Software:8 Eyes

From HandWiki
Short description: 1988 video game for NES
8 Eyes
North American cover art
Developer(s)Thinking Rabbit
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Tōru Ishikawa
Producer(s)Hiroyuki Imabayashi
Designer(s)Hideki Shimura
Programmer(s)Hiroto Nakamura
Composer(s)Kenzou Kumei
Platform(s)NES, Windows, Evercade
ReleaseNES
  • JP: September 27, 1988 (1988-09-27)
  • NA: January 1990
Windows
  • WW: August 14, 2019 (2019-08-14)
Evercade
  • EU: May 22, 2020 (2020-05-22)
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player
Multiplayer

8 Eyes (エイト・アイズ, Eito Aizu) is a 2D action platform game developed by Thinking Rabbit for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988. The game features eight levels, and can be played by one or two players. It also features a large, diverse soundtrack, composed by Kenzou Kumei, consisting of three pieces for each of the eight levels, which are set in different parts of the world.

Piko Interactive acquired the rights to 8 Eyes and released it for Microsoft Windows via Steam on August 14, 2019.[2] 8 Eyes was also released on the Evercade as part of Piko Interactive Collection 1 on May 22, 2020.[3]

Story

8 Eyes in-game screenshot

English version

8 Eyes is set in a post-apocalyptic future. Mankind is recovering from hundreds of years of chaos and nuclear war, and civilization is being rebuilt by the Great King, who harnesses the power of eight jewels. The jewels, known as the 8 Eyes, were formed at the centers of eight nuclear explosions that came close to destroying Earth. The 8 Eyes have mysterious power which, in the wrong hands, could bring about the end of the world. The Great King's eight power-hungry dukes steal the jewels for themselves and banish the King to the nuclear wastelands, threatening to once again plunge the Earth into war.

The player controls Orin the Falconer and his fighting falcon Cutrus. His mission is to infiltrate the Dukes' eight castles and retrieve the 8 Eyes. With the help of Cutrus, Orin must fight the Dukes' soldiers, nuclear mutants, and the duke of each castle to retrieve the jewels. After the jewels have been recovered, Orin must return them to the Altar of Peace so that the Great King may return and finish rebuilding the Earth.

Japanese version

The Japanese version of the game is set in the Balkans in the late 19th century. A research team was sent by the British Museum to investigate some newly discovered ruins. However, the entire team was brutally slaughtered, with their heads missing and their stomachs cut open. All of the artifacts they uncovered and their excavation journals were stolen.

The perpetrator of the murders was a group led by Ruth Grandier, a female bandit known for her demonic worship who claimed that she and her group were fallen children of Lucifer. The College of Arms learned that Ruth's group stole artifacts which concealed demonic secrets and could be used in a dark ritual to resurrect demons.

To stop Ruth, the College of Arms Seventh Division (which would eventually become the MI5) decided to send Baronet Sir Julian James Bond, the greatest swordsman in all of England. Sir Bond infiltrated the Balkans along with his pet eagle, Cutlass.

Gameplay

The game consists of eight levels, each set in the castle of one of the dukes. At the completion of each level, Orin receives a new sword. The player can choose to play each of the first seven castles in any order, though the boss at the end of each is vulnerable to only one sword. It is therefore easier to play levels in a particular order. There are hints about the correct order hidden throughout the game. Only after each has been completed can the House of Ruth be played.

After the House of Ruth has been cleared and the 8 Eyes recovered, the player must return the jewels to the Altar of Peace. At this point the jewels must be placed in a particular order, or the game is lost. Hints about the order of the jewels are also hidden throughout the game.

8 Eyes features a cooperative mode in which one player controls Orin and the other player controls Cutrus. In the single-player mode, the player has limited control of both characters simultaneously; this significantly increases the difficulty of the game. The gameplay and graphical style are noticeably similar to Castlevania.

Reception

8 Eyes received mediocre reviews upon its release. Power Play gave the game a 60/100.[4] Electronic Gaming Monthly scored 8 Eyes 23/40.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Japanese game dev Kaga Create, formerly Naxat Soft, dissolved". 5 January 2016. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/japanese-game-dev-kaga-create-formerly-naxat-soft-dissolved. 
  2. ↑ "Piko Interactive". https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Company:Piko_Interactive. 
  3. ↑ "Piko Interactive Collection 1". https://evercade.co.uk/cartridges/piko-interactive-collection-1-cartridge/. 
  4. ↑ Power Play, January 1990
  5. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, March 1990
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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