Software:Laplace no Ma

From HandWiki
Short description: 1987 Japanese video game
Laplace no Ma
PC-98 cover art
Developer(s)Group SNE, Vic Tokai (SFC)
Publisher(s)HummingBirdSoft (PC-88, PC-98)
Human Entertainment (PCE CD)
Vic Tokai (SFC)
Platform(s)
ReleasePC-88, PC-98
  • JP: July 4, 1987
PC Engine Super CD-ROM²
Super Famicom
  • JP: July 14, 1995
Genre(s)Role-playing game
Mode(s)Single-player

Script error: The function "nihongo_foot" does not exist. is a horror-themed role-playing video game released in 1987 by HummingBirdSoft for the NEC PC-8801 and NEC PC-9801. The game was also ported to various Japanese computers and later to consoles with Super Famicom and PC Engine Super CD-ROM². It became the first part of the Gōsuto Hantā series which includes both Kurokishi no Kamen (1994), Paracelsus no Maken (1994), and Gōsuto Hantā Arukeringa no Ma Umi (2020).

Gameplay

This video game is a mixture of the role-playing video game and survival horror genres and set in the vicinity of Boston, Massachusetts, in a town called "Newcam"; it is modeled after the fictional city Arkham created by H. P. Lovecraft.

The horror part of the game lies in the exploration of the fictional Weathertop Mansion, whose owner dabbled in black magic. The game's CRPG features include its character classes—Dilettante, Medium, Detective, Scientist, and Journalist—and that the player can leave the mansion to walk around the town to go to shops to buy items needed to defeat the monsters and complete the game.

Development and release

Laplace no Ma was Hitoshi Yasuda (ja) first game he made and the first he made for Group SNE.[3] He said in an interview with LOGiN (ja) that when making the game he said there was a trend of splatter film-styled works and wanted to make a game with a more "haunted house" style.[4] He noted that even outside Japan, there were few horror-oriented RPGs as well as tabletop ones outside of computers such as Call of Cthulhu, but wanted to make a more original title.[5]

Laplace no Ma was first released in July 4, 1987 for NEC PC-88 and PC-98 computers.[6][7] It received several ports to other computers such as the MSX and X68000 and consoles like the PC Engine Super CD-ROM² and Super Famicom. All of these releases were exclusively released to the Japanese market.[7]

Scenario writer for the game Keiko Shimomura said that the first thing they wanted to do with the console versions was the lower the difficulty of the original game.[3] While originally scheduled for August 10, 1993, Laplace no Ma was released for the Super Famicom in Japan on July 14, 1995.[8][9] Famicom Tsūshin wrote in June 1993 that the Super Famicom port of Laplace no Ma was at 75% completion.[3] Yasuda described the Super Famicom version as a complete remake of the original game.[3] The Super Famicom version features all new maps than any previously released version.[3] A fan translation of the Super Famicom version was released in 2001 but was removed after the translator felt it did not meet their own quality standards. A new English fan translation was released in 2018.[7]

Reception and legacy

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
Dengeki PC Engine70/100, 45/100, 75/100, 90/100 (PCE-CD)[2]
Famicom Tsūshin7/10, 7/10, 7/10, 7/10 (PCE-CD)[1] 8/10, 7/10, 6/10, 5/10 (SFC)[9]

During the development of the Super Famicom version, Yasuda was developing a follow-up to the original game titled Script error: The function "nihongo_foot" does not exist..[3][10]

In a retrospective review in Den Faminico Gamer (jp), a reviewer found the game to be difficult as the slightest mistake could lead to a game over. They commented that the visuals in the game did not change much and that it had the vagueness that was like other games of the era where gaining bonus experience felt like pure luck. They found the game mostly stood out for being a horror-themed RPG instead of a fantasy-themed one that dominated the market and that it had appropriately eerie sound design.[6]

Laplace no Ma became the first game in the groups Script error: The function "nihongo_foot" does not exist. series.[3][10] Both Parakerususu no Ma Ken and Kurokishi no Kamen and the tabletop role-playing game Script error: The function "nihongo_foot" does not exist. were released in 1994. While remakes of games and novels were released, there was no new Gōsuto Hantā video game until Script error: The function "nihongo_foot" does not exist. released on June 22, 2020. The game is not an RPG, but a hidden object game for smartphones. It was developed by Yasuda and the original author and illustrator of the first game Hiroshi.[10]

Notes

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Tsūshin et al. 1993, p. 45.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Iwasaki et al. 1993, p. 105.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Famicom Tsūshin 1993a, p. 20.
  4. ↑ LOGiN 1987, p. 162.
  5. ↑ LOGiN 1987, pp. 162–163.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Den Faminico Gamer 2016.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Yarwood 2025.
  8. ↑ Famicom Tsūshin 1993, p. 18.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Tsūshin et al. 1995, p. 30.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Fukuyama 2020.

Footnotes

  • "緊急速報1" (in Japanese). Famicom Tsūshin (ASCII Corporation) (235). June 18, 1993. 
  • "グループSNEの豪華なスタッフ陣" (in Japanese). Famicom Tsūshin (ASCII Corporation) (235). June 18, 1993. 
  • Iwasaki, Keima; Patriot Sato; Nakamura, Vorufu; Metarā Sasaki (April 1993). "電撃 新作ソフトウレビュー委員会" (in Japanese). Dengeki PC Engine (ASCII Media Works) (3). 
  • Tsūshin, Hamamura; Seizen, Tahara; Watanabe, Miki; Chuji, Giorgio (April 2, 1993). "New Games Cross Review" (in Japanese). Famicom Tsūshin (ASCII Corporation) (224). 
  • Tsūshin, Hamamura; Hada, Takayuki; Watanabe, Miki; Uchisawa, Goro (July 21, 1995). "New Games Cross Review" (in Japanese). Famicom Tsūshin (ASCII Corporation) (344). 
  • 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.



  • 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.


(Super Famicom release)



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