Software:Keith Courage in Alpha Zones

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Short description: 1988 video game
Keith Courage in Alpha Zones
North American box art
Developer(s)Advance Communication Company
Publisher(s)
Programmer(s)Chudon Okawari
Composer(s)Michiharu Hasuya
Osamu Kasai
Masaaki Harada
Platform(s)PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16
Release
  • JP: August 30, 1988
  • NA: August 29, 1989
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Keith Courage in Alpha Zones is a 1989 platform game released by NEC for the TurboGrafx-16. It was the pack-in game for the console in North America.[1] It was originally released in Japan by Hudson Soft on August 30, 1988 for the PC Engine (The TG-16's Japanese counterpart), under the title Mashin Hero Wataru (Japanese: 魔神英雄伝ワタル, Hepburn: Mashin Eiyūden Wataru) which is adapted from the anime television series of the same name. Hudson later released in 1990 another game for the Famicom based on the franchise titled Mashin Eiyuuden Wataru Gaiden Famicom, which is a role-playing video game.[2][3]

Plot

The player controls Keith Courage. In this game, Earth has been struck by a giant meteor, carrying an invasion force from another planet. Burrowing deep within the planet's surface, the planet of B.A.D. (Beastly Alien Dudes) seeks to take over the Earth. As a member of N.I.C.E. (Nations of International Citizens for Earth), Keith's mission is to defeat B.A.D. and bring peace to the world. Armed with a sword, Keith must first defeat the outpost guards. Then, enter the Underworld. Here Keith activates the awesome Nova Suit. A secret force left to him by his fallen father, he is half man, half mechanical monster. Nearly invincible, his sword cracks with the power of lightning, as you wreak havoc on the fearsome Dudes. His goal is to reach the Robo Zone (the seventh Alpha Zone), headquarters of B.A.D. Succeed here and the player will win the game, recapturing the Earth and restoring humanity's place in the universe. Four friends offer Keith advice, swords, bombs, and extra lives. The player's goal is to collect the stolen riches left behind by the invaders and buy your way out of trouble with money.

Gameplay

The game is an action-adventure platform game, with two styles of play depending on whether the player is above (overworld) or below ground (underworld). There are a total of seven levels in the game, each of which is broken into two areas, the overworld and underworld. Overworld areas consist of simple rightward travel and platform hopping. In the overworld, one controls Keith Courage in his human form, using a dagger to fend off enemies which take the form of birds, moles, and even cats that drop from the sky. Upon reaching the end of the overworld level, Keith is transported via rainbow to the underworld, whereupon he adopts the Nova Suit. The underworld levels are more complex and menacing than the colorful overworld, with aggressive nightmare creatures and a larger landscape to travel with more of a focus on navigating not only horizontally but also vertically. At the end of each underworld level is a boss. In the overworld, the player can go into buildings at times and buy power ups.

Overworld gameplay

In the overworld, Keith is a simple adventurous human with a short sword and three heart containers. The overworld, while simple, is where Keith will collect coins and spend those coins to obtain "bolt bombs," health regeneration, and better equipment for the underworld by going to houses that have NPCs to talk to.

Underworld gameplay

Transporting to the underworld places Keith in the Nova Suit, a suit of armor that grants him extra hearts on his health bar and a better sword depending on what was purchased in the overworld. Additionally, Keith is now able to use the "bolt bombs." When used, bolt bombs are similar to bullets that are fired in the eight cardinal directions depending on how many are left.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGame2/5[4]
CVG78%[6]
IGN5.5/10[7]
Joystick (DE)6.5/10[9]
Micro News4/5[10]

Keith Courage in Alpha Zones garnered mixed reviews from critics.[11][12]

References

  1. ↑ "Stalled engine: The TurboGrafx-16 turns 25". 12 September 2014. https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/225466/stalled_engine_the_turbografx16_.php?page=2. 
  2. ↑ "The 10 Best NES Games That Never Left Japan". 9 March 2020. https://www.thegamer.com/best-nes-games-that-never-left-japan/. 
  3. ↑ "Majin Eiyuuden Wataru Gaiden « Famicom World". https://famicomworld.com/game/670/. 
  4. ↑ Weiss, Brett Alan (1998). "Keith Courage in Alpha Zones - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=2670&tab=review. 
  5. ↑ Blum, Torsten (October 1989). "Konsolen: PC-Engine-unwürdig" (in de). Aktueller Software Markt (Tronic Verlag) 4 (10): 65. https://archive.org/details/Aktueller_Software_Markt_-_Ausgabe_1989.10/page/n64/mode/1up. 
  6. ↑ "The Complete Games Guide: PC Engine". Computer and Video Games (EMAP) 4: 40–57. November 1990. https://archive.org/details/Complete_Guide_to_Consoles_Volume_IV_1990_EMAP_Publishing_GB/page/n55/mode/1up. 
  7. ↑ Buchanan, Levi (September 3, 2008). "Keith Courage in Alpha Zones Review". IGN. IGN Entertainment. http://retro.ign.com/articles/906/906969p1.html. 
  8. ↑ Huyghues-Lacour, Alain (April 1990). "Rolling Softs: Wataru (PC Engine NEC, carte Hudson Soft)" (in fr). Tilt (Mondadori France (fr)) (77): 70. https://archive.org/details/Tilt077/page/n69/mode/1up. 
  9. ↑ Goldmann, Robin (August 1989). "Cartridge Games: Wataru (System: PC-Engine)" (in de). Joystick (DMV-Verlag) 2 (8): 99. https://archive.org/details/joystick-de-1989-08/page/99/mode/1up. 
  10. ↑ Darnaudet, Jérôme (April 15, 1990). "Tops & Softs Consoles: Wataru" (in fr). Micro News (fr) (Sandyx) (33): 48. https://archive.org/details/micro-news-33/page/n47/mode/1up. 
  11. ↑ "A Look at the NEC TurboGrafx-16". Computer Entertainer (Marylou Badeaux) 8 (6): pp. 8–9. September 1989. https://archive.org/details/computer-entertainer-8-6/page/n7/mode/1up. 
  12. ↑ DeMaria, Rusel (December 1989). "Video Games Reviews: Keith Courage in Alpha Zones". VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (Larry Flynt Publications) (11): 70–72. https://archive.org/details/video-games-computer-entertainment-issue-11-december-1989/page/n73/mode/1up. 
  • 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 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]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

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. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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