Software:Hillsfar

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Hillsfar
Cover art by Clyde Caldwell
Developer(s)Westwood
Crosstalk (NES)
Opera House (PC-98)
Publisher(s)Strategic Simulations
U.S. Gold (Amiga)
Pony Canyon (Famicom, PC-88/98)
FCI (NES)
Designer(s)Graeme Bayless
Bret Berry
Charles J. Kroegel Jr.
Programmer(s)Kirk Fitzgerald
Ethan Grimes
Artist(s)Joseph B. Hewitt IV
Maurine Y. Starkey
Composer(s)Paul S. Mudra
Yasuhiro Kawasaki (NES, PC-9801)
Platform(s)Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, NES, PC-88, PC-98
Release
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Hillsfar is a role-playing video game for MS-DOS compatible operating systems, Amiga, Atari ST, and Commodore 64. It was developed by Westwood Associates and published by Strategic Simulations in 1989. It combines real-time action with randomly generated quests and includes elements of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A port to the Nintendo Entertainment System was released in 1993. Hillsfar received mixed reviews from critics.

Gameplay

Players start their game by creating a character. The game provides three choices: players may select a pre-made character, create their own,[1] or import characters from previous Strategic Simulations Dungeons & Dragons computer games, such as Pool of Radiance and Curse of the Azure Bonds.[2] When creating a character, players may determine the character's race (dwarf, elf, human or gnome), character class (cleric, fighter, magic-user or thief), and alignment. Various characteristics of the new character, such as strength and intelligence, are assigned a random value by the computer.[3]

The first-person perspective gameplay of Hillsfar, when the player explores caves

There are two aspects to the game: arcade action, where the player performs tasks (expressed as mini-games) such as searching for treasure and traveling between locations, and adventure, where the player completes quests.[4] The choice of character class affects the available quests, with three for each class. While the quests need to be completed in a set order, "what you do in your time off is up to you", and thus the player is free to explore other aspects of the game.[1]

The game is presented in three modes. When traveling, the scene is presented using a side-on view; once in the town of Hillsfar, the game converts to a "bird's-eye view" of the map; a first-person perspective is employed within the caves. Interaction is handled through what Leslie Eiser of Compute! magazine described as a "bump interface", which allows the player to trigger interaction with objects by bumping into them.[5]

Plot

The game takes place in the fictional town of Hillsfar. There are guilds for each class; Fighter, Cleric, Mage, and Thief. Depending on the class chosen by the player during their character's creation, the player must go to the appropriate guildmaster, who assigns them several missions. Upon completing all missions issued by the guildmaster, they will increase the player's gold and experience points, and the character then retires.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
Amiga Format72% (Amiga)[1]
DragonStarStarStar (Commodore 64)[6]

Hillsfar was successful for SSI, selling 78,418 copies.[7] Reviews tended to be mixed. On the positive side, the combination of arcade action and adventure was generally well received. Andy Smith of Amiga Format, in giving the game a rating of 72%, stated that SSI succeeded in producing "a good game that is a distinct mix of two very different styles",[4] while Bob Guerra of Compute! magazine praised the arcade-style sequences, writing that Hillsfar "does a much better job of integrating these high-quality sequences into the story than many others do".[3] Roe Adams of Computer Gaming World gave much praise for the thief's lockpicking sequence, but noted the game otherwise failed to live up to expectations; in particular, Adams criticized both the repetitive horseback travel sequence, and the fact that magic-users and clerics cast no magic during the game.[8]

Other reviewers were less impressed with the overall effect. Lucinda Orr of Amiga Computing criticized the overall gameplay, while she was impressed with some of the mini–games, describing them as "quite entertaining and graphically effective", she found the game generally boring, writing, "there is not too much to keep the interest above critical boredom level".[1]

The game was reviewed in 1989 in Dragon No. 147 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in their "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game three out of five stars. The reviewers compared Hillsfar to Pool of Radiance. They felt that the adventure of Hillsfar lacked depth and was less absorbing than Pool of Radiance, but they considered it "a nice adventure to while away the hours while waiting for SSI to release [the sequel to Pool of Radiance nicknamed] Azure Bonds". The reviewers also concluded that "If you enjoyed Pool of Radiance, you'll like Hillsfar".[6]

The NES version was more negatively received. Brent Walker's review in VideoGames & Computer Entertainment assessed, "The majority of your time is spent gathering gold, which has limited use, and either picking locks or bashing them open. There is also little adventure or strategy required, and I felt more like I was just wading through the game, rather than being pulled into it. Graphically unexciting and mentally uninteresting, I can't find anything in particular to recommend it." The magazine's team of four editors gave it an average score of 4 out of 10.[9]

According to GameSpy, Hillsfar was considered "a failed experiment" by a lot of players.[10]

Reviews

  • White Wolf #18 (Nov./Dec., 1989)
  • Shadis #1 (Jan., 1990)
  • Jeux & Stratégie #60[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Orr, Lucinda (December 1, 1989). "Hillsfar: The bitterest hill is hard to take". Amiga Computing (Database) 2 (7): 42–43. https://archive.org/details/amiga-computing-magazine-019/page/n41/mode/2up. 
  2. ↑ Lynch, Dennis (June 2, 1989). "CES Gems Not Here Yet, But These Titles Will Tide You Over". Chicago Tribune: p. 58. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Guerra, Bob (September 1, 1988). "Hillsfar". COMPUTE!: pp. 67. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Smith, Andy (December 1, 1989). "Hillsfar". Amiga Format: p. 41. 
  5. ↑ Eiser, Leslie (November 1990). "Games Kids Love to Read". Compute! (COMPUTE Publications International) 12 (8): 81–82. https://archive.org/details/1990-11-compute-magazine/page/n81/mode/2up. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia; Lesser, Kirk (July 1989). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (147): 76–83. https://archive.org/stream/DragonMagazine260_201801/DragonMagazine147#page/n79/mode/2up. 
  7. ↑ Maher, Jimmy (2017-03-31). "Opening the Gold Box, Part 5: All That Glitters is Not Gold". http://www.filfre.net/2017/03/opening-the-gold-box-part-5-all-that-glitters-is-not-gold/. 
  8. ↑ Adams, Roe (September 1989). "Review: The Dark Arena". Computer Gaming World (Golden Empire Publications) (63): 16. https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_63/page/n15/mode/2up. 
  9. ↑ Walker, Brent (May 1993). "Hillsfar". VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (L.F.P., Inc.) (52): 51. https://archive.org/stream/Video_Games_Computer_Entertainment_Issue_52_May_1993. 
  10. ↑ Rausch, Allen (August 15, 2004). "A History of D&D Video Games". IGN. http://pc.gamespy.com/articles/538/538865p4.html. 
  11. ↑ "Jeux & stratégie 60". 8 July 1989. http://archive.org/details/jeux-et-strategie-60. Retrieved 8 May 2023. 
  • 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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