Software:Shard of Spring

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Shard of Spring
Cover art by Joe Chiodo[1] (revised[2])
Developer(s)TX Digital Illusions
Publisher(s)Strategic Simulations
Designer(s)Craig Roth
David Stark
Platform(s)Apple II, Commodore 64, DOS
Release1986[3]
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Shard of Spring is a role-playing video game developed by TX Digital Illusions and published by Strategic Simulations for the Apple II, Commodore 64 and DOS computers in 1986. Shard of Spring tells the story of a group of adventurers hired to retrieve the titular magical item stolen by a power-hungry evil witch. The game was generally well received upon its release and was followed by a sequel titled Demon's Winter in 1988.

Gameplay

The player's party in Shard of Spring can be made up of at least two human, dwarf, elf, troll or gnome adventurers, each of whom can be either a warrior or a wizard (both classes have very different set of traits to assign points to).[4] The game's game world system is displayed in the top-down view, and the combat system for the fights (mostly random encounters) is similar to turn-based tactical war games.[5] Its spell system is based on five elements: fire, metal, wind, ice and spirit.[6]

Plot

For two centuries, a small island of Ymros enjoyed eternal springtime thanks to the enchanted Shard of Spring, a piece of the long-lost legendary Life Stone. However, three years ago, the land's peace was shattered when a mysterious Siriadne arrived to Ymros and stole the Shard. With the threat of the Shard's destruction, the selfish sorceress and her minions now extort a ruinous and ever-increasing tribute from the people of Ymros. Anyone who might put an end to her tyranny will be a hero for all time to come. The aim of the game is to gain access to Siriadne's castle (which is encircled by a magical force field) and defeat her.[7] The player needs to kill Siriadne's chief followers Devon the Destroyer,[8] Ralith (in Ralith's Tower)[9] and Edrin (in Edrin's Dungeon) so the party can storm Siriadne's Fortress.[10] Siriadne herself transforms into a dragon for the final battle.[11] After the player's victory, the game ends in a cryptic way.[12]

Reception

SSI sold 11,942 copies of Shard of Spring in North America.[13] The game was generally well received upon its release. According to QuestBusters, "anyone completely burned out on the 'seek and slay' scenario should look elsewhere," but "Phantasie fans who found Wizard's Crown too complex will appreciate this one, which combines the best elements of each - easily making it SSI's best game since the original Phantasie."[7] Scorpia of Computer Gaming World gave the game a positive review in 1986, noting it as a good hack and slash type. The graphics were considered well-done, even in monochrome, but the reviewer felt leveling in the later part of the game went far too slowly.[4] In 1993, she called Shard of Spring "a typical hack-and-slash romp" but "not bad for its type, and better than some".[14] On the other hand, Philippa Irving in Zzap!64 criticized the game's "lacklustre" presentation (55%) and "dull" graphics 65%, but nevertheless gave Shard of Spring a high overall rating of 88%, calling it "just short of brilliant" due to its "absorbing, tantalizing, and satisfying" playability.[15] Rick Teverbaugh of RUN also gave it a positive review, even as he opined it was not "exactly a frontrunner in the Game of the Year voting."[16]

The game, however, did not become a classic title. Tim Bailey reviewed Shard of Spring in Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer commented that "if you have the money to spare, and Ultima IV is not available, and you can't wait, Shard of Spring is a good, but inferior imitation."[17] In 1987, Mark Patters of Commodore User gave Shard of Spring a rating of 6/10.[18][19] Reviewers often compared this game to Ultima III. According to a critical retrospective review by John Gorenfeld in Allgame, "unlike Wizard's Crown, SSI's RPG Shard of Spring has none of the company's characteristic war game detail. In fact, it feels like a low-rent version of Ultima III, with the latter's simple tactical combat, but less atmosphere."[20] It was reported that the game had a balance problem in which the players would receive too few experience points for their victories;[21] this problem was fixed in the sequel.[22]

Reviews

  • Jeux & Stratégie #45[23]

Legacy

Main article: Software:Demon's Winter

A follow-up to Shard of Spring was created by the same team and published by SSI in 1988. The sequel has Ymros once again threatened by evil as the players must search for spells to defeat the demon-god Malifon who has cast the world into a deep freeze. It expanded on the first game in some ways such as offering more character classes.[24]

