Theresia (video game)

Theresia

North American packaging artwork

Developer(s)| WorkJam
Publisher(s)|

* JP: Arc System Works
* NA: Aksys Games

Platform(s)| Nintendo DS
Release|

* JP: September 11, 2008
* NA: October 30, 2008

Genre(s)| Visual novel, adventure
Mode(s)| Single-player

Theresia (テレジア), known in Japan as Theresia: Dear Emile, is a psychological horror visual novel adventure game developed by WorkJam and published by Aksys Games, released exclusively for the Nintendo DS. It is one of the few DS games to receive an ESRB rating of M for "Mature" and a CERO rating of C from "ages 15 and older", and is the fifth of 11 DS games overall to be issued the former rating for a North American release.[1] The game was released on September 11, 2008, in Japan and on October 30, 2008, in North America. Arc System Works acquired the rights to the series in 2017.

The game is a part of the mobile phone game series of the same name, and contains a remake of the original game, retitled Dear Martel.[2]

## Contents

* 1 Premise
* 2 Gameplay
* 3 Plot
* 3.1 Dear Emile
* 3.2 Dear Martel
* 4 Legacy
* 5 Reception
* 6 See also
* 7 References
* 8 External links
* 9 Features
* 10 History
* 11 See also
* 12 References
* 13 External links

## Premise

Theresia is a psychological horror visual novel adventure game from a first-person perspective, consisting of two stories, each sharing a common background: an unnamed country, presumably under strict martial law by the time the game takes place, is engaged in a fierce and bloody war with an unspecified opposing nation. No further details are provided: the player is then thrust directly into the role of Leanne, the protagonist of the first half of the story. Upon completion of the main game, a shorter second chapter is unlocked, consisting of a remake of the series' original phone game. Featuring an unnamed protagonist, it provides a deeper insight into the overarching background narrative.

Throughout the course of the game, both characters have to explore their confinements, trying to escape and learn the details of their past, avoiding traps and coming face-to-face with personal demons and other psychological dilemmas along the way. The game makes use of the Nintendo DS touchscreen capabilities.

## Gameplay

Gameplay is divided into two modes: a movement mode, where the player navigates the facility and searching for different rooms, and an observational mode, in which the player investigates certain areas and solves puzzles. During the latter mode, the player may activate traps that harm the player and reduce their life bar. Only careful observation or usage of a found 2x4 can reveal them to the character to prevent harm. The player can regain lost health via the use of found elixirs.

## Plot

### Dear Emile

Leanne, a teenage girl wakes up in a small, dim room with no memories. The only clue is the word Theresia scribbled upon a piece of paper. The first areas of the game instruct the player on the controls, set the atmosphere and introduce the survival aspect. The building is not only the sub-basement of a larger complex, but also riddled with hidden traps. Most doors are locked, barricaded, or blocked by environmental hazards. Leanne discovers she is in an underground prison facility, which stretches over several underground stories and includes waterworks, storage and torture rooms, and unknown crypts.

In the upper levels, more of the setting and Leanne's background are revealed: the country is losing the war, and the prison is part of a military installation which includes a testing laboratory, run by a woman named Maylee, who Leanne has seen in flashbacks. She also has flashbacks of a young man named Sacha and a silver-haired woman drenched in blood.

Evidence reveals that the testing was of an enemy's bioweapon, known to cause uncontrollable bleeding, high fever, madness, amnesia, and ultimately death as the body swells and turns purple. After the death of an infected, it becomes an airborne virus named Epicari. To stop Epicari from spreading, the bodies would be burned. Leanne heads toward the surface, until reaching the commander's office.

Along the way, journal entries and notes cause Leanne to have flashbacks and recover pieces of her memory. She remembers she was the sole survivor of a village destroyed in the war. Growing up at the church, she longed to talk to a young boy named Sacha, but her foster mother, Emile, made her promise never to talk to anyone but her. Sacha and Leanne exchanged letters in secret. When Emile discovered Sacha embracing Leanne, she ran at him with a knife, killing another church member who got in the way. Emile was restrained and taken to the underground part of the facility and was no longer allowed to visit Leanne.

Epicari had begun to surface, killing many people. Maylee and a group of scientists created a cure from Emile's blood, called "Theresia" after her last name. The virus continued to spread and the military moved everyone underground to their base. Sacha tried to convince Leanne to run away with him, as the two had fallen in love, but Leanne couldn't forget Emile. She asked Maylee to take her to see her mother. Emile chained Leanne and locked her in a prison cell but Leanne was happy to be with her mother again.

Eventually, the military ordered mass executions to finally stop the virus. Sacha came to release a reluctant Leanne, but was discovered by Emile. He pointed a gun at her, but she calmed him down by singing him a lullaby she often sang to an infant Leanne. She took his gun and killed him. She tried to escape with Leanne, assisted by Maylee, who had come to care for them. Emile murdered many of her own comrades to protect her daughter. Remembering this, Leanne realizes her mother really did love her.

