Limbo of the Lost
Encyclopedia
Limbo of the Lost is a traditional point-and-click adventure game that follows the adventures of Benjamin Briggs
, captain of the Mary Celeste
, as he explores the depths of Limbo in the Keep of Lost Souls. It was the only game developed by Majestic Studios, a studio founded in 1993 and consisting of Steve Bovis, Tim Croucher, and Laurence Francis. The studio initially aimed to bring back the graphical text adventure genre on the Atari ST
, and later the Amiga 500
, culminating in a demo shown at the ECTS
in 1995. Due to sinking demand of these platforms, the game was instead redeveloped for the PC
and released in March 2008. In June 2008, discovery of plagiarism
in the game led to its withdrawal from sale.
. Players direct the controllable character around the game world by clicking with the computer mouse to interact with objects and characters in the game world. The existence of the player is acknowledged by the game's character, and during the final sequence the player, rather than Briggs, becomes the puzzle-solving protagonist.
The main character, Captain Briggs, is entomophobic
, which is to say that he has a fear of insects. Throughout the game, he must confront his fear in order to complete puzzles and progress further. Briggs will complain to the player from time to time regarding his feelings of the surroundings and what he has been asked to do. If the player does not move the mouse for a period of time, Briggs will let the player know about it.
, the real life captain of the Mary Celeste
. In 1872 the Mary Celeste was discovered empty; the fate of Briggs and the rest of the crew remains a mystery. The game puts Briggs in Limbo
where he has to aid Destiny in a war against Fate.
for the Atari ST. The duo showed the demo to publishers who were only interested if the game was finished. After unsuccessfully trying to expand the development team the project was shelved because publishers were no longer interested in making games for the Atari ST. In 1995 Bovis, Croucher and new team member Laurence Francis began working on the game again this time as a point and click adventure for the Amiga 500. Grandslam Entertainment
owned publisher Rasputin Software agreed to publish the game and Limbo of the Lost was ported to the Amiga 1200
and Amiga CD32
. However, Limbo of the Lost was never published since games for the Amiga 1200 and CD32 were no longer in demand. Evidence suggests that the Amiga version of the game pulled art content from other products.
In 2003, after learning PC and 3D development tools, Bovis returned to Limbo of the Lost. With Croucher and Francis the game was redesigned with only the concept and certain character designs remaining of the original game. The game was published in Europe in late 2007 by G2 Games
. According to the website Adventure Gamers
the release resulted in copies only being found on ebay
and a small Asian retailer. In 2008 Tri Synergy
announced it would give Limbo of the Lost widespread release in North America.
. After the revelation, others looking into the game discovered environments and assets that appear to be taken from numerous other games, including Sea Dogs and World of Warcraft
.
Other content appears to have been taken from live action films, including a scene and dialogue from the 1997 film Spawn
, an image from Beetlejuice
, another from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
and several more from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Additionally, a Lord of the Rings
Nazgûl
bust by Weta Workshop
appears to have been used in another background image.
Certain places in Limbo of the Lost were also identical to portions of Thief: Deadly Shadows
. The game depicts its lead character walking near the gates of "Famine", "Drought" and "Disease" which is identical to Thief's "Keeper Library".
On 12 June, 2008, Publisher Tri Synergy announced they had stopped distribution of Limbo of the Lost while investigating allegations of plagiarism. Tri Synergy said they had no knowledge Majestic Studios used other games' work without permission and said they had contacted Majestic Studios for a response.
On 24 June, 2008, Majestic Studios were quoted as saying:
On 30 July, 2008, Tim Croucher and Laurence Francis announced their departure from Majestic Studios with the following statement:
included the game in the article The 11 Weirdest Game Endings, commenting: "One thing that sure as hell wasn't stolen was the game's batcrap crazy ending, which must be seen to be believed."
Benjamin Briggs
Benjamin Spooner Briggs was an experienced United States seaman and master mariner. He is famous today for being the Captain of the merchant ship Mary Celeste when she was discovered unmanned and drifting in the Atlantic Ocean near the Straits of Gibraltar, on 4 December 1872...
, captain of the Mary Celeste
Mary Celeste
The Mary Celeste was an American brigantine merchant ship famous for having been discovered on 4 December 1872, in the Atlantic Ocean unmanned and apparently abandoned , despite the fact that the weather was fine and her crew had been experienced and able...
