Software:Sentinel: Descendants in Time

From HandWiki
Short description: 2004 video game
Sentinel: Descendants in Time
Developer(s)Detalion
Publisher(s)The Adventure Company
EngineLithtech Jupiter
(heavily modified)
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • NA: December 14, 2004
  • EU: March 18, 2005
Genre(s)Adventure

Sentinel: Descendants in Time (Polish: Sentinel: Strażnik Grobowca, also known as Realms of Illusion[1]) is a "puzzle-adventure, Myst-clone"[2] video game released in 2004.

Gameplay

The game contains logic puzzles that are reminiscent of the game Myst and Mysterious Journey II, whereby the player has to work out how the mysterious machinery function through observation and experimentation. The game has a hint system similar to that used in Myst IV, which when turned on informs the player of their aim when they approach a puzzle.

Plot

Set in an unspecified future, the narrative focuses on a young man named Beni, whose sister is kidnapped, causing him to embark on a quest to loot the tomb of a technologically advanced race that has since vanished.

Development

The game was based on a "previously published story – The Ichneumon and the Dormeuse – which first appeared in Interzone magazine in the UK back in April 1996".[3] When describing the influence of art history in the "phantasmagorical, fantastic worlds" seen in games such as Sentinel, Detalion co-founder Lukasz Pisarek explained "I remember that while developing a concept, when we tried to explain to one another what we had in mind, we communicated using not only our own drawings, but we also resorted to Gaudi and Art Nouveau, among others, and to Simmons' Hyperion.[4]

The game, along with Mysterious Journey II, was "developed in Poland, written in Australia (what we’ve been calling Detalion Down Under), voice recorded and published in Canada", then made available in various languages.[3] The development decided not to include timed sequences in the game after the negative reception this had in the company's previous game Reah. They were unable to release the music on a soundtrack CD because of their restrictive licensing contract. The game was designed with no death-states; project leader Maciej Miasik explained "we've been developing non-violent, never-die adventures since we started working on PC adventures and this isn't likely to change soon".[2]

Critical reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic71/100[5]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Adventure GamersStarStarStarHalf star[6]
CGWStarStarStar[7]
GameSpot6.7/10[8]
GameSpyStarStar[9]
GameZone8/10[10]
Jeuxvideo.com13/20[11]
PC Gamer (UK)31%[12]
PC Zone47%[13]
The New York Times(positive)[14]

The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[5]

Charles Herold of The New York Times explained, "Toward the end, the game fills with busywork, too often forcing the player to wander back and forth in increasing frustration, but at its best Sentinel is a cerebral blast."[14] GameSpot concluded, "Sentinel boasts attractive graphics and high-quality puzzles. Unfortunately, the game often undermines its biggest strengths by taking those captivating puzzles and turning them into extremely repetitive busywork."[8] GameSpy wrote that the "puzzles have nothing to do with the story, but the story doesn't make sense anyway." Adventure Gamers said, "Sentinel is a beautiful game [but] this rich exterior masks a rather hollow gameplay with low levels of interactivity."[6]

References

  1. ↑ Wolf, Mark J. P. (May 2015). Video Games Around the World. The MIT Press. ISBN 9780262527163. https://books.google.com/books?id=pZb5CAAAQBAJ&q=%E2%80%9CThe+Ichneumon+and+the+Dormeuse%E2%80%9D&pg=PA411. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Waxman, Betty (2004). "Maciej Miasik talks about Sentinel". http://www.gameboomers.com/interviews/maciejinterview.htm. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sluganski, Randy. "Just Adventure Interview". http://www.terrydowling.com/PDF/Just%20Adventure%20Interview.pdf. 
  4. ↑ Hardy, Igor (June 13, 2008). "Lukasz Pisarek - City Interactive". http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/interviews/378/. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Sentinel: Descendants in Time for PC Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/sentinel-descendants-in-time/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 MacDonald, Laura (January 31, 2005). "Sentinel: Descendants in Time review". https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/17798. Retrieved October 7, 2020. 
  7. ↑ Cook, Denice (April 2005). "Sentinel: Descendants in Time". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (250): 90. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_250.pdf. Retrieved October 7, 2020. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Osborne, Scott (January 12, 2005). "Sentinel: Descendants in Time Review". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/sentinel-descendants-in-time-review/1900-6116221/. 
  9. ↑ Harker, Carla (February 9, 2005). "GameSpy: Sentinel: Descendants in Time". IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 27, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20051227143037/http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/sentinel-descendants-in-time/586645p1.html. Retrieved October 7, 2020. 
  10. ↑ David, Mike (January 24, 2005). "SENTINEL Descendants in Time - PC - Review". Archived from the original on October 4, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081004174109/http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r24388.htm. Retrieved October 7, 2020. 
  11. ↑ Jihem (February 24, 2005). "Test: Sentinel: Dans L'Antre De La Dormeuse" (in French). Webedia. https://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0000/00005114_test.htm. 
  12. ↑ "Sentinel: Descendants in Time". PC Gamer UK (Future Publishing) (147). April 2005. 
  13. ↑ "Review: Sentinel: Descendants in Time". PC Zone (Future Publishing). March 2005. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Herold, Charles (February 17, 2005). "Underneath It All, Substance Sells". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/17/technology/circuits/underneath-it-all-substance-sells.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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