Software:Fable (1996 video game)

From HandWiki
Fable
Developer(s)Simbiosis Interactive
Publisher(s)
  • EU: Telstar Electronic Studios
Platform(s)MS-DOS, Windows
Release1996
Genre(s)Point-and-click adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Fable is a PC point and click adventure game developed by Simbiosis Interactive. It was the company's only release. It was published in North America by Sir-Tech and internationally by Telstar Electronic Studios.

Gameplay

Fable runs on MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows, featuring SVGA graphics (DirectX in the Windows 95 version) and full voice-acting. The game has a minimalist user interface, showing only the cursor (which displays the current verb selected for use) and descriptive text.

The game follows the standard point-and-click adventure game formula of controlling the player using the mouse, while avoiding the need to display a list of verbs on-screen. Moving the mouse cursor over an object or person changes the cursor icon to represent a verb. (Use, Talk, etc.) Left-clicking will perform the action displayed, whereas right-clicking will cycle through other verbs relevant to whatever the cursor is pointing at.

Plot

The plot follows Quickthorpe (the protagonist) attempting to complete a quest given to him by the priest of his village. He is to obtain four mystical gemstones said to have control over a part of nature. The priest tells Quickthorpe that he wishes to destroy the gems, as this will supposedly make the world fully habitable by the people of his village again. In order to obtain each gemstone, Quickthorpe must kill a creature acting as the gem's guardian.

Quickthorpe's first target is the Ice Giant living in the Northern region of the Frozen Lands - the area in which Quickthorpe's home village is located. As he continues through the Land of Mists, Quickthorpe learns of the Mecubarz; an ancient race of creatures from another world who used their technological secrets and special abilities to enslave the human race centuries ago. A small group of humans fought back, some using their own technology against them but none of them able to uncover any of the secrets of their enslavers before they ultimately left. Quickthorpe receives a key in relation to the Mecubar conspiracy before he kills the guardian of the next gemstone by talking to a friend of the fairy that informed him about the Mecubarz.

Having taken both the gemstones, Quickthorpe goes to an underwater town to find the Engulfed Fortress, in which he discovers an ancient guard. He reveals that the world had faced a catastrophic event caused by the Mecubarz as they left. Bribing the guard to leave his post, Quickthorpe enters a cave system that permits him to enter both the Engulfed Fortress and the Land of Shadows.

Going into the Land of Shadows allows Quickthorpe to get the third gemstone without any new information about the Mekubars. Entering parts of the Engulfed Fortress allows Quickthorpe to encounter two more characters: an ancient humanoid creature named Ishmael and a Gorgon, the guardian of the final gem. Talking to the Gorgon reveals that she was part of a group of creatures that attempted to steal the secrets of the Mecubarz during the human's attempt to revolt. The leader of this group was Ishmael, who discovered that the gemstones were parts of the key Quickthorpe was given, and that the key was the only way to obtain the secrets of the Mecubarz. When assembled, the key would unlock the locked-off room behind the guardian.

Ishmael's determination to obtain these secrets leads him to convince the priest to give Quickthorpe the quest that started all of this. The guardian requests for Quickthorpe to kill her after telling him all this, which he obliges to do before taking the final gemstone. Having all the gemstones and the key, Quickthorpe confronts Ishmael about the whole issue, in which Ishmael shares his knowledge of the Mecubarz, hopeful that he'll receive the now fully assembled key. The Mecubarz were a race of creatures composed entirely of energy. To continue fuelling themselves, they used the human race. The main secrets behind the Mecubarz were their abilities to never die and to almost instantly travel to other worlds, and due to Ishmael's age, his focus has shifted mainly to gaining a means to become immortal. Hearing all of this, Quickthorpe decides to let him rot after telling him that he'll think about giving him the gemstones and key. Quickthorpe returns to where he killed the final guardian and completes the key, using it to take the secrets for himself. He finds himself in a strange room filled with advanced technology. Quickthorpe sits down on the chair and a holographic viewport attaches itself to his head, performs some unknown function, then detaches. Quickthorpe then stands up from the chair and power surges through his body.

International release ending

The game cuts to Quickthorpe reading a book (the same one featured on the main menu screen) in a jail cell before walking over to the bars of his cell door. The narrator who has been describing Quickthorpe's journey is revealed to be the warden, who reveals that Quickthorpe is in jail for murdering his family and that the other convicts have worked to get him a chocolate cake to celebrate his 21st birthday.

North American ending

Quickthorpe walks over to the particle streamer (a device for recording history) and uses it. Energy begins to surge through the room, causing all the equipment to smoke. We then see the energy running through Ishmael's throne, killing him. The scene abruptly changes to Quickthorpe returning to his village and knocking on the door. Wannette (Quickthorpe's girlfriend) appears on the balcony and upon seeing him, she opens the door and lets him in. Love hearts emerge from the balcony window and the words 'The End' appear on-screen.

Development

The original ending received a great deal of negative feedback. Both players and reviewers cited the fact that the ending was too dark and didn't match the comedic tone present in the rest of the game. This prompted the developers to create a 'happy' ending which was put into the North American release only.

Reception

Next Generation reviewed the PC version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "it's a fine addition to a long line of traditional games, reminiscent of Sierra's King's Quest games, and certainly worth a look for any adventure fan."[1] GameSpot called the game 'an earnest but uneven effort', praising the graphics and voice acting but criticising the design, convoluted story and unsatisfying ending.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Finals". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (31): 164, 167. July 1997. 
  2. ↑ "Fable (1996) Review". GameSpot. February 27, 1997. http://uk.gamespot.com/fable-1996/reviews/fable-review-2535929/. 
  • 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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