Software:Riddle of the Sphinx: An Egyptian Adventure

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Short description: 2000 video game
Riddle of the Sphinx: An Egyptian Adventure
Developer(s)Old World Studios
Publisher(s)DreamCatcher Interactive
Director(s)Jeffrey S. Tobler
Karen E. Tobler
Composer(s)Jeffrey S. Tobler
Platform(s)Windows, Mac OS
ReleaseDecember 5, 2000
February 1, 2021 (remastered)
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Riddle of the Sphinx: An Egyptian Adventure is a 2000 graphic adventure game developed by Old World Studios and published by DreamCatcher Interactive. It received a sequel, entitled The Omega Stone: Riddle of the Sphinx II, in 2003. A remastered version, Riddle of the Sphinx: Awakening, was released in 2021.

Gameplay and plot

The gameplay is similar to any game in the post-Myst style, where players navigate through 360 panoramic screens and manipulate items to advance.

The game's plot is about a young archaeologist in Egypt who searches for a missing mentor, Sir Gil Blythe Geoffreys.[1]

Development

"The features, imperfections, and architecture have been replicated for total immersion. (The only recognizable elements we intentionally omitted are the graffiti currently defacing the Great Pyramid and most other monuments.)"

- Riddle of the Sphinx team on meticulousness of design.[2]

The game took five years to make. The designers, Jeff & Karen Tobler, were enamored by the beauty and intricacy with which the Egyptians built their architecture, as well as the mysteries and secrets they held.[3] The developers aimed to make the 3D models and renderings in the game as accurate as possible, for instance recreating the Sphinx and Sphinx Enclosure in exact detail.[4][3] The team asked an expert to provide an authentic translation and editing of a scroll using the style and grammar used by the royal scribes during Chephren's reign[5] They did extensive research into the history and culture of Egypt, and uploaded a lot of their research onto their website.[6][4]

On the website, the team sold authentic Egyptian merchandise in association with A&E's Merchant Affiliation Program.[7] Riddle of the Sphinx was modeled and rendered almost exclusively with Strata StudioPro, while CyberMesh exports were used for certain occasions.[8] The game contains full-Screen, Interactive 360° Panoramas (QTVR).[9] The game soundtrack was composed and performed entirely by Jeff Tobler.[10]

The game was formally announced on June 10, 1998.[9] In December 1999 it was announced the game would have a Spring 2000 release.[11]

Reception

Critical reviews

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic72/100[12]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Adventure Gamers(2005) StarStarStarStar[13]
(2001) StarStar[14]
AllGame(Mac) StarStar[15]
CGSPStarStarStarStar[16]
GameSpot7.4/10[18]
GamezeboStarStarStarHalf star[19]
GameZone7.5/10[20]
IGN5.3/10[21]

The game received above-average reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[12] IGN said, "Is this an oasis of adventure gaming in a barren desert of crap titles? Nah ... it's just a mirage."[21]

Sales

Market research firm PC Data estimated North American retail sales of 4,955 units for the game during 2000, all of which derived from December.[22] The firm reported another 99,429 retail sales of the game in North America during 2001,[23] and 36,634 during the first six months of 2002.[24] PC Data placed its total North American retail sales for 2003 at 16,747 units;[25] during the first two months of 2004, its jewel case SKU sold 777 units and its original box SKU sold 1,537 units in the region.[26] It ultimately sold in excess of 225,000 copies by March 2003.[27]

Awards

The website won numerous awards,[28] and the game's soundtrack was highly praised.[10]

Legacy

The Omega Stone: Riddle of the Sphinx II was released in 2003.

Riddle of the Sphinx, the second edition, has been continually available on Big Fish Games since 2004 as a download.[29]

In 2015, a Kickstarter campaign was set up to have a 15th anniversary real-time 3D edition of the game, but the campaign was suspended early. [30]

