Software:Wendy: Every Witch Way

From HandWiki
Short description: 2001 video game
Wendy: Every Witch Way
North American boxart for Wendy: Every Witch Way
North American cover
Developer(s)WayForward Technologies
Publisher(s)TDK Mediactive
Director(s)Matt Bozon
Producer(s)David Artuso
Shereef Morse
Designer(s)Matt Bozon
Mark Bozon
Paul Kite
Programmer(s)Jimmy Huey
Artist(s)Matt Bozon
Composer(s)Brandon Amison
Platform(s)Game Boy Color
ReleaseSeptember 2001
Genre(s)Action, platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Wendy: Every Witch Way is an action platform video game published by TDK Mediactive and developed by WayForward Technologies for the Game Boy Color in 2001. The game centers on Wendy the Good Little Witch from the Casper the Friendly Ghost series. Wendy accidentally opens her aunts' chest containing magical stones, which upset the gravity of a floating castle that crashes onto her house. The player controls Wendy through four worlds with sixteen levels, with each world having three side-scrolling levels and one horizontal shooter stage. Inserting the game in the Game Boy Advance unlocks a new world exclusive to the console.

The game was conceived as a tie-in for a planned reboot animated series. It received generally positive reviews from video game critics, praising it for its originality but received criticism for its short length. WayForward's Matt Bozon would later take inspiration from Wendy: Every Witch Way for their 2009 game Mighty Flip Champs.

Plot and gameplay

Gameplay of Wendy: Every Witch Way, with Wendy upside down, as part of the game's flipping mechanics.
Gameplay of Wendy: Every Witch Way.

Wendy: Every Witch Way is a side-scrolling action platform video game. The game stars Wendy the Good Little Witch, a character from the Casper the Friendly Ghost series. One day, Wendy goes into her aunts' attic, finding and opening a chest containing the magical Moon Stones. In doing so, they upset the gravity of the floating Moon Stone Castle causing it to crash onto her house. Wendy must collect the stones to restore the gravity.[1][2]

The game spans four worlds: Halls, Gardens, Dungeons, and Towers. Each world has three side-scrolling levels and a horizontal shooter stage with Wendy firing at enemies while riding her broom. At the end of each world, Wendy obtains a stone on an altar. The game ends with a boss battle with a dragon.[1] Inserting the game in a Game Boy Advance unlocks the console-exclusive Advance World with three new levels. It also included a password that unlocks unlimited firepower.[1][2][3]

Development

Wendy: Every Witch Way was developed by WayForward Technologies, published by TDK Mediactive, and designed by Matt Bozon. It was meant as a tie-in for a planned animated series that fell through.[1] Inspiration for the game came from 1991's Metal Storm for the Nintendo Entertainment System.[4] Vincent Bitetti, the CEO of TDK Mediactive, mentioned that the game should appeal to both girls and boys.[5] The game engine used for Wendy: Every Witch Way was used for previous Wayforward titles such as Xtreme Sports and Sabrina: The Animated Series: Zapped!.[2] The game was released in September 2001.[2]

Reception and legacy

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings82%[6]
Review scores
PublicationScore
GameZone7.5/10[7]
IGN8/10[8]
Jeuxvideo.com13/20[9]
Nintendo PowerStarStarStarStarHalf star[11]
Gamezilla90/100[10]

Wendy: Every Witch Way received generally positive reviews from video game critics, with a score of 82% on the rating aggregator GameRankings.[6] Critics praised the game for its originality,[10][9][11] with IGN's Craig Harris calling it "an extremely original action title".[8] The graphics were also well received. Michael Lafferty from GameZone described it to be "lush and colorful".[7] GameZilla's Mike Messersmith noted the animation in the game to be "top-notch" for a Game Boy Color title.[10] Reception to its sound design garnered a mixed response. Mike Messersmith spoke positive about its sound effects and music,[10] while Michael Lafferty was less positive, calling the audio "limited".[7] Criticism was given to the game about its short length.[8][9] A writer for Jeuxvideo.com remarked that the levels were few and short.[9]

In an interview with Pocket Gamer about their game Mighty Flip Champs, WayForward's Matt Bozen said they took some inspiration from Wendy: Every Witch Way for their new title. Mark Bozen added that they wanted to make a game that was a spiritual successor to Every Witch Way in terms of concept.[4]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Foster, Neil (December 10, 2016). "Wendy: Every Witch Way - Game Boy Color (2001)". Hardcore Gaming 101. http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/wendy-every-witch-way/. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 IGN Staff (June 29, 2001). "Wendy: Ever Witch Way - IGN". IGN. Ziff Davis. http://www.ign.com/articles/2001/06/29/wendy-every-witch-way-2. 
  3. ↑ GameSpot Staff (May 17, 2006). "Wendy game to include GBA-exclusive world". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. http://www.gamespot.com/articles/wendy-game-to-include-gba-exclusive-world/1100-2778825/. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 McFerran, Damien (April 28, 2009). "Interview: Contra 4 developer WayForward talks Mighty Flip Champs DSiWare". Pocket Gamer. Steel Media. http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/DSi/Mighty+Flip+Champs/news.asp?c=12972. 
  5. ↑ GameSpot Staff (May 17, 2006). "TDK announces Wendy for the GBC". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. http://www.gamespot.com/articles/tdk-announces-wendy-for-the-gbc/1100-2709140/. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Wendy: Every Witch Way for Game Boy Color - GameRankings". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. http://www.gamerankings.com/gbc/477564-wendy-every-witch-way/index.html. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Lafferty, Michael (October 1, 2001). "Wendy: Every Witch Way (GBC)". GameZone. http://gameboy.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r18528.htm. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Harris, Craig (September 20, 2001). "Wendy: Every Witch Way Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. http://www.ign.com/articles/2001/09/20/wendy-every-witch-way. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 The Romendil (October 16, 2001). "Test: Wendy" (in French). Jeuxvideo.com. Webedia. http://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0000/00001637_test.htm. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Messersmith, Mike (October 15, 2001). "Wendy: Every Witch Way". Gamezilla!. http://www.gamezilla.com/reviews/w/wendygbc.asp. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Nintendo Power staff (December 2001). "Now Playing". Nintendo Power (Nintendo) (151): 172. 
  • 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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