Introduction
Welcome to my Maniac Mansion fan site!
Maniac Mansion is a point-and-click adventure game released in 1987. It is one of my favourite computer games of all time, and this site is completely dedicated to it.
My site is mainly destined to people who already know the game, and as such, it is full of spoilers. The spoiler-free sections are this one, the "History" and the "Versions" sections. So if you are new to Maniac Mansion and want your gaming pleasure to be left intact, don't visit the other sections and go play the game instead!
Sincerely,
ManiacMansionFan
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Plot |
The story is a parody of horror B-movies. You control teenager Dave Miller and two of his friends. You are on a mission to rescue Dave's girlfriend, Sandy, who has been kidnapped to the mansion of Dr.Fred, a mad scientist.
Dr.Fred is under the influence of a purple evil meteor which landed near his mansion twenty years ago and has controlled his life ever since. Dr.Fred now wants to dominate the world, and, for some unclear reason, needs the fresh brains of teenagers to do this.
It is up to you to infiltrate his mansion, avoid getting caught by Dr.Fred's family, gain entrance to the secret lab and save Sandy!
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What makes Maniac Mansion so good |
Maniac Mansion is a clever mix of horror and comedy. It's tense enough to keep you on your toes and make you jump when you unexpectedly bump into Dr.Fred's family while exploring the mansion, and funny enough to keep it light-hearted and make you laugh.
The different characters, different ways to solve the game and different endings make it unbelievably replayable for an adventure game, a genre that is usually known for its low replayability. Once you beat it with one set of characters, you will want to see how you can beat it with another, and how you can get a different ending. There are little secrets everywhere, so much that I kept discovering new tidbits about the game years after first completing it.
Maniac Mansion has black comedy moments and it is often random and unpredictable. It is clear when you play it that the developers had a great deal of freedom to make it, the kind of freedom they probably wouldn't get if they made the game today. Nowadays, most adventure games are much more streamlined and "safe". When you play Maniac Mansion for the first time, you can never guess what's going to happen next... because pretty much anything can happen, and that makes it a wacky, unforgettable gaming experience.
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Main credits |
Designed and written by Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick
Scripted by Ron Gilbert and David Fox
Programmed by Aric Wilmunder and Ron Gilbert
Graphic art and animations by Gary Winnick
Original music by Chris Grigg and David Lawrence
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Day of the Tentacle |
In 1993, a loose "sequel" was released, named Day of the Tentacle. I put "sequel" between quotation marks because, although it's an enjoyable game, it is only loosely based on Maniac Mansion:
- It was not designed by the same people.
- It is very different in terms of tone, gameplay, atmosphere and humour.
- You only play with one set of characters, there is only one way to beat the game, and there is only one ending, making it a much more streamlined game.
In fact, the only true similarity with Maniac Mansion is that some of the original characters are featured in it, namely Bernard, Dr.Fred's family, and the two tentacles.
As a bonus, you can play the original Maniac Mansion by using the computer in Ed's room.
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Where to find Maniac Mansion |
Maniac Mansion is a great but old game, and for a long time it was difficult to find a first-hand copy.
However, as of 2017, you can now legally buy it on Steam.
Day of the Tentacle was also rereleased in 2016 on PC, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, still including Maniac Mansion as a bonus (see above).
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TV series |
A TV series very loosely based on the game ran for three seasons between 1990 and 1993. Apart from a few very superficial similarities, the game and the series have absolutely nothing in common.
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Disclaimer |
All the original written content on this site (i.e. content that is not quoted from the game or its official documentation) was written by ManiacMansionFan. Please do not distribute or reproduce it anywhere without his explicit permission.
This site is NOT endorsed by Lucasfilm Ltd. or LucasArts Ltd. It is a non-profit site made by a fan for fans, for entertainment and information purposes only. Maniac Mansion and all Maniac Mansion related characters and items are registered trademarks and/or copyrights of Lucasfilm Ltd. or LucasArts Ltd., or their respective trademark and copyright holders.