Software:The Dark Spire

From HandWiki
The Dark Spire
North American box art
Developer(s)Success
Publisher(s)
Composer(s)Kenichi Arakawa
Platform(s)Nintendo DS
Release
  • JP: May 22, 2008
  • NA: April 14, 2009
Genre(s)Role-playing video game
Mode(s)Single-player

The Dark Spire, known as Genmu no Tō to Tsurugi no Okite[lower-alpha 1] in Japan, is a role-playing game developed by Success for the Nintendo DS. It was released on May 22, 2008 in Japan and April 14, 2009 in North America which was published by Atlus.

Gameplay

The gameplay centers on exploring the namesake dungeon known as the Dark Spire while improving the skills and stats of your characters by gaining experience.[1] An alignment system and a class system are included in The Dark Spire. Your alignment affects who can join your party, what skills can be learned by party members of different classes, and even equipment choices. The Spire is explored in a first-person perspective, and many classical RPG elements are included, such as random encounters and equipment.[2] The player is tasked to find and defeat the Archmage Tyrhung at the top of the Dark Spire and to retrieve a necklace from him.[3]

The Dark Spire is a throwback to old first-person dungeon crawler RPGs, such as The Bard's Tale or Wizardry. As a tribute, the game can be set in a mode which renders graphics and sound/music which could have been produced in a game dating to the late 1980s or early 1990s.[2] The game allows you to play as one of four races - human, dwarf, elf or halfling - each with unique stats and standard alignment.[4]

Development

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic69/100[5]
Review scores
PublicationScore
1Up.comC+[6]
Destructoid7.5/10[7]
Game Informer7/10[8]
GameProStarStarStarHalf star[9]
GameZone7.8/10[4]
IGN8/10[2]
Nintendo Power5/10[10]
Nintendo World Report7.5/10[11]

The game received "average" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[5]

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: 幻霧ノ塔ト剣ノ掟, "The Tower of Mist and the Law of the Sword"

References

  1. ↑ Willis, Phillip. "The Dark Spire - Staff Review". RPGamer. http://www.rpgamer.com/games/other/nds/genmunotou/reviews/genmunotoustrev1.html. Retrieved October 6, 2015. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Bozon, Mark (April 16, 2009). "The Dark Spire Review". IGN. http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/04/16/the-dark-spire-review. 
  3. ↑ Fletcher, JC (December 19, 2008). "Atlus brings The Dark Spire to light". Engadget (Joystiq). https://www.engadget.com/2008/12/19/atlus-brings-the-dark-spire-to-light/. Retrieved October 6, 2015. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bedigian, Louis (May 5, 2009). "The Dark Spire - NDS - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on May 27, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090527120658/http://nds.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r37167.htm. Retrieved October 6, 2015. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "The Dark Spire for DS Reviews". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-dark-spire/critic-reviews/?platform=ds. Retrieved November 10, 2015. 
  6. ↑ Parish, Jeremy (April 24, 2009). "The Dark Spire Review". 1UP.com. http://www.1up.com/reviews/dark-spire-review. Retrieved November 10, 2015. 
  7. ↑ Bennett, Colette (April 14, 2009). "Destructoid review: The Dark Spire". Destructoid. http://www.destructoid.com/destructoid-review-the-dark-spire-128154.phtml. Retrieved November 10, 2015. 
  8. ↑ Biessener, Adam (May 2009). "The Dark Spire: Greetings From 1981". Game Informer (193): 90. http://www.gameinformer.com/games/the_dark_spire/b/nintendo_ds/archive/2009/09/23/review.aspx. Retrieved November 10, 2015. 
  9. ↑ Mirkovich, Sean (May 2009). "The Dark Spire". GamePro: 80. Archived from the original on April 18, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090418180215/http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/209713/the-dark-spire. Retrieved November 10, 2015. 
  10. ↑ "The Dark Spire". Nintendo Power 241: 91. May 2009. 
  11. ↑ Balicki, Lukasz (June 12, 2009). "The Dark Spire". Nintendo World Report. http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/18851/the-dark-spire-nintendo-ds. Retrieved November 10, 2015. 
  • 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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