Software:Arac (video game)

From HandWiki
Short description: 1986 action-adventure game


Arac / Spiderbot
American release
Publisher(s)Addictive Games
Designer(s)Paul O'Malley
Platform(s)Apple II, Commodore 64, DOS
Release
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Arac (released as Spiderbot in America and Taiwan[1]) is a side-view action-adventure game first released for the Commodore 64 in 1986 and ported to the Apple II and DOS.

Plot

Deep within the Citadel, three runaway chemical reactors are rapidly approaching meltdown. These time bombs threaten to devastate the surrounding electronic jungle. The only remaining SpiderDroid has been sent into the territory of the Citadel to find and diffuse[sic] the reactors.

Gameplay

Arac takes place in a side-view jungle maze, spanning 100 screens. The goal of the game is to make one's way to the reactor core within the Citadel in the center of the maze within 30 minutes; if the timer runs out, the game is over. At the beginning of the game, the player's abilities are limited; the robot can only walk left and right, jump a short distance, and shoot nets. In order to progress deeper into the maze, the player must capture enemies using a net, and utilize their abilities. Some enemies can dig through dirt, others allow the player to jump higher, and so on. In order to access the Citadel, in which the reactor is located, the player must find the hidden pieces of the robot's body, which are hidden throughout the maze. When fully assembled, the robot will be able to walk on ceilings, reverse gravity, and shoot lightning bolts, and thus enter the final area. The player also has the option of a playing a 20-minute "short" game in which the robot begins the game with its body already formed.

Reception

Arac was well received by the gaming magazines of the day. C&VG[2] gave it 9/10 for graphics, 6/10 for sound, 8/10 for value, and 8/10 for playability, criticizing the necessity of starting the whole game over again after each death and calling its sound design "below average", but praising its animations and concluding, overall, that "Arac will catch you in its web of intrigue and playability." Your Commodore gave it 8/10 for originality, 6/10 for playability, 7/10 for graphics, and 8/10 for value-for-money.[3] Zzap! gave the game 93% overall, with all three reviewers praising it, calling it "the best arcade-adventure I have played for yonks" and "one of the more playable arcade-adventures available", and saying that, while "original and refreshing" games are rare, "Arac is one of those rarities" and that the game "is well worth the money." However, all three reviewers criticized the sparse sound design, and the overall score awarded only 10% for sound.[4] Commodore User gave the game 8/10 overall, concluding "Graphically accomplished, instantly playable and yet addictive in the long term, if Arac falls down anywhere it is the lack of music and in relying on a stale storyline".[5] Commodore User reviewed the game again when it was rereleased as a budget game in 1988, giving it 9/10 and saying, "Good game combined with pretty graphics and virtually no sound make Arac a serious contender for re-release of the month".[6]

  • 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.[7] 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".[8] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[9] 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.[10] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[11]

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.[12][13] 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.[11] 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.[11]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[14] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[13] 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).[15] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[16] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[13]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[17] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[18][19][20] 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.[7] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[21]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[22] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[23]

See also

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

References

  1. ↑ @foone (May 16, 2019). "hey look, PC software! It's Spiderbot, and it's one of those odd games that are for the PC but they're not DOS games, because they're a PC-booter. This is a Japanese-specific release, but I wonder if they translated it? There's not really any text in Spiderbot, I think...". https://twitter.com/foone/status/1128997910643785728. 
  2. ↑ Lesly (Sep 1986). "Arac". C&VG (Future Publishing): 29. 
  3. ↑ G.R.H. (Oct 1986). "Arac". Your Commodore (Argus Specialist Publications) 3 (1): 18. 
  4. ↑ G.P.; R.E.; J.R. (Sep 1986). "Arac". Zzap! (Newsfield Publications Ltd) (17): pp. 16. 
  5. ↑ Scolding, Bill (Sep 1986). "Arac". Commodore User (EMAP): pp. 39. 
  6. ↑ "Arac". Commodore User (EMAP): pp. 83. Jun 1988. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 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/. 
  8. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  9. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  10. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  12. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  14. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  15. ↑ 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. 
  16. ↑ 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. 
  17. ↑ "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. 
  18. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  19. ↑ "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/. 
  20. ↑ "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/. 
  21. ↑ 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/. 
  22. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  23. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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