Software:Skullmonkeys

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Skullmonkeys
Developer(s)The Neverhood, Inc.[1]
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts
Designer(s)Joseph Sanabria
Vanessa Jones
Nicholas Jones
Programmer(s)Brian Belfield
Kenton Leach
Tim Lorenzen
Artist(s)Stephen Crow
Mark Lorenzen
Ellis Goodson
Composer(s)Terry Scott Taylor
EngineThe Neverhood, Inc.
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • NA: February 6, 1998[2]
  • EU: February 20, 1998
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Skullmonkeys is a platform video game developed by The Neverhood, Inc. and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation. It is the sequel to The Neverhood, and rather than being an adventure game, it is a platformer. Players again take control of Klaymen, who this time must defeat a horde of creatures called Skullmonkeys under the command of his old foe Klogg.

The game met with mixed reviews, as critics liked the game's unique visual style (as with The Neverhood, the characters were all sculpted from clay) and music, but bemoaned the monotony and lack of innovation in the gameplay. Terry Scott Taylor composed the soundtrack.

Plot

The evil Klogg was banished from The Neverhood at the end of the first game, but has now ended up on the Planet Idznak, which is inhabited by creatures known as Skullmonkeys and an insect race known as YNT. Klogg becomes the leader of the Skullmonkeys and sets off to make "Evil engine number 9" to destroy the Neverhood, while Klaymen is brought onto the scene to stop him.

Gameplay

In the single-player platform game, the player controls Klaymen, a resident of the Neverhood who is kidnapped in order to prevent the destruction of the Neverhood. He can jump, duck, look up, and grab a wide range of items such as a halo (allowing him to withstand more than one hit) and a wide range of quirky and crude projectile weapons. Aside from the assortment of weapons, enemies and bosses can be destroyed by jumping on them, and there are several secret levels (set to 1970s easy-listening music) where bonus points and extra lives can be earned. The levels are in a sidescrolling format, unlike the point and click format of The Neverhood.[3]

Throughout each of the levels, clay balls can be collected to earn points, with extra lives being awarded upon collecting 100. Several bosses are stationed throughout the game to be defeated. The game uses a password feature.

Development

The game was announced in May 1997.[4]Skullmonkeys was a strictly two-dimensional game developed at a time when this format was seen as increasingly outmoded. Project lead Doug TenNapel, however, preferred the 2D format and believed that 3D platform gaming could never work, being always plagued by depth-perception problems.[5] Besides TenNapel, star creators who worked on the game included Mike Dietz (inventor of the animation process used in Disney's Aladdin and Earthworm Jim) and Mark Lorenzen.[5]

Klaymen's motions were penciled first, then used in tandem with a model to record the animation.[5] One method used by the designers to create the creatures in the game, was to take children's toys and cover them with clay to see what shapes were formed. A boss in the game, Joe-Head-Joe, is actually the face of Joseph Sanabria, one of the game's designers.[6] The cutscene clips were created by applying stop motion animation to the modeled clay figures.[7] TenNapel commented, "When I sculpt [clay], I feel very relaxed and comfortable, compared to doing art on the computer where you'll find me scowling and squinting a lot."[7]

During development TenNapel said that composer Terry Scott Taylor "[is] coming up with this Hawaiian shit, like Don Ho. And we're like 'Go! Go!' because it's so stupid and so nongaming that we have to embrace it."[5]

Release

Electronic Arts published the game on February 6, 1998. The game was released in Japan by Riverhillsoft on August 13, 1998, under the title Klayman Klayman 2.[8]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings80%[9]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStar[10]
Edge7/10[11]
EGM7.75/10[12]
Famitsu26/40[8]
Game Informer8.75/10[13]
GameFan92%[14]
GameRevolutionA−[15]
GameSpot5/10[16]
IGN6/10 (1998)[17]
8/10 (2008)[18]
Next GenerationStarStar[19]
OPM (US)StarStarStarStarStar[20]

Skullmonkeys met with mixed reviews. The game's visual style, particularly the unique claymation format and imaginative backgrounds, were almost universally lauded by critics.[12][16][19][21] Shawn Smith of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) wrote that "The attention to detail and continuity of style in SM makes me wonder just how many hours the development team spent on the project".[12] Most critics also praised the soundtrack,[12][16][21] and multiple reviews made particular note of the bonus room song.[12][16] However, most found that the monotony of the gameplay, with little variety in the enemies and a constant recycling of ideas in the level designs, far outweighed the pleasing presentation.[10][16][17][19][21] GameSpot said that "what is most frustrating about Skullmonkeys is that it just wears you down after a while."[16] Next Generation commented, "As a concept, Skullmonkeys works. But in practice, the idea has been squeezed into a monotonous series of simplistic levels that drone on and on with little variation between them. [...] If this started out as either a nostalgic tribute to great 2D platformers of old or as a parody of cliched gameplay conventions, it fails on both accounts, simply because the game hasn't been constructed solidly enough to keep the gamer's attention in order to prove either point."[19]

