to use elemental powers would be illogical and unnecessarily taxing on the Toa, but there could easily be another reason why only certain beings can wear a mask of power. Plus, the Toa are MASTERS of their element. If Gali wore the Mask of Fire, she wouldn't necessarily instantly attain Tahu's level of skill. It would be like how an Avatar usually doesn't automatically have mastery over all of their elements. They would still lack the experience necessary to work with the element, while the Toa seem to have the mastery necessary.

 

I wouldn't say sleepiness will be his most overpowering trait. I haven't seen Chima because it looks terrible, but I'd be willing to bet Onua won't be presented the same. He may be sleepy, but it's partly a byproduct of being calm and wise, which I'd be willing to bet will be shown far more than sleepiness, just as Pohatu will be shown as fearless more often than he is cowering in the dark, Kopaka will be shown as honorable and aloof far more often than getting lost and tripping over his bulky lower legs, and Gali will be shown as having a fierce sense of justice more often than telling terrible jokes. If anything, it ensures the opposite of Chima's issue. These traits give them complex personalities that will dramatically affect how they respond to different situations. I'd say Onua will probably chime in on a group discussion with something brief yet wise far more often than he will fall asleep in the middle of one for the sake of a joke.

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Nah, I really disliked this elemental mask thing. So this means that, if by any chances their masks are removed, they will become 100% powerless ? A Toa's mask is important, sure, but they should have other abilities. Remove their masks and they basically become tall Matoran ? Not cool man.

 

That's not really unlike how it worked in the original BIONICLE, though. A Toa without a mask became, according to BS01, weak and dizzy. Maybe they could still access their elemental powers (I don't recall if they could or not), but if you've ever been weak and dizzy then you know it would be pretty darn hard to fight in that condition anyway.

Edited by Vorahk1Panrahk2
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BZPRPG
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I have been pretty optimistic and happy about the reboot so far, but there are two things I really don't like about this update.

 

The first is the mask powers. If the Toa have natural control over their elements, then the mask is redundant (and yes, I realize that Gen 1 Takanuva and Makuta share this problem, but it bothered me back then too). If the Toa do not have natural elemental powers, then that makes them less special since anyone who can wear the masks can do anything they can do.

I just figured it's like their Toa Tools back in the beginning, focusing their power and adding to it. Tahu couldn't really control his fire powers very well at first, but picking up his sword let him channel his power through it and focus it, and I think he felt stronger for it? It's probably just a focus and boost to their latent elemental powers, or maybe it's just "Toa Power" and the masks let them focus that power into controlling the elements. I really don't think they'd make it so that the Toa are basically powerless without their masks, although, like Vorahk1Panrahk2 said, knocking their masks off was a pretty serious blow to the Toa back in the day too.

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Remove their masks and they basically become tall Matoran ? Not cool man.

 

*Insert obligatory LoMN quote here* :P

 

In all seriousness, though, the elemental mask thing does have me a bit confused. Presumably there is no law here that Toa can't wear different masks than their "default" ones, so what's stopping, say, Lewa from wearing the Mask of Fire and suddenly gaining all of Tahu's powers? Seems a bit bizarre to me.

 

Also, regarding their appearances: since each Toa Mata (Toa Okoto?) still has the color etc. associated with their respective "default" element, would their armor hypothetically change if they switched masks?

 

:mirunu: Lewa0111 Nuva :mirunu:

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Aboyt tyme they fyxed it.

- Mr. Onya


Keeping the Toa's Kanohi powers aligned with their respective elements makes sense with what the new creative team is trying to achieve with simplicity. Still, it seems rather odd considering the masks are still such a huge focus in the new storyline.

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