, as he explores the depths of Limbo in the Keep of Lost Souls. It was the only game developed by Majestic Studios, a studio founded in 1993 and consisting of Steve Bovis, Tim Croucher, and Laurence Francis. The studio initially aimed to bring back the graphical text adventure genre on the Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, and later the Amiga 500
Amiga 500
The Amiga 500 - also known as the A500 - was the first “low-end” Commodore Amiga 16/32-bit multimedia home/personal computer. It was announced at the winter Consumer Electronics Show in January 1987 - at the same time as the high-end Amiga 2000 - and competed directly against the Atari 520ST...
, culminating in a demo shown at the ECTS
European Computer Trade Show
The European Computer Trade Show, commonly known as ECTS, was an annual trade show for the European computer and video game industry, which first ran in 1988, with the last event occurring in 2004....
in 1995. Due to sinking demand of these platforms, the game was instead redeveloped for the PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
and released in March 2008. In June 2008, discovery of plagiarism
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
in the game led to its withdrawal from sale.
Gameplay
Limbo of the Lost is a point-and-click graphic adventure gameGraphic adventure game
A graphic adventure game is a form of adventure game. They are distinct from text adventures. Whereas a player must actively observe using commands such as "look" in a text-based adventure, graphic adventures revolutionized gameplay by making use of natural human perception...
. Players direct the controllable character around the game world by clicking with the computer mouse to interact with objects and characters in the game world. The existence of the player is acknowledged by the game's character, and during the final sequence the player, rather than Briggs, becomes the puzzle-solving protagonist.
The main character, Captain Briggs, is entomophobic
Entomophobia
Entomophobia is a common fear of or aversion to insects and similar arthropods, and even other terrestrial invertebrate animals, such as worms. Commonly, this condition might be referred to as the "fear of insects or bugs". This condition causes a slight to severe emotional reaction, a form of...
, which is to say that he has a fear of insects. Throughout the game, he must confront his fear in order to complete puzzles and progress further. Briggs will complain to the player from time to time regarding his feelings of the surroundings and what he has been asked to do. If the player does not move the mouse for a period of time, Briggs will let the player know about it.
Plot
Limbo of the Lost follows Benjamin BriggsBenjamin Briggs
Benjamin Spooner Briggs was an experienced United States seaman and master mariner. He is famous today for being the Captain of the merchant ship Mary Celeste when she was discovered unmanned and drifting in the Atlantic Ocean near the Straits of Gibraltar, on 4 December 1872...
, the real life captain of the Mary Celeste
Mary Celeste
The Mary Celeste was an American brigantine merchant ship famous for having been discovered on 4 December 1872, in the Atlantic Ocean unmanned and apparently abandoned , despite the fact that the weather was fine and her crew had been experienced and able...
. In 1872 the Mary Celeste was discovered empty; the fate of Briggs and the rest of the crew remains a mystery. The game puts Briggs in Limbo
Limbo
In the theology of the Catholic Church, Limbo is a speculative idea about the afterlife condition of those who die in original sin without being assigned to the Hell of the damned. Limbo is not an official doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church or any other...
where he has to aid Destiny in a war against Fate.
Development
In the early 1990s Limbo of the Lost Creative/Project Director Steve Bovis and Tim Croucher developed the initial idea for the game. Bovis and Croucher created a demo of graphical text adventure gameAdventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
for the Atari ST. The duo showed the demo to publishers who were only interested if the game was finished. After unsuccessfully trying to expand the development team the project was shelved because publishers were no longer interested in making games for the Atari ST. In 1995 Bovis, Croucher and new team member Laurence Francis began working on the game again this time as a point and click adventure for the Amiga 500. Grandslam Entertainment
Grandslam Entertainment
Grandslam Entertainment was a computer and video games software house based in Britain. It was formed in late 1987 from the ashes of Argus Press Software by former Argus Managing Director, Stephen Hall. Grandslam developed and published many games for home computers during the 1980s and 1990s...
owned publisher Rasputin Software agreed to publish the game and Limbo of the Lost was ported to the Amiga 1200
Amiga 1200
The Amiga 1200, or A1200 , was Commodore International's third-generation Amiga computer, aimed at the home market...
and Amiga CD32
Amiga CD32
The Amiga CD32, styled "CD32" , was the first 32-bit CD-ROM based video game console released in western Europe, Australia, Canada and Brazil. It was first announced at the Science Museum in London, United Kingdom on 16 July 1993, and was released in September of the same year...
. However, Limbo of the Lost was never published since games for the Amiga 1200 and CD32 were no longer in demand. Evidence suggests that the Amiga version of the game pulled art content from other products.
In 2003, after learning PC and 3D development tools, Bovis returned to Limbo of the Lost. With Croucher and Francis the game was redesigned with only the concept and certain character designs remaining of the original game. The game was published in Europe in late 2007 by G2 Games
G2 Games
G2 Games is a developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment software video games, software and mobile media. The company's titles span most major interactive entertainment software genres, including action, adventure, children's, racing, fighting, puzzle, role-playing,...
