Secret Agent (video game)

Secret Agent

Developer(s)| Apogee Software
Publisher(s)| Apogee Software
Programmer(s)| Peder Jungck
Artist(s)| George Broussard
Jim Norwood
Engine| Crystal Caves
Platform(s)| MS-DOS
Release| 1 February 1992
Genre(s)| Platform
Mode(s)| Single-player

Secret Agent (also known as Secret Agent Man)[1] is a side-scrolling platform game developed and published by Apogee Software. The first episode is shareware, while the remaining two are sold directly by the publisher. Secret Agent uses the same game engine as the earlier Crystal Caves.

## Contents

* 1 Plot
* 2 Gameplay
* 3 Release and legacy
* 4 References
* 5 External links
* 6 Features
* 7 History
* 8 See also
* 9 References
* 10 External links

## Plot

Agent 006½ is one of the top agents for the Bureau. The Diabolical Villain Society—or D.V.S. -- has stolen the blueprints to an orbital ruby laser weapon, code-named "Red Rock Rover." The blueprints have been secured at three island strongholds of D.V.S. Agent 006½'s current mission: recover the blueprints. Each island stronghold contains 15 radar installations. All fifteen must be taken down before Agent 006½ can make his way into the D.V.S. fortress on the island, where the blueprints are held.

Mission 1: The Hunt for Red Rock Rover. The first island stronghold. Agent 006½ parachutes in, and after a successful mission, takes a hidden boat to the second island.

Mission 2: Kill Again Island. The second island stronghold. After a successful mission, Agent 006½ slips away in scuba gear.

Mission 3: Dr. No Body. The third island stronghold, where Agent 006½ will have to do battle with Dr. No Body, the head of the D.V.S.

## Gameplay

Screenshot

The player controls the titular secret agent, known only under his codename "Agent 006½". Each game is divided into 16 levels; there is no fixed order in which to play them, but the "main fortress" cannot be accessed until the other 15 levels have all been completed.

Each level is a labyrinthine structure. The objective in each level is to locate and destroy a radar dish, then exit the level. A bundle of dynamite is needed to blow open the exit doors. Agent 006½ is hindered by locked doors and laser beams that require key-card access to be opened and deactivated by bringing a floppy disk to a computer terminal. There are additional robotic and human enemies with environmental hazards such as spikes and acid pools that the player must traverse. Agent 006½ begins a level with three health points. If he loses all three, he dies, and the level restarts, with the player's score reset to what it was when beginning the level. Enemies and specific hazards detract one health point when they hit Agent 006½, while others (such as landmines) kill him instantly.

The player may need to make use of pushable barrels to reach higher areas. Some of the levels also contain special goggles, which, when collected, cause several platforms to become visible, allowing access to previously unreachable areas.

Power-ups include ammunition, sneakers that increase Agent 006½'s speed for a short duration, and a gun that allows faster shooting. There are also items that merely give points. When a human enemy is killed, he is replaced by a gravestone; the player can either destroy it (earning 100 points) or pay their respects (earning 1,000 points). Each level also includes the letters "S", "P" and "Y". The player is awarded 10,000 points if they pick them up in the correct order and 25,000 points if they complete the level without taking any damage. There are also items that cause ailments, like a ½ item that slows Agent 006½'s speed for a short duration and a question mark that reverses the function of the left and right keys for a short duration.

The names of the episodes are references to popular movies and television shows: "The Hunt for Red Rock Rover" is a pun on the film The Hunt for Red October, "Kill Again Island" is a play on Gilligan's Island and "Dr. No Body" is a reference to the film Dr. No. The default high score list consists of popular fictional spies such as Jim Phelps and Maxwell Smart.

## Release and legacy

It was intended for release on October 1, 1991, but was delayed and ended up by being released exactly four months later.[2] GOG.com released an emulated version for Windows and Mac OS X in 2013.[3][4] A high-definition remaster was released on June 30, 2021, for Windows and Linux by Emberheart Games with Apogee Entertainment, the new name for Apogee, publishing. The game adds a fourth mission to the existing three.[5] It also adds Steam Workshop support, online leaderboards and a new soundtrack.[6]

## References

1. ↑ Apogee Software 1991 Catalog
2. ↑ "3D Realms Site: Secret Agent". 3D Realms News. 3D Realms. http://legacy.3drealms.com/agent/index.html. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
3. ↑ "Release: Secret Agent". CD Projekt. August 7, 2014. Archived from the original on March 14, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130314202107/https://www.gog.com/news/release_secret_agent. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
4. ↑ "Secret Agent - Lead a Life of Danger and Intrigue". CD Projekt. http://www.gog.com/gamecard/secret_agent.
5. ↑ Handley, Zoey (June 30, 2021). "Secret Agent HD has stealth infiltrated Steam and GOG". Destructoid. https://www.destructoid.com/secret-agent-hd-stealth-release-steam-gog/. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
6. ↑ Prescott, Shaun (2 July 2021). "Another classic Apogee platformer just got the HD treatment". Future plc. https://www.pcgamer.com/another-classic-apogee-platformer-just-got-the-hd-treatment/.

## External links

* Emberheart Games \- developer of Secret Agent HD
* 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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