Software:Passage: Path of Betrayal

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Short description: 2001 point-and-click adventure game
Passage: Path of Betrayal
Developer(s)DragonWorks Interactive
Designer(s)Darris Hupp
Platform(s)Windows
ReleaseJuly, 2001
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single player

Passage: Path of Betrayal is a 2D point-and-click adventure game developed and published by DragonWorks Interactive in 2001. The game was designed by Darris Hupp, a 15-year-old young man.[1]

Description

Passage: Path of Betrayal is a classic point-and-click and inventory-based adventure game, inspired by the King's Quest series.

The player takes on the role of a young man named Riff, who must protect his homeland, ArKane, from the invasion of ancient demons. Riff, along with a few trusted friends, including a wizened old "magic keeper" and a fiery young princess, will visit many diverse and mysterious lands throughout six chapters.

Development

Passage: Path of Betrayal was almost entirely developed by a single person, Darris Hupp. Darris Hupp started developing the game at the age of 15 and released it when he turned 17.[1]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
Just AdventureB[2]
Game Over Online72%[3]
Adventurearchiv66%[4]
Puntaeclicca6.5/10[5]
Quandary LandStarStarStar[6]
Absolute Games40%[7]

Game.EXE magazine dedicated a two-page article to Passage: Path of Betrayal, giving a positive review of both the game and the young developer.[1]

Computer Games Magazine said: "It wasn't long before I cared about what happened to Riff and his family, and found joy in the whimsical characters, good dialogue, and well-developed, well-integrated puzzles. I hated to see the game end."[8]

Just Adventure wrote: "If you have played and have fond memories of the Sierra adventure games, then Passage is definitely up your alley. If you have never solved the puzzles or traveled the imaginative worlds of Roberta Williams, then maybe Passage will serve as your invitation to research more about the rich history of adventure games.The graphics are beautiful and very colorful hand-painted pastel chalk over pencil sketches. The puzzles are masterfully constructed and follow rules of logic that are too often broken."[8]

HappyHippo.com said: "I personally loved [the graphics]. All of the backgrounds are hand-painted using pencil and chalk and this artistic style lends itself to the game incredibly well. 4 Stars! If you're an adventure fan or like to read the occasional fantasy novel, you will certainly like Passage."[8]

QuandaryLand.com said: "[Passage] is an engaging game and it oozes enthusiasm. I had a lot of fun fitting it all together. There are a lot of lessons here for many commercial game developers in building a story and designing puzzles that involve, challenge and entertain the player. Passage is like a trip back to the days of innocence, cute graphics, cute music, cute characters, and even a scoring system to let you know when you are doing the right thing."[8]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Almost Famous: The Phenomenal Darris Hupp". Game.EXE (in Russian). https://archive.org/details/Game.EXE_10_2001/page/n25/mode/2up. 
  2. ↑ "Passage: Path of Betrayal Review". Just Adventure. https://www.justadventure.com/reviews/Passage/Passage.shtm. 
  3. ↑ "Passage: Path of Betrayal Review". Game Over Online. https://www.game-over.com/reviews/pc/Passage:_Path_of_Betrayal_.html. 
  4. ↑ "Passage: Path of Betrayal Review". Adventurearchiv. http://www.adventurearchiv.de/p/passagereviewenglish.htm. 
  5. ↑ "Passage: Path of Betrayal Review". Puntaeclicca.it. http://www.puntaeclicca.it/rec/passage.html. 
  6. ↑ "Passage: Path of Betrayal Review". Quandary. http://www.quandaryland.com/jsp/dispArticle.jsp?index=402. 
  7. ↑ "Passage: Path of Betrayal Review". Absolute Games. https://ag.ru/games/passage-path-of-betrayal/review. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "Praise for Passage". dragonworksinteractive.com. http://www.dragonworksinteractive.com/awards.html. 
  • 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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