Galleon is a 2004 action-adventure game developed by Confounding Factor and published by SCi Games and Atlus USA for the Xbox. Designed by Toby Gard as his first independent project after leaving Core Design, the game was announced in 1997, but suffered several delays and changes in the consoles it would be released to. It was released in Europe on June 11, 2004, and in North America on August 3 to mixed reviews from critics. A mobile spin-off entitled Galleon: Dawn was released on August 26, 2004.

Galleon
Developer(s)Confounding Factor
Publisher(s)
Designer(s)Toby Gard
Platform(s)Xbox
Release
  • EU: June 11, 2004
  • NA: August 3, 2004
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Platformer
Mode(s)Single-player

Plot edit

Rhama Sabrier has received a letter from Dr. Areliano, stating that he is fascinated about his ship and its origins, and wants Rhama to come help investigate this situation. Arriving at dock, Rhama is introduced by Dr. Areliano's servant, Jabez. He is in quite a hurry, as he is aware that Areliano would be back soon, however Rhama would like to visit the shop, as he is low on stock.

Jabez notices that Rhama's ship is behind his, so he consumes another herb, starting a massive storm. While trying to help steer the ship, Rhama falls off. He manoeuvres through the water so that he isn't blown away by the wind. Eventually, Rhama arrives at land, exhausted.

Development edit

Announced in Edge in 1997, the game went through various incarnations and publishers. The designer of Lara Croft, Toby Gard left Core Design shortly after the character's first game, Tomb Raider, was released. Galleon was to be his first independent title following Tomb Raider. Galleon started development on PC and moved to Dreamcast, then GameCube (as Galleon: Islands of Mystery[1][2]) and eventually to the Xbox. The title was originally going to be published by Interplay[3] but after numerous delays was cancelled and subsequently picked up by SCi. Gard's company Confounding Factor closed its doors after the release and he returned to Eidos Interactive as a design consultant for the Tomb Raider franchise. The graphical style of the game was intended to have a comic book feel as well as being influenced by Ray Harryhausen's Sinbad films and Burt Lancaster vehicles.[4] The soundtrack was originally composed by Lee Nicklen, and has since been made available for free.[5]

Reception edit

Galleon: Islands of Mystery received "average" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[20]

References edit

  1. ^ IGN staff (October 17, 2001). "Galleon: Islands of Mystery (Preview)". IGN. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  2. ^ "The Ultimate Next Generation Action Game From the Lead Designer of The Original Tomb Raider Coming This Winter to the Nintendo Gamecube". PR Newswire. Cision. August 20, 2001. Archived from the original on August 22, 2001. Retrieved July 2, 2019 – via Yahoo.com.
  3. ^ "In the Studio". Next Generation. No. 36. Imagine Media. December 1997. p. 24.
  4. ^ "Toby Gard: Let the battle begin". The Independent. April 18, 2004. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  5. ^ "Kayotix - Lee Nicklen - Music, Multimedia, Web and Design". Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  6. ^ Irwin, Mary Jane (August 9, 2004). "Galleon [Islands of Mystery]". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  7. ^ Edge staff (June 2004). "Galleon". Edge. No. 137. p. 98. Archived from the original on June 3, 2004. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  8. ^ EGM staff (November 2004). "Galleon: Islands of Mystery". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 184. p. 150.
  9. ^ Reed, Kristan (June 21, 2004). "Galleon". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  10. ^ Miller, Matt (October 2004). "Galleon [Islands of Mystery]". Game Informer. No. 138. p. 140.
  11. ^ Mearls, Mike (August 26, 2004). "Galleon: Dawn Review". GameSpot. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  12. ^ Navarro, Alex (August 6, 2004). "Galleon: Islands of Mystery Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 14, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  13. ^ Turner, Benjamin (August 6, 2004). "GameSpy: Galleon [Islands of Mystery]". GameSpy. Archived from the original on November 2, 2005. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  14. ^ Lafferty, Michael (August 5, 2004). "Galleon [Islands of Mystery] - XB - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on April 16, 2008. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  15. ^ Perry, Douglass C. (August 4, 2004). "Galleon: Islands of Mystery". IGN. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  16. ^ "Galleon: Islands of Mystery". Official Xbox Magazine. September 2004. p. 74.
  17. ^ "Galleon". The Times. June 19, 2004. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2015.(subscription required)
  18. ^ "Galleon: Dawn for Mobile". GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  19. ^ "Galleon: Islands of Mystery for Xbox". GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  20. ^ a b "Galleon: Islands of Mystery for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 28, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2015.

External links edit