References

  1. ↑ "Computer Game Museum - Loubet Tower (Art Gallery)". Mocagh.org. http://mocagh.org/art.php. 
  2. ↑ "PROTOTYPE GAME BOX COVER ARTS Unreleased, Alternative and Early Concept Art". http://www.springbringer.com/fantasya/eng_prototypes.html. 
  3. ↑ Barton, Matt (2007-02-23). "Part 2: The Golden Age (1985-1993)". The History of Computer Role-Playing Games. Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20070223b/barton_03.shtml. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Scorpia (Dec 1986), "Shard of Spring", Computer Gaming World: 38–41, http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1986&pub=2&id=33 
  5. ↑ "QuestBusters: The Adventurer's Journal Volume 3 Number 09". https://archive.org/stream/questbusters-v3n09/qbusters_v3_n09#page/n3/mode/2up/. 
  6. ↑ "Ahoy! Magazine October 1986 - Commodore Computers". http://www.commodore.ca/gallery/magazines/ahoy/Ahoy-issue-34-01.pdf. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Shard of Spring". QuestBusters. September 1986. pp. 4–5. https://archive.org/stream/questbusters-v3n09/qbusters_v3_n09#page/n3/mode/2up. 
  8. ↑ "Commodore Magazine Issue 02". February 1987. https://archive.org/stream/02-commodore-magazine/Commodore_Magazine_Vol-08-N02_1987_Feb#page/n128/mode/1up. 
  9. ↑ "Gold Mine Game Tips for Commodore Users". https://archive.org/stream/Gold_Mine_Game_Tips_for_Commodore_Users#page/n246/mode/1up. 
  10. ↑ "Commodore Magazine Issue 29". May 1989. https://archive.org/stream/29-commodore-magazine/Commodore_Magazine_Vol-10-N05_1989_May#page/n96/mode/1up/. 
  11. ↑ "ZZap!64 Magazine Issue 033". January 1987. https://archive.org/stream/zzap64-magazine-033/ZZap_64_Issue_033_1987_Jan#page/n118/mode/1up. 
  12. ↑ "(...) As you turn to go back into the room, you see a black bird out of the corner of your eye, moving swiftly upward. As you re-enter the room, an old man who you recognize is standing near the dead body of Siriadne. His face shows a mixture of serenity and contentment. He speaks: 'The true springtime shall now return to Ymros because of what you have done today. Your names shall be remembered as long as men exist to sing of you.' He makes some mysterious motions and everything begins to swirl about you. His voice speaks to you out of the dizziness: 'Evil is personified in the form of dragons, but borne in the hearts of men...'"
  13. ↑ Maher, Jimmy (2016-03-18). "Opening the Gold Box, Part 3: From Tabletop to Desktop". The Digital Antiquarian. http://www.filfre.net/2016/03/opening-the-gold-box-part-3-from-tabletop-to-desktop/. 
  14. ↑ Scorpia (October 1993). "Scorpia's Magic Scroll Of Games". Computer Gaming World: 34–50. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=111. Retrieved 25 March 2016. 
  15. ↑ Philippa Irving (Sep 1987), "Shard of Spring", Zzap!64: 55 
  16. ↑ "Run Magazine Issue 40". April 1987. https://archive.org/stream/run-magazine-40/Run_Issue_40_1987_Apr#page/n29/mode/2up/. 
  17. ↑ Bailey, Tim (August–September 1987). "A Poor Man's Ultima". Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer (Diverse Talents, Incorporated) (79): 43. 
  18. ↑ Mark Patters (Apr 1987), "Shard of Spring", Commodore User: 32 
  19. ↑ "Commodore User Magazine Issue 43". April 1987. https://archive.org/stream/commodore-user-magazine-43/Commodore_User_Issue_43_1987_Apr#page/n31/mode/1up/. 
  20. ↑ Gorenfeld, John (2010-10-03). "Shard of Spring". allgame. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=37033. 
  21. ↑ "Computist Issue #41". 1987. https://archive.org/stream/computist-scan-41/issue41#page/n27/mode/1up/s. 
  22. ↑ "QuestBusters: The Adventurer's Journal Volume 5 Number 12". https://archive.org/stream/questbusters-v5n12/qbusters_v5_n12#page/n3/mode/2up/. 
  23. ↑ "Jeux & stratégie 45". June 1987. https://archive.org/details/jeux-et-strategie-45/page/62/mode/2up. 
  24. ↑ "Run 69 (September 1989)" (PDF). September 1989. https://archive.org/details/run-magazine-69. 
  • 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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