. According to the website Adventure Gamers
Adventure Gamers
Adventure Gamers is a computer game website created in 1998 dedicated to the genre of adventure games. It publishes reviews and previews of adventure games, as well as opinion articles and interviews with game designers....
the release resulted in copies only being found on ebay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
and a small Asian retailer. In 2008 Tri Synergy
Tri Synergy
Tri Synergy, Inc. is an American software publisher based in Dallas, Texas. The company is famous for publishing so-called "farming simulators"....
announced it would give Limbo of the Lost widespread release in North America.
Plagiarism
On 11 June, 2008 GamePlasma posted an article showing certain places in Limbo of the Lost were identical to the game The Elder Scrolls IV: OblivionThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a single-player action role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks and the Take-Two Interactive subsidiary 2K Games...
. After the revelation, others looking into the game discovered environments and assets that appear to be taken from numerous other games, including Sea Dogs and World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
.
Other content appears to have been taken from live action films, including a scene and dialogue from the 1997 film Spawn
Spawn (film)
Spawn is a 1997 American superhero film loosely based on the comic book of the same name, by Todd McFarlane and published by Image Comics. Directed and co-written by Mark A.Z. Dippé , the film stars Michael Jai White in the leading role...
, an image from Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice is a 1988 American comedy horror film directed by Tim Burton, produced by The Geffen Film Company and distributed by Warner Bros...
, another from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a 2003 adventure fantasy film based on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney theme parks. It was directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
and several more from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Additionally, a Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
Nazgûl
Nazgûl
The Nazgûl are fictional characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium...
bust by Weta Workshop
Weta Workshop
Weta Workshop is a special effects and prop company based in Miramar, New Zealand, producing effects for television and film.Founded in 1987 by Richard Taylor and Tania Rodger as RT Effects, Weta Workshop has produced creatures and makeup effects for the TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys...
appears to have been used in another background image.
Certain places in Limbo of the Lost were also identical to portions of Thief: Deadly Shadows
Thief: Deadly Shadows
Thief: Deadly Shadows is a stealth video game in which the player takes the role of Garrett, a master thief. It is set in a fantasy/steampunk world resembling a cross between the Late Middle Ages and the Victorian era, with more advanced technologies interspersed...
. The game depicts its lead character walking near the gates of "Famine", "Drought" and "Disease" which is identical to Thief's "Keeper Library".
On 12 June, 2008, Publisher Tri Synergy announced they had stopped distribution of Limbo of the Lost while investigating allegations of plagiarism. Tri Synergy said they had no knowledge Majestic Studios used other games' work without permission and said they had contacted Majestic Studios for a response.
On 24 June, 2008, Majestic Studios were quoted as saying:
- "In response to the shocking notification that some alleged unauthorized copyrighted materials submitted by sources external to the development team have been found within the PC game Limbo of the Lost, we (the development team) have given our consent and full cooperation to both publishers who are recalling all units from all territories immediately. [...] To the best of our knowledge no one at Majestic, [European publisher] G2Games or [North American publisher Tri Synergy, Inc.] knew about this infringement and knowingly played any part in it."
On 30 July, 2008, Tim Croucher and Laurence Francis announced their departure from Majestic Studios with the following statement:
- "Due to the behaviour of certain members of the Majestic Studios team, Mr T.Croucher and Mister L.Francis would like to announce their departure from Majestic Studios; and would like it known that they have severed all connections, ties and links with the remaining members of the majestic team.
- Mister Croucher would like it known that his input responsibility for Limbo of the Lost was: Research, some vocal acting and puzzle design.
- Mr Francis would like it known that his input responsibility for Limbo of the Lost was: Original opening theme and outro music, character Script writing for Darkmere, puzzle design and voice acting, particularly that of B.S.Briggs.
- Neither Mister Croucher nor Mister Francis had any say or control over: Graphics, rendering, coding or game screen design.
- As far as both Mr Croucher and Mister Francis were aware, all submitted material was to be original; both Mr Croucher and Mister Francis adhered to this contractual clause."
Reception
In 2010, UGOUGO
UGO Entertainment, Inc. is a website providing coverage of online media in entertainment targeting males age 18–34. The company is currently based in New York, New York, United States. On July 24, 2007 it was announced that Hearst Corporation would acquire UGO Entertainment...
included the game in the article The 11 Weirdest Game Endings, commenting: "One thing that sure as hell wasn't stolen was the game's batcrap crazy ending, which must be seen to be believed."