Software:Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny

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Short description: 1997 video game
Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny
Developer(s)Westwood Studios
Publisher(s)Virgin Interactive Entertainment
Designer(s)Jeff Steven Fillhaber
Jesse Clemit
Programmer(s)Scott K. Bowen
Bill Petro
Artist(s)Rick Parks
Writer(s)Rick Gush
Composer(s)David Arkenstone
Frank Klepacki
Platform(s)DOS, Microsoft Windows
Release
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny[lower-alpha 1] is a 1997 action role-playing game, second installment of the Lands of Lore series, a sequel to Software:Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos. It brought about a drastic change in gameplay style from its predecessor, opting away from the original's D&D turn-based style in favor of more action elements. A sequel, Lands of Lore III, was released in 1999.

Gameplay

Similar to its contemporary Realms of the Haunting, Guardians of Destiny is a first-person adventure game which, while featuring occasional combat, revolves around the solving of puzzles. Like in most adventure games, the player can interact with objects and people by clicking on them, collect items into an inventory, and use items from their inventory on environmental objects. However, some puzzles also require the player to cast spells, use their melee attack, or drag objects and even enemy corpses into specific locations.

Navigating through the environment also often involves platforming challenges, some of which can be undertaken only in one specific form. The player character, Luther, has a curse which causes him to randomly change between three forms: human, lizard, and beast. Later in the game the player acquires spells which can be used to change form at will if in human or lizard form; once in beast form Luther must wait to change randomly back to human form, since the beast cannot cast spells. The lizard form is small, allowing it to enter tunnels inaccessible to other forms, but preventing it from crossing even shallow streams of water without drowning. It can run faster and cast spells more easily than other forms. The beast form is tall and heavy, such that it can make only mild jumps, but in some places its size allows it to step across gaps that the other two forms would have to jump over, wade across the deepest body of water, it's also immune to poison and very strong. The human form is an average of the other two in most respects, but is the only form which can equip weapons or armor.

Combat works similarly to The Throne of Chaos, except that the player's party consists of just one character, and most enemies will not attack the player character unless provoked. Luther can use a melee attack, fire a bow at range, use items, and cast spells at four different levels. Each spell has a fifth level which is only usable if Luther consumes an ancient stone or has acquired the Mantle of the Ancients, which occurs at a set point near the end of the game. Spells draw on a limited pool of magic points, which, like Luther's health, is gradually recovered over time.

Plot

In his abode near Gladstone, the Draracle receives a vision of a young girl of the Huline race being cornered by a monsterous creature, seeing this as a sign that the ancient god Belial is returning. Eons ago, Belial, one of the ancient gods of The Lands, was executed for fueling a war between two of the world's races - the Huline and the Dracoids - by supplying powerful weapons to the latter. Before his execution, Belial arranged for a powerful creature to fuel his rebirth, spawning lesser creatures across the world.

In Gladstone, Luther, a young farmer and the son of Scotia, is imprisoned by the kingdom's soldiers following the wake of Scotia's death, accused of being a member of the Dark Army. Unknown to his captors, Luther bares a curse that causes him to morph into either a monster or a lizard against his will; when such a transformation occurs whilst in his cell, he uses the opportunity to escape, fleeing to caverns linked to the Draracle's home - attempting to return to the cavern's entrance leads to Luther being killed by Gladstone's soldiers. Upon encountering the Draracle, Luther is saved, only to learn that his curse can only be cured by finding a wizard within a tribe of Huline on the Southern Continent.

On his travels in the south, Luther encounters the mystic Dawn and her assistant Baccata, a former ally of the hero who defeated Scotia. While they seek his return to Gladstone, both eventually offer help to Luther, upon learning he seeks a means to end his curse. Although he is sent to different locations, he soon learns of the danger coming from Belial's resurrection, forcing him to find his way to the City of the Ancients, where the Old Gods resided. Depending on actions taken in the game, the game ends in one of several ways:

  • If Luther fails to escape an armory in Belial's labotory or is killed by Belial, the ancient god overruns the land with creatures in order to conquer them.
  • If Luther defeats Belial but performs enough evil actions, he transforms himself into a powerful god to terrorize the land. This path can also see him being killed for his evil actions after Belial's defeat, either by the Draracle, or by Dawn if she is treated badly by Luther.
  • If Luther defeats Belial, performing good actions, the Draracle makes plans to rejoin the other Old Gods now that Belial is dead. In passing on his news to Luther, he finds him and Dawn in bed, the pair having become romantically involved. After his departure, the two consumate their relationship.

