Moonstone Trivia Part I: The Origins of an Amiga Legend
Moonstone’s history is every bit as strange, bloody and entertaining as the game itself. From publisher interventions and D&D campaigns to giant budgets-that-weren’t, here are twenty curious facts about one of the Amiga’s most enduring legends.
1. The “A Hard Day’s Knight” Subtitle Wasn’t Rob Anderson’s Idea
Moonstone was originally intended to be called simply Moonstone. The subtitle was added by Mindscape marketeers, who believed the pun would make the game seem less intimidating.
2. Nintendo & Sega Rejected Moonstone
Nintendo reportedly liked Moonstone but considered it too violent for its audience, preventing a release on its systems. Sega passed too. Rob later suggested this decision significantly limited the game’s North American prospects. Ironic considering Mortal Kombat came along just months later…
3. Moonstone Missed Christmas
Moonstone missed the lucrative Christmas sales period (1990) and was instead released after the holiday rush (April 1991). Rob thinks this timing may have contributed to the game’s disappointing commercial performance.
4. Moonstone Carried A Voluntary 12 Rating
Long before PEGI ratings appeared on game boxes, Moonstone’s marketing material (in the UK at least) carried a voluntary recommendation that the game was suitable for players aged 12 and over owing to the copious gore!
5. The First Demo Was A Trogg Getting Cut In Half
The original pitch wasn’t a sophisticated design document. It was essentially a knight slicing a Trogg clean in two with blood spraying everywhere.
6. Dungeons & Dragons Was A Major Influence
Moonstone grew directly from years of D&D sessions played by Rob Anderson and co-designer Todd Prescott.
7. Todd Prescott Brought The RPG Elements
Rob often credits co-creator Todd with much of the game’s adventure and role-playing structure while he focused on combat, animation, and presentation.
8. Moonstone Was Inspired By Barbarian
One of Rob’s goals was blending traditional fantasy adventure with the brutal combat of Barbarian. Ironically, Mindscape assigned Richard Leinfellner, of Barbarian fame , to help manage Moonstone from the publisher side.
9. The Four Knights Were Named After Real People
Moonstone’s four playable knights weren’t random fantasy names. Rob Anderson named them after friends and colleagues he met during development, including Richard, who was named after Richard Leinfellner.
10. Monty Python Left Its Mark
The famous Black Knight scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail helped inspire Moonstone’s mixture of humour and gruesome violence.
11. The Gore Switch Was Added Later
Moonstone’s optional gore setting was introduced largely to satisfy Mindscape’s concerns about the game’s violent content.
12. Rob Wanted Losing To Be Fun
One of Moonstone’s core design philosophies was that dying should be just as entertaining as winning. He nailed it!
13. Battle Chess Influenced The Death Scenes
Rob loved how Battle Chess rewarded players with unique death animations and wanted to create the same feeling in Moonstone.
14. Joust Inspired The Multiplayer
The arcade classic Joust was a major influence because of how much fun it was to play with friends.
15. The Dragon Was Designed To Punish Front-Runners
The Dragon wasn’t just a monster. It was designed to disrupt players who were pulling too far ahead.
16. The Game Was Supposed To Take One Year
Moonstone was originally budgeted as roughly a one-year project. In fact, it ultimately stretched to around two years, placing enormous pressure on both schedule and finances.
17. Waterdeep Was Named For A Very Simple Reason
Many fans assumed Moonstone’s Waterdeep referenced Dungeons & Dragons. Rob says the explanation is far simpler: the town sits in the Wetlands and “Waterdeep” seemed appropriate.
18. Moonstone Was Built For Less Than $40,000
Rob has estimated the game’s budget at under $40,000. Even by early 1990s standards, that was remarkably small.
19. Rob Built Most Of It Himself
Rob wasn’t just the designer. He was also programmer, animator, artist, and tool developer for much of the project.
20. Moonstone Was Barely Playtested
Rob has openly admitted that formal testing was extremely limited, with much of the playtesting done by himself. (Although somebody mentioned to me on FB that they had helped playtest it at Mindscape – for a day!)