History VideoGame / ManiacMansion

* OhNotAgain: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fCzvP4rIyo demo mode of the PC version]] shows Sandy and Dave returning to the mansion for a second time to give a tour to the players. Meanwhile, as Dave talks to his mom over the telephone and breaks the fourth wall, Dr. Fred overhears them and sends up Purple Tentacle, who manages to capture Sandy once again.

* OhNotAgain: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fCzvP4rIyo demo mode of the PC version]] depicts her and Dave returning to the mansion for a second time to give a tour to the players. Meanwhile, as Dave talks to his mom over the telephone and breaks the fourth wall, Dr. Fred overhears them and sends up Purple Tentacle, who manages to capture Sandy once again.

** Calling the Meteor Police on the radio three times as Bernard will make them stop coming to his help, making his path unwinnable.

Made in 1987, ''Maniac Mansion'' was Creator/LucasFilmGames' first in a long line of [[PointAndClickGame Point-and-Click]] adventure games (before they were renamed to "[=LucasArts=]" and way before they gave up on this genre and started making ''Franchise/StarWars'' tie-ins instead). The game is about Dave Miller, a [[TheEighties 1980s]] college kid, and his group of friends. Each friend has a special skill, including nerdy machine-minded Bernard, musicians Syd and Razor, photographer Michael, author Wendy, and SurferDude Jeff. The kids break into local MadScientist Doctor Fred's house to rescue Dave's girlfriend, cheerleader Sandy, from having her "pretty brains" sucked out in an experiment. Come to find out, they're not only saving her, but perhaps the entire world. Creator/RonGilbert and Creator/TimSchafer were involved with its production.

* CensorshipBureau: The UsefulNotes/{{NES}} version of the game [[http://www.crockford.com/wrrrld/maniac.html had seen many of the more adult-themed jokes]] undergo either {{Bowdleri|se}}zation or be removed completely thanks to Nintendo of America's former policy on such content. Hilariously, it seems they were so focused on removing anything that could be ''interpreted'' as sexual (such as a mention of the SCUMM engine in the credits) that they completely missed the much more obvious [[MicrowaveTheDog hamster-in-microwave event]] until later PAL port.

* ForgetsToEat: Dr. Fred. At one point Weird Ed mentions that he hasn't seen him at dinner ''in 5 years''. WordOfGod says it was to invoke this trope, but since Ed then immediately mentions that Fred has been dragging bodies into the basement, Creator/{{Nintendo}} of America assumed accused cannibalism. Thus, the UsefulNotes/{{NES}} version was changed to have Ed say Fred hasn't ''slept'' in 5 years instead. Which amusingly is made canon in ''VideoGame/DayOfTheTentacle'', where it is revealed that Dr. Fred has gone without sleep for years by means of imbibing massive quantities of coffee.

* GameBreakingBug: Re-releases of the German translation no longer allowed you to send letters, rendering some ways to solve the game impossible, and depending on the characters you chose, you might [[UnintentionallyUnwinnable not have an alternative]]. Fortunately, this bug does not occur when using UsefulNotes/ScummVM.

** One puzzle in the game involves making a phone call to DirtyOldWoman Nurse Edna. In the UsefulNotes/{{NES}} version of the game, Nintendo found this call "obscene." [[http://www.crockford.com/wrrrld/maniac.html It was censored into]] Edna instead assuming that {{Mummy}} Ted is the one calling, explaining that only he has her number and that she never knew of or accepted his death.

** The Famicom adaptation has no save files at all, just a PasswordSave.

* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: In all the remakes, Dr. Fred and his family have ''cyan blue'' skin. The ''Meteor Mess'' remake, doesn't start out this way, but you can check a box on the options menu to activate it deliberately.

* {{Bizarrchitecture}}: See AlienGeometries entry above.

* {{Bizarrchitecture}}: See AlienGeometris entry above.

** When male kids are caught by Nurse Edna, she says "How silly of me! I should've tied you to my bed!" This line was omitted from the NES port.

* AttackAnimal: Dr. Fred has Purple Tentacle, who guards the lab and will look for intruders whenever something goes wrong with the power. A large part of the unique puzzles in different paths through the game are about finding backup to deal with him, or getting an item that'll get him to stand aside.

* AttackOfTheMonsterAppendage: Green Tentacle and Purple Tentacle.

* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: In all the remakes, Dr. Fred and his family have ''cyan blue'' skin. ''Meteor Mess'' doesn't start out this way, but you can check a box on the options menu to activate it.

* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: In all the remakes, Dr. Fred and his family have ''cyan blue'' skin.

** The ''Meteor Mess'' remake adds a fair bit of content, mostly in making Jeff a viable character to beat the game with:[[spoiler: with the right resources, he can fix the stairs in the library.]] It even made the arcade games actually playable. Unfortunately, it ''also'' added Dr. Fred catching party members he runs into and throwing them in the dungeon anytime he comes upstairs to play video games.

** The ''Meteor Mess'' remake adds a fair bit of content, mostly in making Jeff a viable character to beat the game with. [[spoiler: With the right resources, he can fix the stairs in the library.]] It even made the arcade games actually playable. Unfortunately, it ''also'' added Dr. Fred catching party members he runs into and throwing them in the dungeon anytime he comes upstairs to play Meteor Mess.

** The ''Meteor Mess'' remake adds a fair bit of content, mostly in making Jeff a viable character to beat the game with. [[spoiler: With the right resources, he can fix the stairs in the library.]] It even made the arcade games actually playable. Unfortunately, it ''also'' added Dr. Fred catching party members and throwing them in the dungeon anytime he comes upstairs to play Meteor Mess.

** The ''Meteor Mess'' remake adds a fair bit of content, mostly in making Jeff a viable character to beat the game with. [[spoiler: With the right resources, he can fix the stairs in the library.]] It also made the arcade games actually playable. Unfortunately it also adds Dr. Fred catching party members and throwing them in the dungeon anytime he comes upstairs to play Meteor Mess.

** The ''Meteor Mess'' remake adds a fair bit of content, mostly in making Jeff a viable character to beat the game with. [[spoiler: With the right resources, he can fix the stairs in the library.]] It also made the arcade games actually playable.

A few {{Fan Remake}}s were also made: The first is ''[[https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/401/ Maniac Mansion Deluxe]]'', a Windows-compatible version with updated graphics and fixed bugs, finished in 2004. The second is the unfinished ''[[https://www.night-of-the-meteor.de/ Night of the Meteor]]'' with more puzzles, more dialogue, more animation, and updated ''Day of the Tentacle'' style graphics, and [[DevelopmentHell has been in production for years]]. There has also been a series of episodic {{Fan Sequel}}s named ''VideoGame/ManiacMansionMania''. Most recent has been the 3D remake ''[[https://www.meteormess.de/ Meteor Mess]]''.

** The ''Meteor Mess'' remake adds a fair bit of content, mostly making Jeff a viable character to beat the game with. [[spoiler: With the right resources, he can fix the stairs in the library.]] It also made the arcade games actually playable.