Development

Because role-playing titles such as Software:The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall had recently attained commercial hit status, Westwood opted to "make Lands of Lore 2 one of its flagship titles for the latter half of 1997", according to Next Generation.[4]

Reception

Critical reviews

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings74%[5]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGame4/5[6]
CGSP3.5/5[8]
GameRevolutionC+[9]
GameSpot7.9/10[10]
Next Generation3/5[11]
PC Gamer (UK)83%[12]
PC Gamer (US)87%[13]
PC PowerPlay92%[14]
PC Zone92%[15]

The game received above-average reviews. Keith Sullivan of PC Gamer US called it a "very good game", but stated that its engine was dated in comparison to Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II and Quake.[13] Cindy Yans of Computer Games Strategy Plus commended its "excellent" storyline and the characters, and a "rich" world to explore, but was critical to its full-motion video sequences, "awkward" controls and "dated" graphics engine.[8]

A reviewer for Next Generation called Lands of Lore a worthy sequel, but also as part RPG, part adventure. The writer concluded that, while the game "may have its quirks", it is "an entertaining romp" for those willing to overlook the issues.[11] In PC PowerPlay, David Wildgoose hailed it as "perhaps the most complete game" he had played and praised its mixture of genres. He believed that it was "a new level" of quality for Westwood.[14]

PC Zone's Jamie Cunningham called the game "another Westwood masterpiece" while acknowledging some issues in the gameplay.[15] Andy Backer of Computer Game Entertainment summarized the game as "flawed" and "frustrating" but "brilliant" at the same time.[16] Writing for PC Gamer UK, Andy Butcher said that the game offers hours of fun despite its "patchy" nature and "uninspiring" graphics.[12]

In a negative review, Computer Gaming World's Scorpia called the game a "horror" and considered not an RPG, adventure or an action game, but a "patchwork" of all three.[17]

Sales

The game claimed #11 in the U.S. on PC Data's computer game sales rankings for October 1997.[18][19] A writer for CNET Gamecenter noted that the game was part of a trend of role-playing successes that month, alongside Ultima Online and Fallout.[18] The game was absent from PC Data's top 20 by November.[20]

On Media Control's computer game sales charts for the German market, the game debuted in second place in the latter half of October.[21] Holding this position in the first half of November, it proceeded to chart in the top 10 through the end of 1997.[22][23] During 1998, the game remained in the top 20 through the end of February,[24][25] and placed 40th and 45th in May. At that time, it had maintained an unbroken 28-week streak in the top 50.[26][27]

Awards

During the inaugural Interactive Achievement Awards, Guardians of Destiny was a finalist for the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' "PC Role-Playing Game of the Year" award,[28] which ultimately was given to Dungeon Keeper.[29] It was also nominated for the "Best RPG" award at the CNET Gamecenter Awards for 1997, which went to Diablo;[30] and was a runner-up for Computer Gaming World's 1997 "Strategy Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to Fallout.[31] The game won the award for "RPG" at PC PowerPlay's 1997 Game of the Year Awards.[32]

Reviews

  • Backstab (magazine) (fr) #8[33]

