Software:Gargoyle's Quest II

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Short description: 1992 video game
Gargoyle's Quest II:
The Demon Darkness
European box art
Developer(s)Capcom
Publisher(s)Capcom
Producer(s)Tokuro Fujiwara
Designer(s)Ryo Miyazaki
Composer(s)Yuki Iwai
SeriesGhosts 'n Goblins
Platform(s)NES, Game Boy
ReleaseNES
  • JP: July 17, 1992
  • NA: October 1992
  • EU: June 17, 1993
Game Boy
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Gargoyle's Quest II: The Demon Darkness[lower-alpha 1] is a 1992 action-adventure game released on the NES by Capcom.[1] It is the prequel to Gargoyle's Quest (part of the Ghosts 'n Goblins franchise) and features a similar gameplay style, which combines adventure elements with side-scrolling action in a macabre fantasy setting.[2]

Gameplay

The Demon Darkness utilizes a password system and is broken into two sections: Traversing the Ghoul Realm via an overhead map view, and side-scrolling action areas, that take place in dungeons, across giant pits, and more.[3]

The action portions of the gameplay are nearly identical, in a broad sense, to the previous Gargoyle's Quest game. The main difference between these parts and the original Gargoyle's Quest's action platforming segments is the addition of the Magic Tornado power-up, which allows Firebrand, the playable character, to raise himself into the air in vertical directions by standing on temporary platforms. Like in the previous game, Firebrand gets around with the added help of his wings which let him glide horizontally in mid-air.[4] Firebrand can shoot "magic weapon" projectiles as a mean of attack or self-defense at any given moment.[5] One of the staple abilities of Firebrand is his power to cling to walls for climbing up vertical cliffs,[5] grabbing on to the sides of moving objects, and slower descending. Firebrand is notably slower than most video game characters of his kind, often leading to a necessary confrontation with each foe. Occasionally, Firebrand is blocked by foes that have significantly more health than regular ones and must defeat them in confined rooms to advance.

In the overworld and town screens, Firebrand moves in the four cardinal directions to navigate the realm he inhabits in semi-linear paths. Towns contain ghoul denizens, who talk to Firebrand, and various stone buildings that can be entered.[5] Firebrand becomes more powerful as he progresses, whether by increased glide time, higher jumping ability, or more stamina, through the use of acquired enchanted items.[2]

Plot

According to the video game's content, a long, long time ago before humans started appearing in the fictional place called the Ghoul Realm, there was a fictional, young ghoul warrior, a gargoyle[lower-alpha 2] named Firebrand from the town of Etruria. One day, while Firebrand was out partaking in his daily routine of training in a small, alternate dimension, The Black Light appeared unexpectedly and destroyed his home. When he returns from his training, he was told to hurry to the local King by another ghoul just before it collapsed and died before him.[6][2]

Firebrand then made his way there. After defeating Nagus (the Spaulder-wearing monster as seen in the distance on the European box art), Firebrand was able to meet with King Morock, who informed Firebrand that he, himself, was on the brink of death. Before dying, he gave Firebrand the Spectre's Fingernail and set him off on a journey to unravel the mystery of The Black Light, facing off against an invading army the whole way.[6]

Re-releases

Gargoyle's Quest II was ported to the Game Boy in 1993 in Japan & China (DMG-201 CHN) only, under the name Makaimura Gaiden: The Demon Darkness (魔界村外伝 The Demon Darkness). This port was an enhanced version of the original title containing two new action stages (a cave in the northern part of Sittem Desert and another cave in the desert where Dagon dwells). Completing these levels unlocks abilities unique to this port of the game: a homing upgrade for Firebrand's basic attack as well as an astral projection technique that can be used to briefly scout out the area around Firebrand. It was scheduled to be released in North America in July 1993 but was later canceled.

