It was a game about teaching someone to do things correctly. For Akihiko Mori, it turned out to be the last work he ever did.
Wonder Project J2 shipped for Nintendo 64 on November 22, 1996, published by Enix and developed by a studio called Givro. Givro wasn't a new company — it was Almanic Corporation under a new name, adopted in 1995. Almanic had been founded in Tokyo in 1989 by Takashi Yoneda, and it made the original Wonder Project J on Super Famicom two years earlier, in 1994. Both games ask the player to raise an android — not by controlling it, but by demonstrating right and wrong through a small bird-shaped robot called Bird, and watching the lesson take hold. One person carried through both games without a break: composer Akihiko Mori, who wrote the score for the Super Famicom original and, two years later, for its Nintendo 64 sequel. Wonder Project J2 turned out to be the last work credited to him. On January 8, 1998 — a little over a year after the game's release — Mori died of stomach cancer. Givro made one more game that year, a Sega Saturn title called Nanatsu no Kaze no Shima Monogatari, and closed its doors before 1998 ended.
About this game
Wonder Project J2 is a 1996 life simulation game for the nintendo 64, developed by Givro, with music by Akihiko Mori.
The Story Behind
Wonder Project J2 was developed by Givro, the renamed successor to Almanic Corporation, founded in Tokyo in 1989 by Takashi Yoneda. Almanic became Givro in 1995, and the studio's prior release under either name was the 1994 Super Famicom title Wonder Project J: Kikai no Shounen Pino, published, like its sequel, by Enix, with Yoneda credited as director, game designer, and writer. Character design for the Nintendo 64 sequel was handled by Akihiko Yamashita, an animator who had worked on Studio Ghibli productions. Composer Akihiko Mori, who had scored the Super Famicom original, returned to score the sequel — one of over thirty game soundtracks he worked on across his career, from Game Boy to PlayStation, sometimes credited under the names DON or MORIMORI.
Tricks & Tales
The game's teaching mechanic has the player operate a small bird-shaped robot named Bird, used to demonstrate correct and incorrect tool use to the android girl Josette, whose behavior develops based on what she's shown — a system built for more freedom and replay value than its Super Famicom predecessor. Givro's final release, arriving about a year after Wonder Project J2, was a Sega Saturn game called Nanatsu no Kaze no Shima Monogatari; the studio dissolved before the end of 1998. Composer Akihiko Mori was born in Kushiro, Hokkaido, in 1966 and graduated from Tokyo Gakugei University; his other credits include Mystic Ark and Seifuku Densetsu Pretty Fighter. Whether he was already ill while composing Wonder Project J2 has not been documented in available sources.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
The N64 uses a mechanical region lock rather than a software one: Japanese and North American cartridges share the same NTSC signal, but the physical shape of the cartridge's back shell and the console's slot are different, so a Japanese cartridge will not slide fully into a North American console without modification, and vice versa. The simplest fix is removing the two plastic tabs inside the console's cartridge slot, or swapping the cartridge's back shell — neither requires any electronic modification. PAL (European) cartridges and consoles are a separate case: 50Hz vs 60Hz incompatibility means simple physical modifications are not enough, and a frequency mod is also required.
Maintenance Tips
The N64 cartridge connector is the most common failure point — clean the edge contacts with 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab every 6 to 12 months, and avoid blowing into the cartridge slot as moisture accelerates pin corrosion. The original analog stick is made with a plastic-on-plastic gear mechanism that wears into a gritty, loose feel over decades of use; check for smooth snap-back to center before buying, and know that replacement sticks are widely available but none have fully matched the original feel. Store cartridges in a cool, dry place and handle them by the plastic shell, not the gold contacts.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Wonder Project J2 copies regularly.
Will a Japanese N64 cartridge of Wonder Project J2 work in a North American or European Nintendo 64?
It should not boot without modification. The Nintendo 64 uses hardware region lockout, and this game was released only in Japan. You'll need a Japanese N64 console (or a modified/region-free unit) to play the original cartridge.
Does this game need a Controller Pak to save progress?
Yes. Wonder Project J2 saves exclusively to a Controller Pak — the N64's memory card peripheral — rather than to internal cartridge memory. Without one plugged in, the game cannot preserve your progress. The Controller Pak itself is powered by a CR2032 coin battery, which holds 32KB of save data across up to 16 files; that battery can weaken over the years, so if an old Controller Pak forgets your saves, replacing the CR2032 usually fixes it. Early copies also had a quirk: moving the analog stick while the game accessed the Controller Pak could corrupt calibration data.
What does this game typically cost on the secondhand market?
As of a 2026 market check, Japanese specialist retailers listed used loose cartridges in the 490 to 4,100 yen range, and recent auction averages were around 1,482 yen. Compared to many sought-after N64 titles, this one is relatively affordable and easy to find.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Wonder Project J2
A short checklist for buying a used Nintendo 64 cartridge wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
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Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
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Make sure it fits your console
This is a Japanese N64 cartridge. The N64 is region-locked by shape and lockout, so a Japanese cart needs a Japanese console or an adapter.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
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If this title saves your progress, check the battery
Cartridges that save use a small coin-cell battery that fades over decades — a dead one wipes your save without warning.
Ask the seller whether the save function was tested. Replacing the battery is possible, but doing so erases any existing save.
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Check that the contacts are clean
Dirty edge contacts are the most common cause of startup and sound trouble in cartridges of this age.
Choose a seller who cleans the contacts before shipping. A note that it was tested and cleaned means the basics were handled.
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Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
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Rooms this game lives in
Wander deeper — explore the themed rooms where Wonder Project J2 sits alongside its kin.
Memories from around the world
This is a young museum, and this page is still waiting for its first voices. The memories people send reach Taisei personally, and the ones that move him find a home here over time — always with the writer's blessing. Yours could be the very first for this game.
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