Software:Defenders of Oasis

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Defenders of Oasis
North American cover art
Developer(s)Sega
Publisher(s)Sega
Platform(s)Game Gear
Release
  • JP: September 18, 1992
  • NA: December 1992[1]
  • EU: 1992
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Defenders of Oasis[lower-alpha 1] is a role-playing video game developed and published by Sega for the Game Gear in 1992. The game's setting is based on One Thousand and One Nights, and the plot centers on a heroic prince and his companions, who set out to confront an empire attempting to revive the dark god Ahriman. The game was one of the few original RPGs made for the Game Gear, and features an overhead gameplay perspective, a command-based combat system, and an autosave feature. Defenders of Oasis was commercially successful and positively received by reviewers, who praised the game's visuals and level of detail.

Gameplay

An example of combat in Defenders of Oasis

Defenders of Oasis is a role-playing game in which the player controls the Prince of Shadam, who must defeat the empire that has attacked his kingdom.[2] The Prince is initially solitary, but forms a party including three other characters over the course of the game.[3] The game is played from an overhead perspective,[4] and the setting includes several villages and castles, in which the Prince is capable of conversing with pedestrians and collecting objects.[5] Each village includes at least one shop where the player can purchase and sell items that can aid the Prince and his party, such as weapons, armor, and accessories.[6] Villages also include a certain place where the party can rest and recover their hit points and spell points.[5]

At random intervals in areas outside of a village and at specific moments in the story,[5] the game will enter the combat screen. This screen displays the names of the party's current members and their amounts of remaining hit points at the top of the screen, the enemies currently attacking the player (with a maximum of three enemies appearing at a time) in the center of the screen, and a textual interface through which the player inputs commands for the characters at the bottom of the screen. During these encounters, the player characters and the enemies exchange moves until one side is defeated. As the player characters take damage from enemy attacks, their number of hit points decreases. If a character's hit points are fully depleted, the character will be knocked out and unable to fight unless another character uses an item or spell to revive them; characters who are knocked out will also revive with a small number of hit points if the battle is won. When all enemies on the screen have been defeated, the player characters are rewarded with an amount of experience points, money, and in some cases, items.[7]

The player can access a status screen, where the characters' status can be checked, and items and spells can be used and equipped. Ongoing game progress is stored via the autosave function.

Plot

In ancient times, the hero Jamshid sealed away the dark god Ahriman and established the kingdom of Shadam. Although Shadam was once conquered by Ahriman's servant Zahhak, it was reclaimed one thousand years later by the hero Fereydun, and Shadam finds peace and prosperity under successive kings. However, Ahriman begins to plot his return; he manipulates the Yufurat Empire, led by Zahhak's descendant, into searching for the three holy rings that Jamshid used to seal him away. In the present day, King Shadam VII tasks his son, the Prince, with escorting Mariam, the Princess of the neighboring kingdom Mahamoud and keeper of one of the rings. When the Yufurat Empire attacks the Shadam Kingdom, the King gives the Prince the second ring and instructs him and Mariam to escape to Mahamoud and seek aid from its king. The Prince is attacked by the traitorous General Gaddafi and awakens in the lair of a resistance group. The group's leader informs the Prince of a magic lamp hidden within the kingdom's treasury, and suggests that the lamp's power can nullify Gaddafi's magic sword. The Prince obtains the treasury key from his dying tutor and discovers the lamp, which houses a powerful Jinn who declares the Prince to be his new master. Aided by the Jinn's magic, the Prince successfully defeats Gaddafi and avenges his tutor. The Prince and Mariam disembark on a ship helmed by a captain and his son Sindbad.

While replenishing supplies at an island village, the group is ambushed by Al Karria, an elite Yufurat royal guard. Al murders Sindbad's father, kidnaps Mariam, and strands the Prince and Sindbad on the island. Within the island's temple, the Jinn learns a spell that allows the group to teleport to Mahamoud. The Prince informs King Mahamoud of Mariam's capture and meets the magician Kala Han, who suspects that Mariam is being held in the Yufurat Empire's capital Gylan. The Prince obtains a Gylan passport from a Yufurat deserter and infiltrates Al Karria's castle, but falls into a trap and is imprisoned in Al's dungeon. The Prince escapes execution with the help of a thief named Agmar and releases Mariam, who discloses the Emperor's goal to obtain the holy rings, her ring having been taken. The group returns to Mahamoud, where Kala Han reveals that the third ring is hidden in a tomb near the village of Uruk. Mariam, grateful for her rescue, gives the Prince an amulet capable of putting the dead to rest. At Uruk, the group retrieves a hammer that can open the tomb from the hideout of Ali Baba and his bandits, who have been terrorizing the village. Upon retrieving the third ring, the Prince is contacted by Jamshid's spirit, who warns the Prince of Ahriman's plot to escape his imprisonment by destroying the rings. Outside the tomb, the Prince is tricked by Al, disguised as Mariam, into relinquishing the lamp. The resistance group finds the Prince in Uruk and recruits him into an operation to liberate Shadam. The Prince infiltrates the castle and confronts Al, who appears to hold King Shadam hostage for the other two rings. After taking the rings, Al reveals the King to be a zombie reanimated to serve Yufurat. After being forced into battle with the King and the Jinn, the Prince uses Mariam's amulet to put his father's spirit to rest.

