Isle of the Dead (video game)

Isle of the Dead

Re-release cover art

Developer(s)| Rainmaker Software
Publisher(s)| Merit Software
Designer(s)| A. Sean Glaspell
W. Scott Simmons
Programmer(s)| Bruce J. Mack
Bryan Kelsch
Artist(s)| Myk Friedman
Composer(s)| Scott Loehr
Platform(s)| DOS
Release| 1993
Genre(s)| First-person shooter, point-and-click adventure
Mode(s)| Single-player

Isle of the Dead is a point-and-click first-person shooter horror video game developed by Rainmaker Software and published by Merit Software in 1993 for IBM and compatibles. The game centers around Jake Dunbar, the sole survivor of a plane crash, on a mysterious tropical island inhabited by zombies under the control of a mad scientist. Dunbar can interact with non-player characters to acquire weapons and obtain items through adventure game commands.

Originally planned to be a hack-and-slash game, Isle of the Dead was made to have the feel of horror pulp comics. A minicomic was included with the game on release. Reception to the game was negative, both on release and in retrospectives, with criticism given to its graphics, in-game map, and structure. Publications, such as Computer Gaming World, have called it one of the worst video games of all time.

## Contents

* 1 Gameplay and plot
* 2 Development and release
* 3 Reception
* 4 References
* 5 External links
* 6 Features
* 7 History
* 8 See also
* 9 References
* 10 External links

## Gameplay and plot

Gameplay of Isle of the Dead, with the main character holding a machete.

Isle of the Dead is a first-person shooter and point-and-click adventure game. The plot follows the player character, Jake Dunbar, who is the only survivor of a plane crash on a tropical island filled with zombies that are being controlled by a mad scientist.[1][2] The goal of the game is to escape the island and save the damsel in distress.[3]

After retrieving items from the wreckage, Dunbar explores the beach and moves further inland by hacking at the undergrowth with a machete.[4] Dunbar can also interact with non-player characters and acquire guns, although ammunition is scarce and limited.[2] Items can be stored and accessed in an inventory screen.[4] The game switches from 3D to 2D when obtaining items, using an adventure game interface as well as commands such as "Look", "Get", and "Use".[1][5] Instant-death traps also appear in the game; in one of these, a gun blows up in Dunbar's face if it is not lubricated.[3] Quitting the game causes Dunbar to commit suicide by gunshot.[6]

## Development and release

Isle of the Dead was developed by Rainmaker Software and published by Dallas, Texas-based company Merit Software.[7] The game's concept and design was created by A. Sean Glaspell; it was programmed by Bruce J. Mack and Bryan Kelsch and featured art by Myk Friedman.[1] While the intention was to create a hack-and-slash game, programmer Bryan Kelsch disliked how the game gave the player tasks without reason. Because of this, the programming teams added a script with narrative hooks, attempting to turn the game into a "good hack and slash game, but with a strong plot".[2] Kelsch said the game was intended to have the feel of horror pulp comics, so a minicomic was included with the game.[2] Isle of the Dead was later shown at the 1993 Consumer Electronics Show.[8] The game was released 1993;[9] a port for the Atari Jaguar CD was in development but never released.[10][11]

## Reception

Reception

| Review scores

Publication| Score
Electronic Games| 84%[2]
PC Joker| 38%[12]
Pelit| 13/100[13]

Previewing the game at the Consumer Electronics Show, Computer Gaming World, while not impressed with it graphically, thought that it made up for this with its "enthusiasm, gore, and the spicy addition of a little gratuitous T&A".[8]

Isle of the Dead received negative reviews upon release. Sandy Petersen, writing for Dragon in their "Eye of the Monitor" column, criticized its tedious difficulty and felt fighting the zombies was dull and too difficult. Petersen gave the game zero out of five stars in the magazine's rating scale, advising readers to avoid playing it.[1] Peter Olafson, of Compute!, while negative towards the graphics, compared the mood of Isle of the Dead to EC Comics horror magazines.[4] Chris Lombardi, writing for Computer Gaming World, argued the game was designed to be campy, but otherwise described it as the worst video game he had seen among adventure games and games with 3D graphics.[5] In their 15th anniversary issue, Computer Gaming World rated Isle of the Dead the 32nd worst game of all time, noting its "crude graphics, weak sound, and a weak 3D engine".[9] Multiple publications compared the game to other first-person shooters such as Wolfenstein 3D, while Sandy Petersen considered it was much less competently made.[1][3][4] Electronic Games, on the other hand, gave a positive review, saying that the game was not intended to be taken seriously.[2]

You don't play this shooter for fun. You play for penitence.

