Software:Runestone Keeper

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Short description: 2015 video game
Runestone Keeper
Steam banner
Developer(s)Blackfire Games, Cimu
Publisher(s)Blackfire Games
Platform(s)Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4
ReleaseMarch 23, 2015
Genre(s)Roguelike
Mode(s)Single-player

Runestone Keeper is a roguelike video game developed and published by Blackfire Games, with the iOS version developed by Cimu. It was released on March 23, 2015 for Windows and Mac OS X,[1] October 31, 2015 for iOS,[2] and August 11, 2017 for Android.[3]

Gameplay

Each level is played on a tiled grid with fog of war, dark tiles are revealed by tapping them

The game is a roguelike that has been compared to Dungelot for the fact that the player explores levels by tapping on dark tiles to reveal them, but also adds "extensive RPG elements".[4] The player can choose from six different classes and explores the level for keys as well as items.[4] Each level has 56 tiles and the player can only move to the next level down by finding the stairs.[5]

To attack enemies, the player taps on the tile they are on, but each monster also has unique skills, like deflecting or absorbing damage.[4] Enemies will usually counterattack only when attacked, unless they are ranged, while other enemies gradually get stronger if they are left alone.[5] Wiping out all monsters on the floor gives the player an additional bonus.[5]

The player's own stats can be buffed by equipment, and items can give the player temporary advantages.[4] Using items costs "Soul" points, making them only able to be used at specific times.[5] The player can also sacrifice various things at altars to pledge themselves to a god and obtain a stat boost.[4]

When the player dies, they will bring back all of their money to their home base, allowing them to upgrade the base, buy characters or increase the power of abilities.[5]

Plot

The game takes place in a town above a mysterious dungeon known as the Runestone Dungeon that is said to contain great power. Many different warriors come to descend into the depths of the dungeon, but they are all trapped forever within it. Each time the player defeats the final boss, the game's universe "resets", unbeknownst to the player character, although other NPCs are aware of this. Each run of the game ends with the final stanza of The Hollow Men.

Development

Runestone Keeper was included in Humble Jumbo Bundle 7 in 2016.[6] Runestone Keeper was released for Xbox One and Windows 10 on the Microsoft Store in 2018 by E-Home Entertainment.[7] Runestone Keeper was released on the Nintendo Switch eShop on August 20, 2020.[8][9][10]

In July 2020, Runestone Keeper was delisted from the Apple app store in China alongside two thousand other titles, due to lacking a license and not having been reviewed by the Chinese government.[11]

Reception

Alexandru Chirila of Softpedia scored the game's demo 4/5 stars, calling it "a wonderful little dungeon crawler" and "a well-polished game even though it's still in the works".[12] Carter Dodson of TouchArcade called the game "a solid game to check out" and said that he "had fun with it".[13] 4Gamer.net also recommended the game to players who were interested in roguelikes.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Runestone Keeper". https://www.metacritic.com/game/runestone-keeper/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  2. ↑ "Runestone Keeper". https://www.metacritic.com/game/runestone-keeper/critic-reviews/?platform=ios-iphoneipad. 
  3. ↑ "Steam Community :: Group Announcements :: Runestone Keeper" (in en). 11 August 2017. http://steamcommunity.com/games/339400/announcements/detail/1451701826015920568. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "Runestone Keeper is a Dungelot-esque roguelike, complete with god worship and tattoo abilities". Pocket Gamer. http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/iPad/Runestone+Keeper/news.asp?c=68214. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Inc., Aetas. "ハロー！Steam広場 第64回：この緊張感はまさにマインスイーパー。タイルを開くたびに電流が走るローグライクRPG「Runestone Keeper」" (in ja). 4Gamer.net. http://www.4gamer.net/games/282/G028219/20150402097/. 
  6. ↑ Arif, Shabana (September 21, 2016). "Humble Jumbo Bundle 7 is the perfect opportunity to grab the fiendishly difficult shooter Devil Daggers". videogaming247 Ltd.. https://www.vg247.com/2016/09/21/humble-jumbo-bundle-7-is-the-perfect-opportunity-to-grab-the-fiendishly-difficult-shooter-devil-daggers/. 
  7. ↑ Madan, Asher (April 25, 2018). "Runestone Keeper brings Minesweeper-like dungeon crawling to Xbox One and PC". Future US. https://www.windowscentral.com/runestone-keeper-brings-minesweeper-dungeon-crawling-xbox-one-and-pc. 
  8. ↑ "Runestone Keeper brings turn-based roguelike action to Switch next week". Enthusiast Gaming. August 10, 2020. https://www.nintendoenthusiast.com/runestone-keeper-brings-turn-based-roguelike-action-to-switch-next-week/. 
  9. ↑ Musgrave, Shaun (August 20, 2020). "SwitchArcade Round-Up: 'Chinese Parents', 'Peaky Blinders', 'Phoenotopia', and Today's Other New Releases and Sales". https://toucharcade.com/2020/08/20/switcharcade-round-up-chinese-parents-peaky-blinders-phoenotopia-and-todays-other-new-releases-and-sales/. 
  10. ↑ "Les sorties du 20 août : Peaky Blinders : Mastermind, Train Sim World 2, Battletoads..." (in French). Webedia. August 20, 2020. https://www.jeuxvideo.com/news/1274991/les-sorties-du-20-aout-peaky-blinders-mastermind-train-sim-world-2-battletoads.htm. 
  11. ↑ Ye, Josh (July 14, 2020). "Apple leaves foreign developers scrambling as unlicensed games removed from China App Store". SCMP Publishers. https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-social/article/3092953/apple-leaves-foreign-developers-scrambling-unlicensed-games. 
  12. ↑ "Runestone Keeper Demo Download" (in en-us). softpedia. http://games.softpedia.com/get/Games-Demo/Runestone-Keeper-Demo.shtml. 
  13. ↑ "Fun 'Dungelot'-Esque Roguelike 'Runestone Keeper' Now on iPhone". 2015-12-18. http://toucharcade.com/2015/12/18/runestone-keeper-iphone-update/. 
  • 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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