The NES/Famicom version was re-released in Japan on March 5, 2014 and May 21, 2014 on the Virtual Console for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, respectively and in North America on October 30, 2014 on both the 3DS and Wii U and Europe on September 4, 2014 on the Wii U and October 30, 2014 on the 3DS. All Virtual Console versions of the game have an ESRB rating of "E for Everyone" in North America, unlike all previous versions, which were unrated.[7]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
EGMNES: 29/40[8]
FamitsuNES: 25/40[1]
GB: 22/40[9]
GamePro16/20[10]
Nintendo LifeStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStar[11][12]
Nintendo Power13.7/20[13]
Total!82%[14]

Tim Latshaw of Nintendo Life called Gargoyle's Quest II: The Demon Darkness "a fine little gem from back in the day that deserves all the appreciation of players who are up to its tough but not impossible style of gameplay." He deeply welcomed the virtual console's "restore point" save function as an addition to the archaic password system, going as far as to imply either of these ports were the superior ways to play the NES version of the game.[12]

IGN put the NES version at number 63 on their list of the best North American NES games ever created.[4] As a point of reference, there are 662 NES games licensed and released in North America.[16]

Notes

  1. ↑ The full title has always been on the game's main screen. For its original NES release, the box, paperwork, and game label referred to the game simply as Gargoyle's Quest II. It is known in Japan as Red Arremer II (Japanese: レッドアリーマーII, Hepburn: Reddo Arīmā Tsū)
  2. ↑ In this case, "ghoul" is an umbrella term for all intelligent life that was native to the realm. All gargoyles are ghouls, but not all ghouls are gargoyles.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "レッドアリーマーII [ファミコン / ファミ通.com"]. https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=18494. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Hardcore Gaming 101: Ghosts 'n Goblins / Makaimura". http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/gng/gng4.htm. 
  3. ↑ JC Fletcher (2007). "Virtually Overlooked: Gargoyle's Quest II". http://nintendo.joystiq.com/2007/12/06/virtually-overlooked-gargoyles-quest-ii/. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Top 100 NES Games - IGN.com" (in en). http://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-nes-games/63. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Gargoyle's Quest II Instruction Manual". 1992. http://www.nesfiles.com/NES/Gargoyles_Quest/Gargoyles_Quest.pdf. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Capcom. Gargoyle's Quest II. Capcom, 1992-2014. 3DS Virtual Console. Retrieved 2017-02-18.
  7. ↑ "ESRB - Gargoyle's Quest II". http://www.esrb.org/ratings/Synopsis.aspx?Certificate=10008414&Title=Gargoyle%27s+Quest+II. 
  8. ↑ "Gargoyles Quest II". Electronic Gaming Monthly 5 (10): 28. October 1992. https://archive.org/details/ElectronicGamingMonthly_201902/Electronic%20Gaming%20Monthly%20Issue%20039%20%28October%201992%29/page/n27/mode/2up. Retrieved August 28, 2021. 
  9. ↑ "魔界村外伝 [ゲームボーイ / ファミ通.com"]. https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=13247. 
  10. ↑ Lizard Lips (July 1992). "Gargoyle's Quest II". GamePro (36): 28–29. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_036_July_1992/page/n29/mode/2up?q=%22Gargoyle%27s+Quest+II%22. Retrieved August 28, 2021. 
  11. ↑ Latshaw, Tim (2014-11-28). "Review: Gargoyle's Quest II: The Demon Darkness (3DS eShop / NES)" (in en-GB). Nintendo Life. http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds-eshop/gargoyles_quest_ii_the_demon_darkness_nes. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Van Duyn, Marcel (2014-09-20). "Review: Gargoyle's Quest II: The Demon Darkness (Wii U eShop / NES)" (in en-GB). Nintendo Life. http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu-eshop/gargoyles_quest_ii_the_demon_darkness_nes. 
  13. ↑ George; Rob (August 1992). "Now Playing". Nintendo Power 39: 102–105. https://archive.org/details/nintendo-power-issue-127-december-1999/Nintendo%20Power%20Issue%20039%20August%201992/page/102/mode/2up?q=%22Gargoyle%27s+Quest+II%22. Retrieved August 28, 2021. 
  14. ↑ Frank (February 1994). Gargoyle's Quest II. https://archive.org/details/total-26/page/72/mode/2up?q=%22Pugsley%27s+Scavenger+Hunt%22. Retrieved August 28, 2021. 
  15. ↑ Walnum, Clayton (October 1992). "Gargoyle's Quest II". Video Games & Computer Entertainment (45): 70. https://archive.org/details/vg-ce-october-1992/page/n71/mode/2up?q=%22Gargoyle%27s+Quest+II%22. Retrieved August 28, 2021. 
  16. ↑ "Here's How Many Games Were Released on Each Nintendo Console | Nintendo Enthusiast" (in en-US). http://nintendoenthusiast.com/article/nintendos-consoles-total-retail-game-releases/. 
  • 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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