Maniac Mansion

69%
Game Brain Score Based on 215 reviews
  • music
  • graphics
  • humor
Maniac Mansion Game Cover
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In "Maniac Mansion" , you help Dale and his friends rescue Sandy from Dr. Fred by exploring the mansion, solving puzzles, and uncovering its mysterious past. With multiple ways to solve the mystery and a cast of quirky characters, this point-and-click adventure promises hours of humor and intrigue. The game features no typing, allowing you to easily point, click, and interact with the environment. Discover the secrets of the meteor, the strange inhabitants, and the weird objects in this comedic and slightly spooky rescue mission.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Amiga
  • Apple II
  • Atari St
  • Commodore C64
  • Ms Dos
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

69%
Audience ScoreBased on 215 reviews
music4 positive mentions
grinding2 negative mentions
  • Maniac Mansion is a classic point-and-click adventure that revolutionized the genre, featuring multiple characters with unique abilities and various endings.
  • The game is filled with humor and clever puzzles, providing a nostalgic experience for those who played it in their youth.
  • Its innovative design, including real-time NPC interactions and a variety of solutions to puzzles, makes it a memorable and engaging experience.
  • The game suffers from technical issues, including a problematic mouse cursor and missing audio elements compared to the original NES version.
  • Many players find the trial-and-error gameplay frustrating, with dead ends and unwinnable scenarios due to poor design choices.
  • The enhanced version lacks significant improvements and feels more like a simple re-release rather than a proper remaster, disappointing fans hoping for a better experience.
  • music48 mentions

    The music in this game has been widely criticized for its minimal presence, with many users noting the absence of iconic tracks from previous versions, particularly the NES and Commodore 64 releases. While some small musical elements exist, such as tunes played by characters, the overall lack of background music detracts from the experience, leading many to recommend emulating the original versions for a more complete auditory experience. Overall, the sparse sound design has left players feeling disappointed and longing for a richer musical accompaniment.

    • “Music, on the other hand, would have made this a much more enjoyable experience.”
    • “But man... you don't realize until you're playing without the music just how much you miss it.”
    • “To this, however, we prefer the NES version due to a better soundtrack.”
    • “This version does not include the background music for the characters, a really odd choice after all these years.”
    • “The only thing wrong with this version of the game compared to the original is the music.”
    • “But man.. you don't realize until you're playing without the music just how much you miss it.”
  • graphics44 mentions

    The graphics of "Maniac Mansion" have been a point of discussion among players, with many appreciating the nostalgic charm of the original low-resolution visuals while also acknowledging the enhancements in the updated version. The enhanced graphics offer more detail, but some players feel that the differences are minimal and that the original's retro aesthetic holds significant nostalgic value. Overall, the game is recognized as a landmark in the graphic adventure genre, despite its dated visuals and sound effects.

    • “Excellent graphics on my 4k monitor!”
    • “I have been playing on enhanced since the graphics are slightly better than the original.”
    • “Old graphics have been greatly improved in the 'enhanced' version.”
    • “That leaves you with the original version with low-res DOS graphics and PC speaker sound.”
    • “The very first graphic adventure by LucasArts has a redundant command prompt, poor graphics, poorer sound effects, and several ways to make the game unwinnable (I hope you use several save slots on your first gameplay) but it is amazing anyway!”
    • “This does include the original and enhanced graphics editions, but there's not much difference between them.”
  • humor26 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its cleverness and charm, featuring a mix of quirky, absurd, and creepy elements reminiscent of classic LucasArts adventure titles. Many players appreciate the added jokes found in environmental interactions and the humorous solutions to puzzles, although some feel the humor may not resonate with everyone. Overall, the game successfully blends comedy with its sci-fi horror theme, leaving a lasting impression through its memorable characters and funny scenes.

    • “The humor is top notch and you can usually find plenty of added jokes in inspecting the environment.”
    • “Every puzzle has a logical solution, the big pool of characters allows several subsequent playthroughs and the humor of the game is the right mix of creepy and absurd.”
    • “The humorous charm is undeniable and the memory of the characters, mainly the non-playable ones, will probably stick with me for quite some time.”
  • story26 mentions

    The story of *Maniac Mansion* is generally considered uninteresting and lacking in depth and character growth, despite its more complex narrative compared to contemporaries like *King's Quest*. The plot revolves around a mad scientist and serves as a parody of B-movie horror tropes, but players often find the minimal dialogue and unclear story arc frustrating. While the game features multiple endings and semi-autonomous characters that enhance the experience, many reviewers suggest it's better to watch a playthrough than to engage with the game for its story.

    • “The friends you choose to bring along each have their own way of finishing the story, and the game has multiple endings.”
    • “I get that Maniac Mansion was very important for video games as a storytelling medium at the time of its release.”
    • “The semi-autonomous characters in Maniac Mansion make the game feel more like a living story, and less like a puzzle the player moves through.”
    • “In my opinion, it's better to just watch someone else play through the game if you want to experience what little story there is than to actually play this.”
    • “Save yourself the headache of a game with almost zero storyline.”
    • “There is no really explainable story arc to help you understand exactly what you are doing.”
  • gameplay22 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized by a trial-and-error mechanic that many players find frustrating, though it was innovative for its time. It features simple command-based mechanics reminiscent of text adventures, allowing for multiple endings and character choices, but suffers from issues like poor graphics and a problematic mouse cursor in the point-and-click interface. While the enhanced version offers better visuals, the core gameplay remains largely unchanged from earlier iterations, maintaining a nostalgic appeal for long-time fans.

    • “As far as gameplay, it's like riding a bike and I still remembered most of the hidden spots, woohoo!”
    • “One of the unique features in this game was that it incorporated multiple endings and that you could play with different characters for different gameplay options and endings.”
    • “The play mechanics, which are basically an extension of text adventuring, are simple and easy to learn.”
    • “It's based on trial and error, a mechanic that most people find quite annoying nowadays.”
    • “Mouse cursor jumps around like crazy during gameplay, which is a problem, seeing as it's a point and click adventure.”
    • “I personally found it to be a bit annoying in practice, as mentioned, since the aforementioned trial and error gameplay keeps that feeling going throughout, but I do appreciate the idea - and for its time it's quite remarkable.”
  • replayability14 mentions

    The game offers significant replayability due to its multiple characters, each with unique puzzles and challenges, allowing players to explore different strategies and outcomes. While some reviewers suggest the addition of achievements could enhance this aspect, the existing variety in character choices and endings provides a satisfying level of replay value, surpassing that of many other adventure games.

    • “This gives the game a good amount of replayability, much more than most adventure games have.”
    • “- It's short, but replayable thanks to multiple characters and endings.”
    • “Maniac Mansion has a lot of replayability value due to the player's ability to play the game with a different character composition, changing quite a few of the puzzles and opening up other routes.”
    • “- it's short, but replayable thanks to multiple characters and endings.”
    • “* multiple characters with their own puzzles add to replayability.”
  • atmosphere2 mentions

    The atmosphere of the mansion is consistently praised, with users highlighting its impressive and immersive qualities.

    • “The mansion has a captivating atmosphere that draws you in.”
    • “The mansion's atmosphere is incredibly immersive and engaging.”
    • “The ambiance of the mansion creates a hauntingly beautiful experience.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively slow and tedious, significantly hindering the overall gameplay experience.

    • “It makes gameplay go extremely slow and feels very tedious.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

90% average critic score

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