groundbreaking game Archives

AppWizard

May 1, 2025

The Story Of Ecstatica, The Groundbreaking Survival Horror With Plenty Of Balls

In the early 1990s, the video game industry was transitioning from 2D to 3D gaming, with titles like Star Fox and Doom emerging. The small UK studio, founded by Andrew Spencer and Alain Maindron, released the groundbreaking game Ecstatica in 1994 after five years of development. Spencer created a unique game engine using ellipsoid graphics, which provided a lifelike quality to characters, inspired by traditional animation techniques. The game received an 8/10 rating from EDGE magazine for its emotional engagement. Spencer expressed ambitions for sequels using his innovative engine to explore new gaming landscapes, but challenges, including the departure of key personnel, led to the shelving of the sequel. Spencer later shifted his career towards academia and research, hinting at ongoing ideas for new projects that have not materialized.

AppWizard

August 23, 2024

Peter Molyneux says he’s ‘coming home’ to PC, but should we welcome him back after everything that’s happened?

Peter Molyneux is known for his influential role in game design, particularly for creating the "god game" genre with Populous and leading the Fable series. His latest project, Masters of Albion, was revealed at Gamescom amid skepticism regarding its quality. Molyneux's previous game, Godus, which was crowdfunded, has since been removed from PC storefronts, raising doubts about his ability to fulfill promises. One of his earlier projects, Curiosity, involved a mobile app where players tapped a large cube for a chance to win a significant prize, which ultimately turned out to be a role in Godus. The multiplayer features of Godus were never completed, leading to disappointment among backers. Molyneux also attempted to enter the blockchain space with Legacy, a Web3 game that sold "land NFTs," but he later admitted to difficulties with its economic model. As he prepares for the launch of Masters of Albion, Molyneux acknowledges the need for the game to be exceptional, given the high expectations and past failures.

AppWizard

July 22, 2024

A look back at 8 versions of classic action RPG Hydlide reveals how PC ports can preserve—or lose—the soul of a game

Hydlide was a groundbreaking "Active Role Playing Game" released by T&E Soft in 1984. The game set new standards in the gaming industry and was considered the Elden Ring of its day. It was an open world action RPG where players had to figure out how to survive using only a sword, shield, and wit. The game was ported to various computer brands in Japan, with each version carefully adapted to fit its new home. The Sharp X1 version of the game, released in 1985, was considered the most advanced version of the game in the '80s, but it lost some of the magic of the original due to changes in gameplay mechanics. The 2001 Windows remake of Hydlide returned to the familiar flip-screen wandering and striking, staying true to the original game rather than trying to reinvent itself.