Another issue was that many critics felt the side-scrolling platformer genre had been thoroughly played out by this point. GamePro remarked that the game's "platform-hopping action offers nothing new to this seriously worn-out genre."[21] IGN concurred that "there just aren't that many new gameplay elements being introduced here. It's all standard jump-on-enemies' heads stuff, with little in-between."[17] EGM represented one of the few positive responses to the game, with Shawn Smith, Sushi-X, and Kelly Rickards all commending it for its imagination, hardcore difficulty, and humor, though Kraig Kujawa fell more in line with the majority opinion, saying that the weak boss designs and lack of variety in the enemies make it not worth buying.[12]

The game held an 80% on the review aggregation website GameRankings, based on six reviews.[9] In a retrospective review, Allgame summarized Skullmonkeys as "far too dull and repetitive for most platforming fans."[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Skullmonkeys". GamePro (IDG) (108): 64. September 1997. 
  2. ↑ "Game Informer News". 1999-02-24. https://web.archive.org/web/19990224173726/http://www.gameinformer.com/news/feb98/020698c.html. 
  3. ↑ "Skull Monkeys [sic]". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (96): 108. July 1997. 
  4. ↑ Fielder, Joe (May 28, 1997). "More Fun Than a Barrel of Skullmonkeys". Archived from the original on October 5, 1999. https://web.archive.org/web/19991005003633/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/97_05/28_dream/index.html. Retrieved July 24, 2022. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "NG Alphas: Skullmonkeys". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (31): 120–21. July 1997. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_31/page/n125. 
  6. ↑ EPNdotTV (November 30, 2015). "Diddy Kong Racing / Skullmonkeys - S1:E2 - Electric Playground". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyyeQf3oO5k. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Skullmonkeys: Back for More Claymation Action". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (101): 98. December 1997. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "クレイマン・クレイマン2 〜スカルモンキーのぎゃくしゅう〜 [PS"] (in Japanese). Famitsu (Enterbrain). https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=18191&redirect=no. Retrieved December 4, 2020. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "SkullMonkeys for PlayStation". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/198663-skullmonkeys/index.html. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 House, Michael L.. "Skullmonkeys - Review". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=7962&tab=review. 
  11. ↑ Edge staff (March 1998). "Skull Monkeys [sic"]. Edge (Future Publishing) (56): 103. https://archive.org/details/edgeuk056/page/n89/mode/2up. Retrieved December 4, 2020. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 "Review Crew: Skullmonkeys". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (104): 125. March 1998. 
  13. ↑ McNamara, Andy; Storm, Jon; Reiner, Andrew (March 1998). "Skullmonkeys". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (59). http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=psx&path=mar98&doc=skull. Retrieved December 4, 2020. 
  14. ↑ Mylonas, Eric "ECM"; Jevons, Dan "Knightmare"; Ngo, George "Eggo" (April 1998). "SkullMonkeys". GameFan (Metropolis Media) 6 (4): 10. https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_6_Issue_04/page/n11/mode/2up. Retrieved December 4, 2020. 
  15. ↑ Tony V. (April 1998). "Skullmonkeys Review". CraveOnline. https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/34054-skullmonkeys-review. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 Dulin, Ron (February 25, 1998). "SkullMonkeys Review". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/skullmonkeys-review/1900-2549307/. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Douglas, Adam (February 3, 1998). "Skullmonkeys". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/02/04/skullmonkeys-2. 
  18. ↑ Buchanan, Levi (January 28, 2008). "Skullmonkeys Review". IGN Entertainment. http://retro.ign.com/articles/848/848064p1.html. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 "Skullmonkeys". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (40): 98. April 1998. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_40/page/n99/mode/2up. Retrieved December 4, 2020. 
  20. ↑ "Skullmonkeys". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) 1 (6). March 1998. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 Four-Eyed Dragon (March 1998). "PlayStation ProReview: Skullmonkeys". GamePro (IDG) (114): 94. 
  • 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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