Software:Kula World

From HandWiki
Short description: 1998 video game
"Roll Away" redirects here. For the Back Door Slam album, see Roll Away (album). For Toshiba's futuristic computer, see roll-away computer.
Kula World
Developer(s)Game Design Sweden AB
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
Designer(s)Stefan Persson
Jens Rudberg
Jesper Rudberg
Johannes Söderqvist
Programmer(s)Stefan Persson
Jens Rudberg
Jesper Rudberg
Artist(s)Johannes Söderqvist
Composer(s)Twice a Man
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • EU: 10 July 1998
  • NA: 27 November 1998[1]
  • JP: 27 May 1999
Genre(s)Platform, puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Kula World, released as Roll Away in North America and KulaQuest (クーラクエスト, KūraKuesuto) in Japan, is a puzzle-platform video game developed by Game Design Sweden AB and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. Sony's subsidiary Psygnosis released the game in North America. The player character, a kula beach ball, collect keys to unlock the level exits, as well as coins and jewels along the way. The game makes use of alternating physics, changing the direction of gravity as the ball moves. It was the only video game to be developed by Game Design Sweden AB, who would later be more well-known for launching Netbabyworld.

Gameplay

Various elements and obstacles are introduced as one moves on to new levels, which means that the complexity and level of puzzle solving required gradually increases as the game progresses. The game involves making ingenious use of the various types of platforms and surrounding objects, from moving platforms and transporters to bouncing platforms and jumping pills.

Bonus levels can be unlocked by gathering five fruits (one available in each stage). If one enters a bonus level, the word "BONUS" appears. Completing the bonus stage requires one to 'activate' all the cubes on all platforms by rolling over them. The bonus stages also become more complex as the game progresses.

Points are awarded when the player collects keys, treasures, and fruits and also when they complete levels. Points are deducted if the Kula ball is spiked, captured, melted, burnt by a laser, falls/slides off or simply runs out of time, all of which require the player to restart the level - providing the score has not fallen below zero, in which case, the game ends.

A two-player mode is available, with two variations of the game. A time trial and a version called "copycat". In the time trial the players take turns to determine who can complete each stage in the quickest time possible. The "copycat" version is a kind of memory tester. It involves one player starting off making two moves, and the next player then copies those moves and adds two of their own. The first player then has to copy all of the moves so far and add two more moves at the end. This continues until one of the players makes a mistake, after which the opponent is awarded a point. A move constitutes either changing direction, moving forward or jumping (either on the spot/forwards or onto another platform).

Release

The game was released in 1998. Additionally, playable demos of Kula World were shipped with PlayStation consoles sold in Europe that year on the "Demo One" disc.[2]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings81%[3]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Edge6/10[5]
EGM7/10[6][lower-alpha 1]
Eurogamer7/10[7]
Famitsu29/40[8]
Game Informer7.5/10[9]
GameSpot7.6/10[10]
IGN8.9/10[11]
OPM (US)StarStarStarStarHalf star[12]
PSMStarStarStarHalf star[13]
The Cincinnati EnquirerStarStarStar[14]

Kula World received generally positive reviews from video game publications.[3] Edge praised the game for gradually introducing new challenges as the player advances through the stages, comparing the game's progression to a "good Nintendo title", but criticized the game's lack of replay value and the multiplayer mode for not offering split screen gameplay.[5] GamePro was critical to the game's import, saying that the players must always play the same worlds in the same order, greatly hindering replayability, and called the title more as a rental or trade-in.[15][lower-alpha 2] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 29 out of 40.[8]

The game was nominated for the "Best Puzzle Game" award at the 1998 OPM Editors' Awards, which went to Devil Dice.[16]

Use in academia

The game was used in a series of academic studies presented at the European Conference on Games Based Learning from 2016 to 2019, examining effective gamification in a corporate context. The game was selected for the studies because of its score mechanics; with attention drawn to its presentation of line graphs for player score over time, score incentives, risks/rewards, and cult online following around achieving high scores long after release.[17][18][19]

Notes

  1. ↑ In Electronic Gaming Monthly's review of the import, one critic gave it 7.5/10, another gave it 6.5/10, and the rest gave it each a score of 7/10.
  2. ↑ GamePro gave the import three 4/5 scores for graphics, sound, and control, and 3/5 for fun factor.

