Galleon (video game)
A pirate adventure from the creator of Lara Croft.
Toby Gard's first independent project after leaving Core Design, Galleon, is an action-adventure game for the Xbox. Confounding Factor developed it, with SCi Games and Atlus USA publishing. Announced in 1998, the game faced multiple delays and shifts in intended platforms before its release. It launched in Europe on June 11, 2004, and in North America on August 3, receiving mixed critical reception. A mobile spin-off, Galleon: Dawn, followed on August 26, 2004.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Confounding Factor
- Publisher
- SCi Games (EU); Atlus USA (NA)
- Designer
- Toby Gard
- Released
- June 11, 2004 (EU); August 3, 2004 (NA)
- Genre
- Action-adventure; Platformer
- Modes
- Single-player
- Platforms
- Xbox
Facts from the source article.
Plot
Captain Rhama Sabrier is hired by Dr. Areliano, a scholar, to investigate a strange boat that holds a large tree. The tree grows mystical herbs, and Rhama calls the vessel the Treeship. Areliano’s assistant, Jabez, murders the scholar and steals the Treeship out of greed. Rhama chases him to stop his schemes and uncover where the ship came from. Though Rhama catches up to Jabez multiple times, Jabez gains godlike strength by eating the herbs and escapes. Rhama’s journey takes him to many islands, where he picks up crew members: Faith, Areliano’s daughter and a healer; Calverly, a shipwright friend turned into a monkey by Jabez; and Mihoko, a martial artist freed from a slave island who swears loyalty to Rhama. The crew learns that an ancient civilization grew the herbs for energy and immortality, and used the Treeship to carry the only tree that can cross-pollinate with a dying sacred tree on Epheremy. They sail there and find Jabez, who has threatened the locals into guiding him to the sacred tree. He eats its just-bloomed flower for immense power, but Rhama defeats and kills him. Jabez’s body produces seeds that can grow more Treeship trees, saving the sacred tree and giving Epheremy access to the herbs. Later, Rhama and his crew bury their treasure, and it is suggested that Rhama and Faith become lovers.
Development
Toby Gard, the creator of Lara Croft, left Core Design after the first Tomb Raider. His debut independent project, Galleon, was first mentioned in Edge magazine in 1998. Development began on PC, then shifted to Dreamcast, later to GameCube under the title Galleon: Islands of Mystery, and finally landed on Xbox. Interplay was the original publisher, but after repeated delays the project was dropped; SCi later took it on. Gard's studio, Confounding Factor, shut down following the game's release, and he went back to Eidos Interactive as a design consultant for the Tomb Raider series. The visuals aimed for a comic-book aesthetic, drawing inspiration from Ray Harryhausen's Sinbad films and Burt Lancaster movies. Lee Nicklen composed the soundtrack, which has since been released for free.
More in Atlus Games of the 2000s
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