In 2017, The Old World Studios team, consisting of the original developers and new team members, successfully funded a second Kickstarter campaign. The goal was to release a remastered HD version on desktop and now mobile devices. The release was scheduled for December 2020.[31] The game, titled Riddle of the Sphinx: Awakening, was eventually released on February 1, 2021. Adventure Gamers gave the remaster 4 out 5 stars in their review.[32]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Curse Is Real". Omni Creative Studios. http://riddleofthesphinx.com/riddle/riddle_story.html. 
  2. ↑ "Under the Headdress". Omni Creative Studios. http://riddleofthesphinx.com/riddle/riddle_features.html. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "The Builders". Omni Creative Studios. http://riddleofthesphinx.com/credits/credits.html. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Giza Gazette". Omni Creative Studios. http://riddleofthesphinx.com/artifacts/artifacts.html. 
  5. ↑ "Thanks to...". Omni Creative Studios. http://www.riddleofthesphinx.com/credits/credits_thanks.html. 
  6. ↑ "Circa 2500 B.C.". Omni Creative Studios. http://riddleofthesphinx.com/artifacts/artifacts_history.html. 
  7. ↑ "Authentic Egyptian Merchandise". Omni Creative Studios. http://www.riddleofthesphinx.com/cj_aae/cj_aae_merchandise.html. 
  8. ↑ "Exploration". Omni Creative Studios. Archived on February 12, 2001. Error: If you specify |archivedate=, you must also specify |archiveurl=. http://riddleofthesphinx.com/explore/scenes_body.html. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "DreamCatcher Discovers Riddle of the Sphinx". Omni Creative Studios. http://www.riddleofthesphinx.com/dci_announce_body.html. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "The Music...". Omni Creative Studios. http://riddleofthesphinx.com/relics/relics_sndtrk.html. 
  11. ↑ Fudge, James (December 10, 1999). "The Riddle of the Sphinx Announced". Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/024/183/egypt.html. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Riddle of the Sphinx: An Egyptian Adventure for PC Reviews". Fandom. https://www.metacritic.com/game/riddle-of-the-sphinx-an-egyptian-adventure/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  13. ↑ Latimer, Kirk (January 7, 2005). "Riddle of the Sphinx review". https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/17788. 
  14. ↑ Arbour, Thomas (January 5, 2001). "Riddle of the Sphinx". http://www.adventuregamer.com/reviews/misc/rots.shtml. 
  15. ↑ White, Jason. "Riddle of the Sphinx: An Egyptian Adventure (Mac) - Review". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=29247&tab=review. 
  16. ↑ Morgan, Cindy Kyser (February 2, 2001). "Riddle of the Sphinx". Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/031/144/riddotsphi-01.html. 
  17. ↑ Saltzman, Marc (March 13, 2001). "Riddle of the Sphinx". Greedy Productions Ltd.. http://www.elecplay.com/review.html?article=5310&full=1. 
  18. ↑ Dulin, Ron (January 18, 2001). "Riddle of the Sphinx Review [date mislabeled as "May 17, 2006""]. Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/riddle-of-the-sphinx-review/1900-2675703/. 
  19. ↑ Winterburn, Christina (April 8, 2009). "Riddle of the Sphinx Review". https://www.gamezebo.com/reviews/riddle-of-the-sphinx-review/. 
  20. ↑ Lafferty, Michael (December 27, 2000). "Riddle of the Sphinx Review". http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r14061.htm. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Steinberg, Scott (January 19, 2001). "Riddle of the Sphinx". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/01/20/riddle-of-the-sphinx. 
  22. ↑ Sluganski, Randy (February 2001). "The State of Adventure Gaming". http://justadventure.com/articles/State_of_Adventure_Gaming/01-02/Feb_01.asp. 
  23. ↑ "Sales for 2001 as Compiled by PC Data". March 2002. http://www.justadventure.com/articles/State_of_Adventure_Gaming/Mar-02/sales2001.shtm. 
  24. ↑ "Sales for June 2002 as Compiled by PC Data". June 2002. http://justadventure.com/articles/State_of_Adventure_Gaming/August2002/SalesJune2002.shtm. 
  25. ↑ "Total Sales for 2003 as Compiled by PC Data". March 2004. http://www.justadventure.com/articles/State_of_Adventure_Gaming/March2004/Dec03ret_gam.shtm. 
  26. ↑ "Total Sales for Jan/Feb 2004 as Compiled by PC Data". February 2004. http://justadventure.com/articles/State_of_Adventure_Gaming/Feb04/Sales_JanFeb2004.shtm. 
  27. ↑ "The Adventure Company Ships The Omega Stone: Riddle of the Sphinx II Players Continue an Unforgettable Journey". March 18, 2003. Archived from the original on April 12, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20030412032043/http://dreamcatcherinteractive.com/tac/press/releases/omega_ships.html. Retrieved June 4, 2023. 
  28. ↑ "Awards". Omni Creative Studios. http://riddleofthesphinx.com/frames/awards.html. 
  29. ↑ "Riddle of the Sphinx". https://www.bigfishgames.com/games/1572/riddleofthesphinxa/?pc. 
  30. ↑ "Riddle of the Sphinx: An Egyptian Adventure in Real-time 3D". 22 April 2014. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jefftobler/riddle-of-the-sphinx-an-egyptian-adventure-in-real. 
  31. ↑ "Riddle of the Sphinx: The Awakening". https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jefftobler/riddle-of-the-sphinx-awakening-discover-lost-tombs. 
  32. ↑ Tekaia, Pascal (May 12, 2021). "Riddle of the Sphinx: The Awakening review". https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/riddle-of-the-sphinx-the-awakening. 
  • Riddle of the Sphinx on the official Old World Studios website
  • 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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