The group returns to Gylan and defeats Al before witnessing the Emperor destroying the rings in a ceremony. As Ahriman returns to the mortal realm and kills the Emperor, the group flees to Mahamoud. The Queen recalls a prophecy by Jamshid foretelling the appearance of the Tower of Ziggurat, which would tie the physical and spiritual realms together upon Ahriman's return. Kala Han also informs the group that inserting the rings' ashes into the lamp will restore their original power. At the top of the Tower, the group encounters the Roc, who can fly between worlds. The group ventures to the spiritual world and faces Ahriman in a final battle. They weaken him into a state where he can be locked away once more with the rings, which have been restored by the group's hope and resolve. After returning to the mortal world, the Prince ascends to the throne and weds Mariam, Sindbad becomes the captain of his father's ship, and Agmar ends up in prison again.

Development and release

Defenders of Oasis was released for the Game Gear in Japan on September 18, 1992.[8] The Western box art was illustrated by Julie Bell.[9] The game was re-released on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console on July 18, 2012.[8]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
GamePro15.5/20[4]
Sega Force90%[10]

Defenders of Oasis was met with a positive critical reception upon release. Paul Wooding and Adrian Pitt of Sega Force applauded the game: Wooding commended the variety of items and characters and the "highly original and entertaining" plot; Pitt proclaimed the game to be "instantly playable" and "the most user-friendly RPG I've ever played", and praised the visuals as "well defined and colourful" and the dynamic Oriental soundtrack as "some of the best I've heard spout outta the Game Gear".[10] Joe Hutsko of GamePro was surprised by the game's amount of detail in relation to its four-megabyte size, and praised the graphics as "finely detailed, superbly drawn, and practically as good as those found on the Genesis", but noted that the combat eventually became tedious due to the static visuals, and dismissed the music as a "repetitive fantasy flute, common to FRPGs".[4]

In its debut month, Defenders of Oasis was the seventh highest-selling Game Gear title at Babbage's,[11] and stayed within the top-ten chart on four subsequent months.[12][13][14][15]

Damien McFerran of Time Extension included the game in his list of the best games in the Game Gear's library, determining it to be the console's best RPG in a library that had few titles in the genre. He complimented its mix of exploration, turn-based combat, and a storyline based on One Thousand and One Nights.[16]

Notes

  1. ↑ Defenders of Oasis (Japanese: シャダム・クルセイダー 遥かなる王国, Hepburn: Shadamu Kuruseida: Harukanaru Ōkoku). Known in Japan as Shadam Crusader: The Far Kingdom (シャダム・クルセイダー 遥かなる王国)

References

  1. ↑ "Defenders of Oasis". 22 January 2023. https://segaretro.org/Defenders_of_Oasis. 
  2. ↑ Defenders of Oasis (Game Gear) instruction manual, p. 7
  3. ↑ Defenders of Oasis (Game Gear) instruction manual, pp. 8–10
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Hutsko, Joe (October 1993). "Role-Player's Realm: Defenders of Oasis". GamePro: 32. https://retrocdn.net/images/5/51/GamePro_US_051.pdf. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Defenders of Oasis (Game Gear) instruction manual, pp. 10–11
  6. ↑ Defenders of Oasis (Game Gear) instruction manual, pp. 15–18
  7. ↑ Defenders of Oasis (Game Gear) instruction manual, pp. 12–15
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "シャダム・クルセイダー 遥かなる王国" (in Japanese). https://vc.sega.jp/3ds/shadam/. 
  9. ↑ Horowitz, Ken (January 7, 2016). "Game Gear Reviews: Defenders of Oasis". https://www.sega-16.com/2016/01/defenders-of-oasis/. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Wooding, Paul; Pitt, Adrian (March 1993). "Force Tested!: Defenders of Oasis". Sega Force: 76–77. https://archive.org/details/sega-force-15/page/76/mode/2up. 
  11. ↑ "EGM's Top Ten". Electronic Gaming Monthly: 40. March 1993. https://retrocdn.net/images/9/92/EGM_US_044.pdf. 
  12. ↑ "EGM's Top Ten". Electronic Gaming Monthly: 40. April 1993. https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_45/page/n41/mode/2up. 
  13. ↑ "EGM's Top Ten". Electronic Gaming Monthly: 40. May 1993. https://retrocdn.net/images/6/6b/EGM_US_046.pdf. 
  14. ↑ "EGM's Top Ten". Electronic Gaming Monthly: 42. July 1993. https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_48/page/n43/mode/2up. 
  15. ↑ "EGM's Top Ten". Electronic Gaming Monthly: 44. August 1993. https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_49/page/n45/mode/2up. 
  16. ↑ McFerran, Damien (February 8, 2023). "Best Sega Game Gear Games". Hookshot Media. https://www.timeextension.com/guides/best-sega-game-gear-games. 
  • 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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