Software:Kingdom II: Shadoan

From HandWiki
Short description: 1996 video game
Kingdom II: Shadoan
Developer(s)Virtual Image Productions
Publisher(s)Philips Interactive Media, Inc
Platform(s)DOS
Release1996

Kingdom II: Shadoan is a 1996 video game from Philips Interactive Media, Inc. The game is a sequel to Kingdom: The Far Reaches.

Gameplay

In Shadoan, players take on the role of Lathan, the last of the Argent Kings, on a quest to recover two ancient relics scattered across the Five Kingdoms. The game unfolds through animated sequences, with interactivity triggered at key moments when the player must quickly select the correct item to avoid peril—signaled by a falling hourglass. Navigation is handled via mouse, using tools like the Scrying Glass, Farsight Window, and Map of Journey, while the interface itself is complete with animated item selections and detailed graphics. The game does require some specific item acquisition—such as needing the Dagger of Arnes before pursuing the Crown of Malric. Magical scrolls from Daelon's Portal must be collected across multiple visits. Players manage inventory through the Scrying Glass, with items in the Pouch only usable once they appear in this interface. Supplementary tools like Lathan's Journal and the Book of History offer lore and note-taking, as well as the whimsical Shadoanomicon. The game also features unlimited healing and save options.[1]

Development

The game's budget exceeded $3 million.[2]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
All Game Guide4/5[3]
GameSpot7.3/10[1]
PC Gamer35%[4]
PC Joker39%[5]
PC Player2/5[6]
Power Play32%[7]
PC Gameworld35%[8]

All Game Guide said "Shadoan is a wonderful game that will afford many hours of interesting play for gamers. If you are looking for a good adventure game, look this one up".[3]

GameSpot said "If you simply like really beautiful animation and fairy tales, this game is at least worth considering".[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Anderson, Rebecca (August 23, 1996). "Shadoan Review". Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160410171858/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/shadoan-review/1900-2559605/. Retrieved February 1, 2025. 
  2. ↑ Chase, Randy (March 20, 1998). "Stylish animated adventure game combines engaging story, rich world and Disney-like feel". p. 27. Archived from the original on November 26, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20241126102301/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-oregonian/159785877/. Retrieved February 1, 2025. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Savignano, Lisa. "Kingdom II: Shadoan". Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141115182038/https://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=13658&tab=review. Retrieved February 1, 2025. 
  4. ↑ Williamson, Colin (February 1998). "Kingdoms II: Shadoan". Archived from the original on March 8, 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20000308165454/http://www.pcgamer.com/reviews/605.html. Retrieved February 24, 2025. 
  5. ↑ "Shadoan" (in de). November 2000. Archived from the original on November 26, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20241126103345/https://www.kultboy.com/index.php?site=t&id=20270. Retrieved February 1, 2025. 
  6. ↑ "Shadoan" (in de). June 1997. Archived from the original on November 26, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20241126103716/https://www.kultboy.com/index.php?site=t&id=15578. Retrieved February 1, 2025. 
  7. ↑ "Shadoan" (in de). November 1996. Archived from the original on November 26, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20241126103914/https://www.kultboy.com/index.php?site=t&id=25191. Retrieved February 1, 2025. 
  8. ↑ "Kingdoms II: Shadoan". Archived from the original on May 24, 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20000524115011/http://www.pcgameworld.com/reviews/k/kingdoms2shadoan/index.htm. Retrieved February 2, 2025. 
  • 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. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.




Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Kingdom_II:_Shadoan&oldid=3951743"