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Known as Lands of Lore II: Guardians of Destiny in some European countries
Footnotes
  1. ↑ "Software - All the Latest Releases". The Guardian: pp. 10. October 17, 1997. https://www.newspapers.com/image/260866786/?terms=%22dark%20forces%202%22&match=1. 
  2. ↑ Jebens, Harley (September 29, 1997). "Guardians of Destiny Ships". Archived from the original on January 19, 1998. https://web.archive.org/web/19980119052148/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/97_09/29_guardians/index.html. Retrieved August 7, 2022. 
  3. ↑ PC Gamer staff (September 29, 1997). "Now Shipping". Imagine Media. http://www.pcgamer.com/news/news-1997-09-29.html. "From Westwood, Lands of Lore 2..." 
  4. ↑ "Preview: Lands of Lore 2". Imagine Media. March 25, 1997. http://www.next-generation.com/news/032597i.chtml. 
  5. ↑ "Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny for PC". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/pc/197756-lands-of-lore-guardians-of-destiny/index.html. 
  6. ↑ House, Michael L.. "Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny - Review". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=16008&tab=review. 
  7. ↑ Ham, Tom (November 4, 1997). "Lands of Lore Guardians of Destiny". CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/Reviews/Item/0,6,0-1257,00.html. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Yans, Cindy (1997). "Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny". Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/007/027/lol_review.html. 
  9. ↑ Cooke, Mark (October 1997). "Lands of Lore 2 [sic: Guardians of Destiny Review"]. CraveOnline. https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/33056-lands-of-lore-2-guardians-of-destiny-review. 
  10. ↑ Sengstack, Jeff (October 22, 1997). "Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny Review [date mislabeled as "May 1, 2000""]. Red Ventures. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/lands-of-lore-guardians-of-destiny-review/1900-2535782/. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (37): 159. January 1998. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_37/page/n159/mode/2up. Retrieved November 1, 2021. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Butcher, Andy (Christmas 1997). "Lands of Lore II". PC Gamer UK (Future Publishing) (51): 119–20. http://www.pcgamer.co.uk/games/gamefile_review_page.asp?item_id=644. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Sullivan, Keith (January 1998). "Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny". PC Gamer (Imagine Media) 5 (1). http://www.pcgamer.com/reviews/616.html. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Wildgoose, David (October 1997). "Lands of Lore II". PC PowerPlay (Next Media Pty Ltd) (17): 50–51. https://archive.org/details/PCPowerplay-017-1997-10/page/n49/mode/2up. Retrieved November 1, 2021. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Cunningham, Jamie (November 1997). "Lands Of Lore: Guardians Of Destiny". PC Zone (Dennis Publishing) (56): 116–17. https://archive.org/details/PC_Zone_56_November_1997/page/n115/mode/2up. Retrieved November 1, 2021. 
  16. ↑ Backer, Andy (November 1997). "Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny". Computer Game Entertainment (5): 69. https://archive.org/details/cge-05/page/68/mode/2up. Retrieved November 1, 2021. 
  17. ↑ Scorpia (February 1998). "Bad Lands". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (163): 231, 233–34. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_163.pdf. Retrieved November 1, 2021. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 GamerX (November 26, 1997). "October's Best-Sellers". CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/News/Item/0,3,1331,00.html. 
  19. ↑ "MS Flight Sim Tops PC Data Charts". Imagine Media. December 4, 1997. http://www.next-generation.com/news/120497e.chtml. 
  20. ↑ "Cyan Takes Top Two". Imagine Media. December 30, 1997. http://www.next-generation.com/news/123097a.chtml. 
  21. ↑ PC Player staff (January 1998). "Verkaufs-Charts" (in de). PC Player (Future Verlag GmbH): 72. 
  22. ↑ PC Player staff (February 1998). "Verkaufs-Charts" (in de). PC Player (Future Verlag GmbH): 68. 
  23. ↑ PC Player staff (March 1998). "Spiele-Charts" (in de). PC Player (Future Verlag GmbH): 54. 
  24. ↑ PC Player staff (April 1998). "Spiele-Charts" (in de). PC Player (Future Verlag GmbH): 64. 
  25. ↑ PC Player staff (May 1998). "Spiele-Charts" (in de). PC Player (Future Verlag GmbH): 76. 
  26. ↑ "Charts: CD-ROM Spiele über DM 55" (in de). http://www.vud.de/charts/chart1.html. 
  27. ↑ PC Player staff (August 1998). "Spiele-Charts" (in de). PC Player (Future Verlag GmbH): 96. 
  28. ↑ "The Award - Updates". http://www.interactive.org/html/award/awardupdate.htm. 
  29. ↑ "The Award - Winners". http://www.interactive.org/html/award/awardwin98.htm. 
  30. ↑ Gamecenter staff (January 28, 1998). "The Gamecenter Awards for 1997! (RPG, Part 2)". CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/Features/Exclusives/Awards97/Off/ss07a.html. 
  31. ↑ CGW staff (March 1998). "CGW 1998 Premier Awards (Role-Playing Game of the Year)". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (164): 77. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_164.pdf. Retrieved November 21, 2021. 
  32. ↑ PC PowerPlay staff (January 1998). "Game of the Year". PC PowerPlay (Next Media Pty Ltd) (20): 30–31. https://archive.org/details/PCPowerplay-020-1998-01/page/n29/mode/2up. Retrieved November 14, 2021. 
  33. ↑ "Backstab Magazine (French) Issue 08". https://archive.org/details/backstab-magazine-french-08/page/n35/mode/2up. 
  • 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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