—PC Gamer's Richard Corbett on Isle of the Dead[14]

Retrospective reviews for Isle of the Dead were also negative. Kurt Kalata from Hardcore Gaming 101 said that Rainmaker Software took the worst elements of point-and-click adventures and first-person shooters and turned them into "an overtly shlocky mess", criticizing the lack of feedback when taking damage and the death animations throughout the game. Kalata, however, believed that the developers were going for a "Z-grade Troma-style game" and almost succeeded at doing so.[3] PC Gamer's Richard Corbett, in his "Saturday Crapshoot" column, criticized its structure and the in-game map for being unhelpful.[14] Corbett later called it one of the weirdest shooters of the 1990s.[15] Adam Smith of Rock Paper Shotgun called Isle of the Dead one of the worst games he had ever played, saying that it doesn't get anything right thematically or gameplay-wise.[16]

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Dragon206`
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Dillie, Ed (March 1994). "Isle of the Dead: Get Your Ghoulish Giggles Here". Electronic Games 2 (6): 81. https://archive.org/details/Electronic-Games-1994-03.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Kalata, Kurt (August 28, 2011). "Your Weekly Kusoge: Isle of the Dead". Hardcore Gaming 101. http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/isle-of-the-dead/. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Olafson, Peter (July 1994). "Isle of the Dead (Software Review)". Compute! (166): 115. https://archive.org/stream/1994-07-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_166_1994_Jul#page/n115/mode/2up.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lombardi, Chris (November 1994). "Doom Toos". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (124): 102–114. https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_124.
6. ↑ Thumblister, Victor (May 1994). "The Gross, the Rude, and the Ugly". Electronic Entertainment (5): 61-62. https://archive.org/details/ElectronicEntertainment05May1994.
7. ↑ "Isle of the Dead advertisement". Computer Gaming World (118): 153. May 1994. https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_118.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 CGW Staff (September 1993). "CES Report Part II". Computer Gaming World (110): 18-27. https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_110.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "50 Worst Games of All Time". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (148): 94. November 1996. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_148.pdf. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
10. ↑ "News - Jaguar Plugs into the CD revolution - Jaguar CD games in development". Edge (20): 14–15. May 1995. https://archive.org/stream/Edge_UK_020#page/n13/mode/2up.
11. ↑ "Breaking - Jaguar Plugs into the CD revolution - Jaguar CD games in development". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (6): 18–19. June 1995. https://archive.org/stream/nextgen-issue-006/Next_Generation_Issue_006_June_1995#page/n19.
12. ↑ Magenauer, Max (February 1995). "Isle of the Dead". PC Joker (Joker-Verlag) (29). https://www.kultboy.com/index.php?site=t&id=2055. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
13. ↑ Salminen, Tapio (March 1, 1994). "Isle of The Dead – Aivokuolleiden saari" (in fi). Pelit. Fokus Media Finland. https://www.pelit.fi/artikkelit/isle-of-the-dead/. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Corbett, Richard (March 23, 2013). "Saturday Crapshoot: Isle Of The Dead". PC Gamer. Future plc. http://www.pcgamer.com/saturday-crapshoot-isle-of-the-dead/. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
15. ↑ Corbett, Richard (August 23, 2013). "The weirdest shooters of the '90s". PC Gamer. Future plc. http://www.pcgamer.com/the-weirdest-shooters-of-the-90s/. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
16. ↑ Smith, Adam (June 4, 2016). "Have You Played ... Isle Of The Dead?". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Gamer Network. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/06/04/isle-of-the-dead-pc-game/. Retrieved August 24, 2017.

## External links

* Isle of the Dead can be played for free in the browser at the Internet Archive
* 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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