References

  1. ↑ GameSpot staff (25 November 1998). "Now Shipping [date mislabeled as "April 28, 2000""]. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on 5 March 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20000305202625/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_11/25_vg_vgship/index.html. Retrieved 17 November 2020. 
  2. ↑ "Demo pals - Demo One". https://crimson-ceremony.net/demopals/demo1/index.php#PBPX-95007. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Roll Away for PlayStation". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 1 May 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190501075731/https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/198509-roll-away/index.html. Retrieved 20 November 2020. 
  4. ↑ Gregor Menasian (9 February 1999). "Roll Away". CNET. Archived from the original on 15 August 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20000815075428/http://www.gamecenter.com/Consoles/Sony/Rollaway/. Retrieved 27 November 2021. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Edge staff (July 1998). "Kula World". Edge (Future Publishing) (60): 94. https://archive.org/details/edgeuk060/page/n81/mode/2up. Retrieved 20 November 2020. 
  6. ↑ Shawn Smith; Dean Hager; Dan Hsu; Ken "Sushi-X" Williams (October 1998). "Kula World [Import"]. Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (111): 263. https://retrocdn.net/images/1/1d/EGM_US_111.pdf. Retrieved 27 November 2021. 
  7. ↑ Dan Whitehead (28 January 2008). "PSN Roundup (Kula World)". Gamer Network. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_psnrounduppt2_ps3. Retrieved 19 August 2017. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "クーラクエスト [PS"] (in ja). Famitsu (Enterbrain). https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=8809&redirect=no. Retrieved 20 November 2020. 
  9. ↑ "Kula World [Import"]. Game Informer (FuncoLand) (65). September 1998. http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=psx&path=sep98&doc=kula. Retrieved 20 November 2020. 
  10. ↑ Joe Fielder (30 December 1998). "Rollaway [sic Review"]. Red Ventures. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/rollaway-review/1900-2549153/. Retrieved 18 June 2017. 
  11. ↑ Douglass C. Perry (9 December 1998). "Roll Away". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/12/10/roll-away. Retrieved 18 June 2017. 
  12. ↑ "Roll Away". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) 2 (2). November 1998. 
  13. ↑ "Roll Away". PSM (Imagine Media) (15): 48. November 1998. https://archive.org/details/PSM_Issue_15_November_1998/page/n47/mode/2up. Retrieved 20 November 2020. 
  14. ↑ James Bottorff (1999). "Addictive 'Roll Away' a challenge". The Cincinnati Enquirer (Gannett Company). Archived from the original on 28 November 1999. https://web.archive.org/web/19991128162538/http://cincinnati.com/freetime/games/reviews/rollaway.html. Retrieved 19 August 2017. 
  15. ↑ Boba Fatt (October 1998). "Kula World [Import"]. GamePro (IDG Entertainment) (121): 176. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_111_October_1998/page/n175/mode/2up. Retrieved 20 November 2020. 
  16. ↑ "1998 OPM Editors' Awards (Best Puzzle Game)". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) 2 (5): 97. February 1999. https://archive.org/details/Official_US_PlayStation_Magazine_Volume_2_Issue_5_1999-02_Ziff_Davis_US/page/n95/mode/2up. Retrieved 27 November 2021. 
  17. ↑ "Designing and Evaluating a Gamified Corporate eLearning Course". Proceedings of the 12th European Conference on Game Based Learning. ACPI. 2019-10-03. pp. 51. doi:10.34190/GBL.19.107. ISBN 978-1-912764-38-9. https://www.academic-conferences.org/wp-content/uploads/dlm_uploads/2019/10/ECGBL-Abstract-booklet-2019.pdf#page=102. Retrieved 30 July 2023. 
  18. ↑ "Toward a Framework for Effective Corporate Gamification". European Conference on Games Based Learning (ACPI): 9. 2017. https://www.proquest.com/openview/8fdfbc78f14a6eaea807918633f3f397/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=396495. Retrieved 30 July 2023. 
  19. ↑ Gaming in Corporate Learning Environments. ACPI. 2015. pp. 10. doi:10.34190/GBL.19.107. ProQuest 1859715095. ISBN 978-1-912764-38-9. https://www.proquest.com/docview/1859715095. Retrieved 30 July 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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