Software:Dragon Crystal

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Dragon Crystal
Dragon Crystal
European Master System cover art
Developer(s)Sega
Publisher(s)Sega
Platform(s)Game Gear, Master System
ReleaseGame Gear
  • JP: December 22, 1990
  • NA: 1991
  • EU: 1991
Master System
3DS Virtual Console
  • JP: March 14, 2012
  • NA: March 15, 2012
  • EU: March 29, 2012
Genre(s)Roguelike
Mode(s)Single-player

Dragon Crystal (ドラゴンクリスタル)[1] is a 1990 video game developed and published by Sega for their Game Gear and Master System. The game is similar to and shares assets with Fatal Labyrinth, which was also released around that time.

Plot

As the player rides a bicycle one late afternoon, he turns down an alley never before noticed and enters an antique shop. There, a mysterious glowing crystal is sitting on a shelf. Upon approaching the crystal and gazing into it, a powerful force pulls the player in, causing a blackout.

The player awakens in a forest with a large egg following behind. This forest is a huge maze, crawling with dangerous creatures. The player finds weapons and other items scattered around with which to fight the monsters. The only way out is to continue onward, defeating monsters and growing in power along the way.

Gameplay

The player starts off in the middle of a maze level covered by fog. The first ten levels are a mix of trees, cacti, sunflowers, and Easter Island style statues. Progress is achieved by completing each floor and warping to the next by walking the character to a differently colored square, found by clearing the level.

Weapons, armor, potions, rings, food, money and enemies are randomly placed on the ground. If a player walks around for too long without picking up food, he will die of starvation. Cake objects give 11 to 27 and meat objects 42 to 46 food points and each food point allows the character to move six spaces on the screen and the maximum number of food points is 99.

The player has a number of Hit Points dependent on the level achieved, these increase by killing monsters and advancing to the next character level. Hit points are traded in battle with the enemy and recovered by moving around. Money is used to revive from death, increasing in cost with the number and severity of previous deaths.

The game is essentially turn-based, with each movement or action the equivalent to one turn and both monsters and the player will take it in turn to make an attack. This means getting surrounded can be particularly dangerous as every enemy would get one attack for every one attack the player makes. Likewise, a player who wanted to take their time in thinking about what to do next in a battle could do so without being attacked by just standing still.

Items picked up in the game, with the exception of armor and weapons, are color-coded, with colors representing an effect that cannot be discovered until the player does one of the following: uses an item of that color, or throws it on an enemy. Once, say, a Bronze Book has been used, all future Bronze Books will be renamed to reflect its powers. Generally speaking, Pots are potions that can heal or poison the player, Books provide either maps or spells that may strengthen the player in some way or negate a harmful effect (such as removing cursed items), Rods cast spells that affect enemies and Rings provide bonuses to stats (or sometimes are cursed, such as the Hunger Ring, which makes the player consume food much more quickly and requires a Bless Book to remove). Unwanted items, such as armor or weapons weaker than the ones already worn by the player or cursed or poisonous items, can either be dropped or thrown at enemies for minor damage. The player may only carry a limited number of items.

As the player equips better items, their in-game appearance changes to reflect the new gear if it's sufficiently different. Robe, Cuirass, and Leathers all have the same basic appearance, while Chainmail gives the player a new look.

As the player gains levels, the egg accompanying the player hatches into a dragon that grows with the player as he moves through the levels.

Each enemy has a unique attack. Toads can poison the player, Fire Diamonds cause dizziness (which had the effect of randomizing the direction the player moves), Ninjas teleport around the map, some Slime Blobs create copies of themselves and so on. The game ends when the player finds and picks up the holy goblet hidden in level 30.

Sequels and ports

Dragon Crystal is similar to and shares assets with Fatal Labyrinth, which was released around the same time. A Dragon Crystal II was planned for mobile phones but was never released.

The Game Gear version of the game was released for the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console worldwide in March 2012.

Reception

The Game Gear version was reviewed in 1991 in Dragon #175 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 5 out of 5 stars.[2]

Console XS reviewed the Master System version in 1992, giving it an 82% score.[3]

Reviews

  • Raze (Sep, 1991)[4]
  • ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment) (Aug, 1991)[5]
  • Games-X (May 24, 1991)[6]
  • Génération 4 (Feb, 1991)[7]
  • Joystick (French) (Dec, 1991)[8]
  • ASM (Aktueller Software Markt) (Feb, 1992)[9]
  • ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment) (Dec, 1991)[10]
  • Video Games (Sep, 1991)[11]
  • Sega Power (Dec, 1993)[12]
  • Sega Power (Sep, 1992)[13]

References

  1. ↑ Packaging gives a subtitle of ツラニの迷宮 (Tsurani no Meikyuu).
  2. ↑ Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia; Lesser, Kirk (November 1991). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (175): 57–66. 
  3. ↑ "Software A-Z: Master System". Console XS (United Kingdom: Paragon Publishing) (1 (June/July 1992)): 137–47. 23 April 1992. https://archive.org/details/console-xs-01/page/137. 
  4. ↑ "RAZE - Issue 11 (1991-09)(Newsfield Publishing)(GB)". September 1991. https://archive.org/details/RAZE_Issue_11_1991-09_Newsfield_Publishing_GB/page/n47/mode/2up. 
  5. ↑ "ACE Magazine Issue 47". August 1991. https://archive.org/details/ace-magazine-47/page/n72/mode/2up. 
  6. ↑ "Games X Magazine 05". https://archive.org/details/Games_X_Magazine_05/page/36/mode/2up. 
  7. ↑ Génération 4 abandonware.org
  8. ↑ Dragon Crystal abandonware.org
  9. ↑ Magazine clipping ninretro.de
  10. ↑ "Ace Magazine Issue 51". https://archive.org/details/Ace_Magazine_Issue_51/page/112/mode/2up. 
  11. ↑ "Kultpower Archiv: Komplettscan Videogames 3/1991". http://www.kultpower.de/archiv/heft_videogames_1991-03_seite80. 
  12. ↑ Sega Power 49 retrocdn.net
  13. ↑ Sega Power 34 retrocdn.net

Sources

  • 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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