Leanne eventually becomes infected with Epicari. Maylee gave her the vaccine, Theresia, made from her mother's blood, which gave her amnesia. Emile was the one who left her journal entries. She also set up the traps, attempting to keep Leanne safe from others, and to keep her from escaping. In the commander's office, Leanne finds her mother's body and mourns. She takes the final key needed for her escape, which her mother had seemingly been protecting. Casting aside her possessions, along with the pendant her mother had given her, Leanne escapes the facility.

Outside, she finds an abandoned infant which she resolves to take. After the credits, the camera zooms in on Leanne kneeling outside with the baby, Emile standing behind her. There is a strange noise, and the camera falls over.

### Dear Martel

Martel was the name of his sister, who had a different father than him. After the death of their mother soon after she was born, he sent her to an orphanage ran by their grandfather. He was adopted and continued his studies. Years later, he returns to the orphanage to be a doctor and to do research. He is reunited with Martel, who has grown into a kind, beautiful young woman. The two seem to get along well. He also becomes friends with two other doctors there Franz and Maylee. The doctor becomes very happy with his new family.

The doctors unknowingly create the Epicari virus and infect the children. As the virus spreads, they request help from the government. Soldiers come, but only to forcibly take samples from the children. The orphanage is then quarantined. As more and more children die, the doctor, Franz, and Maylee struggle to find a cure. Martel buries the dead children without fear of being infected herself, and the fact that she doesn't eventually leads to the creation of the vaccine Theresia from her blood.

By this time, Franz was unknowingly infected with Epicari. He had suddenly started hiding his face, claiming he hated how he looked. One of the symptoms of the virus was the exacerbation of personal issues, but because they falsely believed the virus only affected children, they didn't realize this until it was too late. Eventually he went mad and attacked people with an axe. When his mask fell off, he killed himself by ramming his face into the axe embedded in the wall.

Though they finally managed to create the vaccine, the place was stormed by soldiers. The staff tried to tell them that they now had a cure, the soldiers were relentless and used flamethrowers to massacre all the children and many of the staff. The doctor managed to hide with Martel, but was separated from Maylee. She ultimately survived, going on to try and create more of the vaccine as shown in Dear Emile's story.

When everything was over, the doctor and Martel left their hiding places. A disheveled and slightly bloody Martel stepped on and killed an insect without realizing it. The doctor, who was unknowingly suffering from Epicari himself, snaps from this sight and strangles her. He buries her amongst the red flowers she had grown outside the orphanage. Knowing he will soon forget, the doctor leaves the notes and journal entries to remind him what he has done. He also sets up the traps and writes the messages on the wall, as a way to punish himself for what he has done.

After getting the vaccine and remembering everything, the doctor desperately tries to dig up Martel's body but cannot find it. He is happened upon by Maylee, who talks with him.

## Legacy

A sequel to the original game, entitled Theresia II: Dear Lizst, was released in Japan for mobile phones. It became inaccessible in 2012.

## Reception

Reception

| Aggregate score

Aggregator| Score
Metacritic| 61/100[3]
Review scores
Publication| Score
1Up.com| C−[4]
Adventure Gamers| [5]
Famitsu| 28/40[6]
GamesRadar+| [7]
IGN| 7.1/10[8]

The game received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[3] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of one eight, two sevens, and one six, for a total of 28 out of 40.[6]

## See also

* Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors

## References

1. ↑ Wommack, Lacey (18 January 2020). "All The Nintendo DS Games That Got An M Rating". https://www.thegamer.com/nintendo-ds-mrating-mature-games/.
2. ↑ "生きて館を脱出せよ! DS『theresia -テレジア- Dear Emile』公式HPオープン". 7 August 2008. https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20080807-a030/.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Theresia for DS Reviews". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/theresia/critic-reviews/?platform=ds. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
4. ↑ Barnholt, Ray (December 12, 2008). "Theresia Review". 1UP.com. http://www.1up.com/reviews/theresia. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
5. ↑ Allin, Jack (April 2, 2010). "Theresia review". Adventure Gamers. http://www.adventuregamers.com/articles/view/18408. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Brian (September 3, 2008). "Famitsu review scores". Nintendo Everything. http://nintendoeverything.com/famitsu-review-scores-16/. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
7. ↑ Gilbert, Henry (November 12, 2008). "Theresia: Dear Emile review". GamesRadar. http://www.gamesradar.com/theresia-review/. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
8. ↑ Hatfield, Daemon (January 5, 2009). "Theresia Review". IGN. http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/01/06/theresia-review. Retrieved October 27, 2016.

## External links

* Official website Script error: The function "in_lang" does not exist.
* Official website Script error: The function "in_lang" does not exist.
* 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 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]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

## 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.
18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628.

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