Software:Sanma no Meitantei

From HandWiki
Short description: 1987 video game
Sanma no Meitantei
Developer(s)Namco
Publisher(s)Namco[1]
Platform(s)Famicom
Release
  • JP: 2 April 1987
Genre(s)Adventure

Script error: The function "nihongo_foot" does not exist. is a 1987 adventure game made by Namco for the Family Computer (Famicom). The game is a comedic murder mystery featuring real-world comedians from Japan such as Sanma Akashiya. In the game, the players teams up with Sanma to solve a murder and diamond heist that occurred at the president of Yoshimoto Kogyo's home.

On Sanma no Meitantei release, it topped the sales charts for Famicom games in Famicom Hisshoubon (ja). The game received positive reviews in Famicom Hisshoubo and Famicom Tsūshin. Hardcore Gaming 101 said that the game had "something of a cult reputation" in Japan, leading to it being referenced in later games such as Super Mario RPG (1996) and Atsushi no Meitantei (2022).[1]

Plot

In Sanma no Meitantei is set in the Kansai region of Japan.[2] The player assumes the role of a detective to solve the mystery of the diamond theft and murder of Bunchin Katsura, a rakugoka comedian, that took place at the president of Yoshimoto Kogyo's home. He is assisted by his partner, comedian Sanma Akashiya. The goal is to find the murderer among the many culprits who were Yoshimoto comedians of the era.[3]

There are multiple endings to the story, and only one where the player captures the real culprit.[1]

Gameplay

Gameplay featuring Sanma Akashiya at the bottom of the screen. Unlike other similar adventure games of the time, Sanma no Meitantei features graphical elements for its menu selection of actions.

Famitsu described the game as a "command-input adventure" styled-game, similar to other popular games of the era, such as the The Portopia Serial Murder Case or Script error: The function "nihongo_foot" does not exist. which were popular at in the late 1980s in Japan.[4] The game allows the player to select from a menu of commands. Instead of text-based commands, the commands are presented through icons. Objects on display on the screen can be investigated through a cursor shaped like a crab.[1]

Some portions of the game features action sequences, such as avoiding falling plates to grab a falling notebook or having to continually hit the buttons on the controller to win a boat race, or an optional mini-game that is a parody of Galaxian called Crabaxian.[1]

Production

Sanma no Meitantei was developed by Namco.[1] The game features several 1980s comedians from Japan's Yoshimoto Kogyo.[1][5]

One of the lead developers of the game said they focused on making the game very user-friendly as they wanted many people to play it. While developing the game, he watched several television shows that Sanma appeared in and read anything he could about him.[2] The characters in the game speak in a Kansai dialect, with the developer saying he tried to have the language in the game be at a level that everyone would understand.[2]

Release and reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
Famicom Hisshoubon (ja)4/5, 4.5/5[7]
Famicom Tsūshin8/10, 9/10, 9/10, 8/10[6]

Sanma no Meitantei was released on April 2, 1987 for the Family Computer.[3][6] From April 1 to April 15, Famicom Hisshoubon (ja) reported that Sanma no Meitantei was the highest-selling Famicom game "by a long shot".[8] An English fan translation was released in 2018.[1]

In Famicom Tsūshin, the four reviewers complimented the game with one praising its unrepetitive nature and another saying that as a rare comedy-themed adventure game, it brought fresh air to the genre. One reviewer specifically praised all the small touches made within the game that made it truly great.[6] Reviewers in Famicom Hisshoubon complimented the use of Yoshimoto comedians, with one reviewer saying it was the best Famicom adventure game ever made, despite compiling the best parts of previous efforts.[7] Sanma no Meitantei was the third-highest rated game of 1987 in Famicom Tsūshin, only being topped by Dragon Quest II and Software:Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.[9]

In retrospective reviews, In Game Criticism (ja) then compared to games based on murder mysteries such as the Tantei Jingūji Saburō series were often considered dark and serious, and the comedic tone of the game opened up more casual gamers to adventure games. The review concluded that it was an ambitious work that remained entertaining today.[3] A reviewer in Hardcore Gaming 101 described it as an "interesting footnote in the history of Japanese adventure games" complimenting the graphics and finding the music good, but too short making it repetitive.[1] They concluded that it was not a game for everyone as it was occasionally too impenetrable at times to know how to progress.[1]

Legacy

Hardcore Gaming 101 said that it had "something of a cult reputation" in Japan.[1] The game was voted by readers of Weekly Famitsu in 2003 as being among their favourite Famicom games, being listed in the 20th spot.[1] Famitsu also polled their audience on their website in 2003 on which Namco games were their favourite. Sanma no Meitantei placed 7th in the poll.[10]

Sanma Akashiya would continue to be connected with other Nintendo products in the future.[11] In the Japanese-language version of Super Mario RPG (1996), a character refers to a phrase Sanma uses in the game when examining objects.[1] Sanma Akashiya would also later become the spokesperson for Nintendo's Mii Channel and for the game Wii Sports (2006).[11]

On December 31, 2022 the Japanese indie game publisher Phoenixx released Script error: The function "nihongo_foot" does not exist., which paid tribute to Sanma no Meitantei. The game features graphics similar to those of the original game and features contemporary comedians.[12]

See also

  • List of Namco games
  • Video games in Japan

Notes

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Chungus 2023.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Mr.H 1987, p. 9.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Tsunoda 1999, p. 71.
  4. ↑ カワチ 2024.
  5. ↑ ネオン 2023.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Famibo et al. 1987, p. 9.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Hibiki & Hirabou 1987, p. 106.
  8. ↑ Famicom Hisshoubon 1987, p. 58.
  9. ↑ Famitsu 2002, p. 148.
  10. ↑ IGN 2003.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Gantayat 2007.
  12. ↑ ウワーマン 2024.

Sources

  • 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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