Software:Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle

From HandWiki
Short description: 1989 video game
Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
North American box art
Developer(s)Sega
Publisher(s)Sega
Producer(s)Kotaro Hayashida
Designer(s)Kotaro Hayashida
Hirokazu Yasuhara
Artist(s)Rieko Kodama
Naoto Ohshima
Takashi Yuda
Composer(s)Chikako Kamatani
SeriesAlex Kidd
Platform(s)Genesis/Mega Drive
Release
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Lua error in Module:Lang/utilities at line 332: attempt to call field '_transl' (a nil value). is a 1989 platform game developed and published by Sega for the Genesis. It is the only 16-bit platform game starring Alex Kidd, and the fifth game in the Alex Kidd series.

Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle follows Alex as he fights his way through the fictional planet Paperock in search of his long-lost father, King Thor. Alex has access to several items and vehicles that help him complete his quest, including a motorbike, a pedicopter and a pogo stick, which each give him unique abilities. While traveling through eleven worlds, Alex must defeat several opponents in rock paper scissors matches before finally finding King Thor.

Gameplay

Alex Kidd in a rock paper scissors match against a gorilla to win a powerbracelet

The player guides Alex through eleven stages by fighting and avoiding enemies and obstacles. Alex can jump, kick, crawl or punch enemies, causing them to explode into gold coins, called Baums. New items and vehicles are gained by playing Janken (rock paper scissors) in gambling houses, including the Sukopako Motorcycle, the pedicopter (a small pedal-powered helicopter), a pogo stick and wizard cane which allows Alex to float in the air for a few seconds. One hit from any enemy causes Alex to die instantly.

In the original Japanese version of the game, when Alex or his opponent lose a Rock Paper Scissors match, the loser's clothes disappear, leaving them naked with a fig leaf covering their genitalia. In the Western versions, the loser is flattened by a heavy weight. Several levels were also renamed for the Western release.

Plot

The plot continues that of Alex Kidd in Miracle World (1986). Alex lives on Planet Aries which is ruled by his brother, King Igul. After hearing a rumor that his long-lost father, King Thor, is still alive on Planet Paperock, Alex travels to the planet to search for him.

Reception and legacy

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings47.5% [3]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Eurogamer4/10[6]
GameSpot3.8/10[5]
IGN4.5/10[4]
MegaTech68%[7]
Console XS72%[8]

The game received mixed reviews upon release.[9] Later retrospective sources have given it mixed to negative reviews, with a rating of 47.5% from GameRankings.[3] Lucas M. Thomas, reviewing the game for IGN, gave the game a 4.5/10, criticising the game's "floaty play control" and the Rock, Paper, Scissors boss battles, lamenting: "It's all very random, and it's not fun at all". Thomas also commented that "You'll understand why SEGA dropped [Alex Kidd]".[4] Frank Provo of GameSpot had similar problems with the game, also criticising the controls and stating that "Alex slides around like his feet are coated with oil". Provo additionally disapproved of the game's level design, calling it "unremarkable" and that "the game's 11 stages are short left-to-right strips peppered with the same rocks, trees, breakable bricks and generic enemies." He gave Enchanted Castle 3.8/10.[5] Eurogamer's Dan Whitehead gave the game a 4/10, disliking the game's "abominable collision detection" and "infantile effort". Like Thomas, he was dissatisfied with the game's Rock, Paper, Scissors sections, observing that "victory comes from blind luck, you'll sit there ... hoping the law of averages means you'll eventually choose the right option and escape from this Groundhog Day gaming hell".[6] MegaTech gave a review score of 68% and commenting that the game's graphics and sound are almost Master System standard and saying it's fun to play it doesn't have the same addictive spark like its predecessors. They recommend the game for Alex Kidd fans.[7] Console XS gave a score of 72%, writing: "This platform adventure has loads of games and is packed with average selection of adversaries but the whole thing gets very boring."[8] Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle has included in a variety of Mega Drive game compilations for newer platforms. The game is part of the Sega Mega Drive Collection (known in America as the Sega Genesis Collection) for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable and was also released on the Wii's Virtual Console on April 9, 2007, in North America and May 4, 2007, in Europe. The game later appeared in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection / Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game is also included in the second volume of Sega Mega Drive Classic Collection for PC, as well as in the box set of all volumes, Sega Mega Drive Classic Collection: Gold Edition. The game is also available as a standalone unit on the Arcade Legends Sega Genesis Volume 2 plug and play joypad, released by Radica, and the Sega Mega Drive Handheld, a portable game console containing twenty games. It has also been released for Microsoft Windows on Steam individually and as part of Sega Genesis Classics Pack 2, and included in the console releases of the same series, Sega Genesis Classics.[10] It is also one of the 42 games pre-installed in the Sega Genesis Mini console.

Notes

References

  1. ↑ "Availability Update". Computer Entertainer 8 (11): 14. February 1990. https://archive.gamehistory.org/item/ddedefce-ca07-490b-b66c-05400fa5322c. 
  2. ↑ "Mega Drive". https://sega.jp/history/hard/megadrive/software.html. "2月10日//アレックスキッド 天空魔城" 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/genesis/586018-alex-kidd-in-the-enchanted-castle/index.html. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Thomas, Lucas M. (April 19, 2007). "Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle". Review. IGN. https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/04/19/alex-kidd-in-the-enchanted-castle-review. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Provo, Frank (April 18, 2007). "Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle". Review. GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/alex-kidd-in-the-enchanted-castle-review/1900-6169314/. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Whitehead, Dan (4 May 2007). "Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle". Review. Eurogamer. https://www.eurogamer.net/wii-virtual-console-roundup-review?page=2. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Game Index". MegaTech (1): 76. December 1991. https://archive.org/details/UneditedUK_marktrade/MegaTech_01/page/n75/mode/2up. Retrieved March 28, 2022. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "A-Z Software". Console XS (1): 126. June 1992. https://archive.org/details/console-xs-01/page/126/mode/2up. Retrieved March 28, 2022. 
  9. ↑ "Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle". 8 May 2020. https://segaretro.org/Alex_Kidd_in_the_Enchanted_Castle. 
  10. ↑ "Save 50% on SEGA Mega Drive Classics Pack 2 on Steam". http://store.steampowered.com/sub/6016/. 
  • 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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