Veil of Darkness

Short description: 1993 video game

Veil of Darkness

Developer(s)| Event Horizon Software
Publisher(s)| Strategic Simulations
Designer(s)| Thomas J. Holmes
Christopher L. Straka
Programmer(s)| Thomas J. Holmes
Artist(s)| Frank Schurter
Jane Yeager
Writer(s)| Scot Noel
Composer(s)| Anthony Mollick
Ed Puskar
Pete Smolcic
Platform(s)| MS-DOS, FM Towns, PC-98
Release| March 1993[1]
Genre(s)| Adventure, role-playing

Veil of Darkness is a horror-action-adventure game for MS-DOS, FM Towns and PC-98, which was developed by Event Horizon Software and published by Strategic Simulations in 1993. Veil of Darkness is a third person, 2D point-and-click adventure game with RPG elements featuring a fixed isometric perspective and a fair share of action-RPG style combat.

## Contents

* 1 Gameplay
* 2 Plot
* 3 Intellectual property rights
* 4 Reception
* 5 References
* 6 External links
* 7 Features
* 8 History
* 9 See also
* 10 References
* 11 External links

## Gameplay

Veil of Darkness features an isometric point of view, a control panel customizable in size and an inventory system. All actions are controlled by the mouse and by areas / items within the control panel. A player can use either arrow keys for guiding movement or the mouse. The inventory can hold several items, and the player can also find bags and pouches that enable the player to carry more items. There is an indication in the control panel for weight (the knapsack bulges when inventory is too heavy), and for health (the player character in a coffin becomes a skeleton progressively from the feet upwards). There is a 'mirror' that will indicate if the player has an ailment (aged, cursed, etc.), and also certain ailments show on the Player's face in the Player portrait in the control panel. In conversations, the Player can click on a certain underlined word to pursue that topic, or the Player can type a word when the input cursor appears. If the typed word is appropriate, the Player will receive a response. For instance to end a conversation, the Player could click 'Bye' or type 'Bye'.

The game is non-linear: the player can wander about and explore freely within an area, but certain places or actions cannot progress until the player has done certain actions and/or found certain items. The player moves around in a dark valley, solving puzzles and occasionally killing monsters such as werewolves, vampires and skeletons. Different weapons work with different enemies, so the Player needs to find the right weapon for each battle. Also, one needs to find different plants (and sometimes other items) to cure different ailments. The puzzles are typical of a point-and-click adventure game. The puzzles consist mainly of piecing together what the player learns from conversations, finding and using objects and finding ways to get into locked areas or past a guardian.

## Plot

The player assumes the role of a cargo pilot whose plane mysteriously crashes while he is flying over a remote valley in Romania. The player is rescued from the crash by Deirdre, the daughter of Kiril Kristoverikh, the wealthiest man in the valley. While exploring their surroundings, the player quickly discovers that the valley's inhabitants are unable to escape and are plagued by various evils. Kiril explains to the player that their arrival was foretold in a prophecy, and that they are destined to destroy Kairn; the valley's tyrannical ruler, who long ago rejected his humanity to become an immortal vampire and trapped the entire valley in eternal darkness.

The player begins exploring the valley in search of a way to destroy Kairn and escape, meeting its inhabitants, gathering items, and battling evil creatures along the way. As the player progresses, they begin to complete various deeds described as part of the prophecy; this includes healing some of Kairn's victims, slaying a werewolf responsible for killing numerous villagers, and allowing the tormented souls of Kairn's murdered brothers and father to pass on to the afterlife. They also end up slaying Andrei, Kiril's son, who was reanimated as a zombie after Kiril unsuccessfully appealed to Kairn to revive him.

As they prepare to slay Andrei, Kiril informs the player that Kairn kidnapped Deirdre to transform her into one of his vampiric brides, and they resolve to rescue her. Eventually, they discover the Agrippa; an evil sentient tome that first granted Kairn his powers, and was subsequently imprisoned once Kairn deemed it a threat. In response, it placed a curse on Kairn, which became the prophecy foretelling the player's arrival. The player frees the Agrippa using a key found beside Kairn's coffin in his stronghold; while there, they meet the imprisoned Deirdre. Deirdre reveals that her father is truly corrupt, and willingly turned her over to Kairn in exchange for being able to leave the valley.

The Agrippa reveals Kairn's true name to the player (randomly generated from a list of suggestions) so they can weaken him, and vanishes. Once the prophecy is nearly completed, the player heads to Kairn's stronghold, and battles him using a combination of items to weaken his powers. Kairn retreats to his coffin in order to regain his strength, only to discover that it had been previously sealed by the player. The player finally defeats Kairn by driving a wooden stake through his heart and beheading him, ending his evil for good. The valley is freed from Kairn's influence, and the player leaves Romania on a boat with Deirdre, embracing her.

## Intellectual property rights

Event Horizon Software was eventually renamed DreamForge Intertainment before being dissolved in 2001. The company developed three other games: The Summoning, Dusk of the Gods and DarkSpyre.[2]

Strategic Simulations, Inc. was bought by Ubisoft in 2004.

## Reception

Computer Gaming World wrote that Veil of Darkness "held me in rapt attention until I had seen it through to its resolution". While critical of the brief length of the game, the magazine stated that "the experience is one to be savored ... definitely one that I am glad to have played".[3] The magazine later nominated Veil of Darkness for its Role-Playing Game of the Year award, alongside The Summoning.[4] Power Unlimited gave a score of 70% writing: "Veil of Darkness may not have an original story (it's very similar to Dracula), but there are plenty and many assignments, all of which work together to keep the game fun. Only the intro is a bit too long".[5]

James Trunzo reviewed Veil of Darkness in White Wolf #37 (July/Aug., 1993) and stated that "On the down side, the music seems appropriate, but becomes intrusive afte a while. Some puzzles seem overly difficult early in the game, and what combat there is can take a while to complete. Still, Veil is an excellent change of pace from the typical dungeon crawl. If you enjoy the games of the horror ilk, Veil of Darkness is definitely worth a try."[6]

## References

1. ↑ "PC Zone Magazine". PC Zone (1): 9. April 1993. https://archive.org/stream/PC_Zone_Issue_001_1993-04_Dennis_Publishing_GB#page/n7. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
2. ↑ "DreamForge Intertainment, Inc. (Company)" (in en). https://www.giantbomb.com/dreamforge-intertainment-inc/3010-2482/.
3. ↑ Miller, Chuck (June 1993). "SSI Releases Event Horizon's Veil of Darkness". Computer Gaming World: 72. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=107. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
4. ↑ "Computer Gaming World's Game of the Year Awards". Computer Gaming World: 70–74. October 1993. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=111. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
5. ↑ "Power Unlimited Game Database" (in nl). November 1994. Archived from the original on October 22, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20031022173402/http://www.powerweb.nl:80/database/img/index.php?page=database&&query[order]=datum&ending=DESC&query[start]=4000. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
6. ↑ Trunzo, James (July–August 1993). "The Silicon Dungeon". White Wolf Magazine (37): 64. https://imgur.com/a/vYdlufI.

## External links

* 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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