Software:Last Window: The Secret of Cape West

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Last Window:
The Secret of Cape West
Developer(s)Cing
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Taisuke Kanasaki
Producer(s)Takuya Miyagawa
Designer(s)Rika Suzuki
Artist(s)
  • Taisuke Kanasaki
  • Keisuke Sakamoto
Writer(s)
  • Rika Suzuki
  • Yu Tominaga
  • Shunichi Nakagaki
Composer(s)Satoshi Okubo
Platform(s)Nintendo DS
Release
  • JP: 14 January 2010
  • EU: 17 September 2010[1]
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single player

Last Window: The Secret of Cape West, known in Japan as Last Window: Mayonaka no Yakusoku (ラストウィンドウ 真夜中の約束, lit. "Last Window: Midnight Promise"), is an adventure video game developed by Cing and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. It is the sequel to Hotel Dusk, starring protagonist Kyle Hyde, and takes place one year after those events.[2] Set in 1980 Los Angeles , the Cape West Apartments, the story deals with a new mystery in a new location, but it also delves into some unanswered questions from Kyle Hyde's past.[3] Last Window was the last game developed by Cing before the company filed for bankruptcy on 1 March 2010. Unlike its predecessor, it was never released in North America. A successor titled Chase would be released in 2016 developed by Arc System Works with many former developers of Cing working on the game.

Gameplay

The Nintendo DS is held vertically, like a book. Last Window introduces an 'Ignore' feature which allows the player to let go the lines of questioning they don't find useful. Ignoring too many lines of questioning, as well as not ignoring enough, may cause an early game over. The player can also get a game over if Kyle says something that can get him in trouble, gets caught with something that isn't his, or is caught within a restricted area by the landlady.[citation needed]

A new story-based feature is the in-game novel Last Window. Every time a chapter of the game is cleared, a new chapter in the Last Window book is made available. The contents of the book complements the game's story, and they can be influenced by the decisions the player makes.[3]

The player can unlock a "Pinkie Rabbit Land" mini-game by either completing the story or by winning it in an optional in-game prize-contest. The game is in the style of a handheld electronic game from the time period of Last Window, based around fictional cartoon character "Pinkie Rabbit".[4] Post-game, the player also unlocks the ability to play the 9-ball mini-game whenever they want.[5]

Plot

Los Angeles, 1980. In Cape West Apartments, a soon-to-be-demolished apartment block owned by Margaret "Mags" Patrice, ex-detective Kyle Hyde is fired from his job at Red Crown for slacking and receives a mysterious letter. While everyone has secrets and parts of their past they would rather leave buried, for Hyde, the case is taking a more personal twist. As he investigates, Hyde uncovers a story that links his fellow residents, a priceless diamond called the Scarlet Star, and the death of his father. At one point, he reunites with Mila, a character from the original game. Additional discoveries include an incident on Cape West's closed off fourth floor, a crime ring called Condor that is part of the crime syndicate Nile, and a secret room owned by Condor that is accessible through Cape West's elevator via a secret code (which explains the elevator's technical issues). He also gets his job back at one point. In the end, Kyle finds the Scarlet Star and after having a long talk with Mags, who had found the secret room before, he sends the Scarlet Star to a museum.[6]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings80%[7]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Adventure GamersStarStarStarStar[8]
Edge7/10[9]
Eurogamer7/10[10]
Famitsu32/40[11]
IGN7.5/10[12]
NGamer84%[13]
Nintendo LifeStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStar[14]
Nintendo World Report9/10[15]
ONM78%[16]
VideoGamer.com8/10[17]
The Daily Telegraph8/10[18]

Last Window: The Secret of Cape West received "favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[7] In a Kotaku retrospective, Peter Tieryas described the game as one of the best murder mysteries in gaming and that "the narrative is much more organic and one reveal ends up being just one small glimpse through the window of their lives".[19] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of one nine, two eights, and one seven for a total of 32 out of 40.[11]

References

  1. ↑ East, Thomas (14 July 2010). "Last Window UK release date confirmed". Official Nintendo Magazine. http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/article.php?id=18728. Retrieved 8 July 2016. 
  2. ↑ Ishaan (12 November 2009). "The Last Window Is A Sequel To Hotel Dusk". Siliconera. http://www.siliconera.com/2009/11/12/the-last-window-is-a-sequel-to-hotel-dusk/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 The News Team (13 November 2009). "Last Window (Hotel Dusk sequel) details reveal the reason for the 'Last Window' name, and more". GoNintendo. http://gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=104178. 
  4. ↑ "Last Window: El secreto de Cape West". http://www.guiasnintendo.com/0_NINTENDO_DS/last_window_cape_west/last_window_cape_west_sp/minijuego1.html. 
  5. ↑ "Last Window: El secreto de Cape West". http://www.guiasnintendo.com/0_NINTENDO_DS/last_window_cape_west/last_window_cape_west_sp/minijuego2.html. 
  6. ↑ "Last Window: The Secret of Cape West" (in en-GB). https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-DS/Last-Window-The-Secret-of-Cape-West-271320.html. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Last Window: The Secret of Cape West for DS". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/ds/979371-last-window-the-secret-of-cape-west/index.html. 
  8. ↑ Beulink, Astrid (26 November 2010). "Last Window: The Secret of Cape West review". Adventure Gamers. https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/18494. 
  9. ↑ Edge staff (November 2010). "Last Window: The Secret of Cape West". Edge (220). 
  10. ↑ Parkin, Simon (15 September 2010). "Last Window: The Secret of Cape West". https://www.eurogamer.net/last-window-the-secret-of-cape-west-review. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Brian (5 January 2010). "Famitsu review scores". Nintendo Everything. http://nintendoeverything.com/famitsu-review-scores-73/. 
  12. ↑ Wales, Matt (17 September 2010). "Last Window: The Secret of Cape West UK Review". https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/09/17/last-window-the-secret-of-cape-west-uk-review. 
  13. ↑ "Last Window: The Secret of Cape West". Nintendo Gamer. October 2010. 
  14. ↑ Stockdale, Henry (16 September 2010). "Review: Last Window: The Secret of Cape West". https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/2010/09/last_window_the_secret_of_cape_west_ds. 
  15. ↑ Blundon, Matthew (11 October 2010). "Last Window: The Secret of Cape West". Nintendo World Report. http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/24254/last-window-the-secret-of-cape-west-nintendo-ds. 
  16. ↑ Scullion, Chris (17 September 2010). "Last Window: The Secret Of Cape West review". Official Nintendo Magazine. http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/19945/reviews/last-window-the-secret-of-cape-west-review-review/. Retrieved 9 July 2016. 
  17. ↑ Kelly, Neon (4 October 2010). "Last Window: The Secret of Cape West Review". VideoGamer.com. https://www.videogamer.com/reviews/last-window-the-secret-of-cape-west-review/. 
  18. ↑ Hoggins, Tom (29 September 2010). "Last Window: The Secret of Cape West video game review". The Daily Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/video-games/8030888/Last-Window-The-Secret-of-Cape-West-video-game-review.html. 
  19. ↑ Tieryas, Peter (8 February 2020). "Last Window Is One Of The Best Murder Mysteries In Gaming" (in en-us). https://kotaku.com/last-window-is-one-of-the-best-murder-mysteries-in-gami-1841474413. 
  • 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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