The Manhole: Masterpiece Edition

Cyanide

Masterpiece.

The game won't even lauch for me but that doesn't stop from enjoying the 'making of' 13 minute video at the low low res of 72x60. Boy apple codecs where impressive even back then...

Manhole was the first game released by Cyan Inc the creators behind Myst ( http://cyan.com/ ) way back in 1988, it was closely followed by two other games Cosmic Osmo and Spelunx. The Miller Brothers were intent to create games that were not violent and suitable for children by concentrating on the core theme of exploration. Each game had a unique spider web type layout which when clicked on would take you to another type of world and it's easy to see when you play such games how the evolution of this process eventually helped spawn the concept behind Myst. There is no end goal, or achievements and so the objective is to simply explore and see what secrets you can find. Problem is though that without achievements it’s really difficult to ever say whether or not you have actually found all the secrets and other than the phone numbers suggesting 9 characters in the world of 'manhole' there is no other way of keeping track. Exploration games are a really unique market and very seldom ever appear. Two of which I have come across really brought out the kid in my heart and beckoned me to explore. Those two games were 'Botanicula' and 'Windosill', however such a thing never happened for me when it came to 'The Manhole'. Why? Well for one thing regardless of the new title of it being called a 'masterpiece' reminiscent to that same title being given to Myst when the graphics were updated to HD, such is not the case here. It's simply been ported keeping its low resolution. The viewing area where the graphics play out is also a very small window. The sound and music conversion is quite appalling and there are a lot of bugs also which have been carried through. Simply click your mouse while an animation plays out and more often than not the game will crash. Two Easter eggs have been added. One is a reference to Osmo their second game and also the documentary of the making of myst which was originally presented on the cd rom of Myst and here too it is even displayed in a smaller viewing area about the size of a Australian 20 cent piece which make the whole thing indutably irrelevant. For those that want to see this making I strongly suggest just watching it on youtube instead. While its sent many gamers down memory lane resulting in a dozens of thumbs up ratings, personally I would have much preferred if the Miller brothers had taken their time, brought this heritage really to life with crisp high resolution graphics and added achievements for an extra added encouragement to carefully explore. Bugged, Low res, no achieves, terrible music. Personally I suggest waiting for the 'Indutably Extra Hyper Complex Hyper Super Dooper Masterpiece Edition'. Curiosity settled below... https://youtu.be/rRzHehNpnQE If you enjoyed reading this review please subscribe to my curator page. Thanks... http://store.steampowered.com/curator/6843548/

It should take less than an hour to explore the variety of mystic places in The Manhole alongside interacting with all the different creatures and surroundings. This point-and-click adventure offers no objectives, yet is full of rich detail and interactivity. Several good scores of music and a hidden video of The Making of Myst are also included. Even after 25+ years, The Manhole offers a level of thoroughness that many modern point-and-click adventures lack.

This has lost all of the charm of the original. If you can get your hands on the original that one was the best, but the pc and dos versions in color are probably easier to obtain and play. Seems less of a remake, and more of a re-imagining. It tries to bring a myst like experience to a game that was better off without it. They've changed too much for it to really be called a new game, and the additional characters and things to do that were added are very lukewarm. They've gone and changed what made the existing characters great as well. The new 2d art is acceptable, and the new stereo audio is a nice addition, but it's nothing I'd trade over the original's. It's plain and simple and needs to stay that way. The one thing I liked was one of the lines the hippo says that calls back to the original which I found amusing, and the hidden notepad that gives fun dialog calling to other cyan games. Pick it up if you really can't track down any other version, but just know it's a lesser experience.

I was on the streets alone and addicted to crack...i was slipping away from reality. Then I found Manhole....changed my life. It was installed on a library computer. Floppy disk. It was love at first site. The unfound glory unto which brought me back from the brink of destruction. The indepth story line and amazing character development made me whole again. I love everything about this game....I LOVE YOU MANHOLE. MAAAAAAAANHOOOOOLEEEEEE MANHOLE IS LOVE MANHOLE IS LIFE MANHOLE....IS MY PRECIOUS 10/10 would play this game again

Like the other "bonus" games included within the bundle, Manhole isn't the kind of point-and-click adventure that we are pretty much all used to these days. There are no real puzzles, no inventory to worry about, no end game, or anything else. Rather, it's just a matter of exploring and clicking things to see what happens. The graphics and characters are quite cute, and the game is perfect for kids, with lots of fun features. I actually thought it was pretty good even for me, though there is one big issue. The game seems to have a crashing issue, at least on my computer. Not a bad one, by any means. I just didn't care enough to go back into it after it suddenly stopped working and closed. Outside of that, it does soon make you want a bit more from it, as an adult, though it was a nice reminder of nostalgia of days past.

There is really no point to the game and no real story. The game is for those that like to explore. Its a simple click here and there game to see what happens when you click on certain things. While on your exploration you will run into unique creatures that will put a smile on your face when you meet them. The game is more geared towards children and how they like to explore. The game is great for any parent wanting to entertain a child for a period of time. I highly recommend getting this game in pack with other games and get it for creativity of this exploration world that you get tossed into. I loved playing it and exploring the many areas of this game.

I grew up playing this game with a friend of mine that passed away. I now play it with my kid and it brings all those fuzzy feelings back...then the dragon overcooks the biscuit and suddenly I'm snapped back to present time as my kid asks, "what is that dragon doing?"......"kid, sometimes in life your biscuit gets burned, this is one of those times, you've got many more times like these coming your way."