Review
Release Date: 10.1990
Platform:
Nintendo Entertainment SystemDeveloper:
Realtime Associates Inc.Publisher:
Jaleco USA, Inc.Reviewed by
Mikey Dowling on 6.10.2005
| Review Rating: 9/10 | User Rating: 8.43/10 |
The year was 1990. Games for the Nintendo Entertainment System were aplenty. Great titles like
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse,
Mega Man 3,
River City Ransom,
Super Mario Bros. 3, Final Fantasy, and
Bible Adventures (it's a joke!) were all released. Amidst the bevy of wonderful games came
Maniac Mansion from what was then known as Lucasfilms Games.
The story is simple enough. Twenty years ago a meteor crash-landed on Earth, in the yard of the Edison family; Doctor Fred, Nurse Edna, Weird Ed, and Dead Cousin Ted. Twenty years later, the meteor has made Doctor Fred his slave; and with the help of two tentacles--Green and Purple--he kidnaps a girl named Sandy. It's your job as Sandy's boyfriend Dave, and two of his friends (out of a total of six) to save the day.
Depending on the sub-characters you pick, it will make the game experience different. Almost each sub-character has a trait that makes him/her stand out in certain situations—though two characters are basically the same it just depends on if you want to use a male or female. With the diverse cast of characters, the game opens itself up to multiple ways of beating the game that can extend the replay value greatly. Especially if you’re someone who has to see everything.
Multiple is a word that comes up a lot while playing through
Maniac Mansion. From the outset you are given a cast of multiple characters. You are then given multiple paths you can take to get to the end of the game. And along the way, you are given multiple items or objects that you can interactive with in some way. The numbers of items you can pick up is literally in the hundreds (one of which is a hamster that, if you are playing with the right character, can be microwaved and blown up,) but not all are useful. It's finding what items are useful in what situation that gives the game its appeal.
Maniac Mansion is a point-and-click adventure game. So, everything is done by clicking on an action, be it push, pull, give, open, close, go to, get, use, read, turn on, turn off, or new kid (which is what you use to switch between characters), and then performing that action. The five most frequently used actions are mapped to the Select button, so opening a door is only five presses of the Select button then a press of the A button away.
The music in the game is quite catchy. Every character has their own theme song, which separates them more than just what they can do. My only complaint, and albeit it's a very small one, is that all members of the Edison family and the tentacles share the same song. At least Weird Ed and Green Tentacle could have used separate themes.
If you aren't a fan of point-and-click games, this one doesn't do anything so gripping that it will convert you. But, for a 15-year-old game that has almost as much, if not more, to offer than some current games,
Maniac Mansion is worth just about any price you can find it for.
