Maniac Mansion (Japan)

Maniac Mansion is a seminal point-and-click adventure game, renowned for pioneering Lucasfilm Games' "SCUMM" engine interface. Players take on the role of Dave Miller, a teenager determined to rescue his girlfriend, Sandy, from the peculiar mansion of the Edison family. This mansion is home to the eccentric Dr. Fred Edison, his mysterious wife Nurse Edna, their peculiar son Weird Ed, and a host of bizarre creatures including the friendly Green Tentacle and the aspiring musician Purple Tentacle.

Before embarking on the adventure, players must select two additional companions for Dave from a group of six distinct characters, each possessing unique skills and personality traits. For instance, Syd is a talented musician, Bernard is adept with electronics, and Razor is a punk rocker. The choice of these characters significantly influences the approach to and resolution of various puzzles within the game, leading to multiple pathways and endings. This encourages players to replay the game with different team compositions to explore all possibilities.

The interface of Maniac Mansion features a list of verbs ("Walk to", "Open", "Pick up", "Use", "Give", "Look at"...) and an inventory of collected items. Players combine these verbs with objects in the environment or from their inventory to perform actions. The primary objective is to explore the sprawling mansion, collect useful items, decipher intricate puzzles, and interact with the mansion's eccentric inhabitants. The game is notable for its non-linear progression, allowing players the freedom to explore and solve problems in their own preferred order.

A unique aspect of the gameplay is the possibility for characters to be imprisoned or even "killed" (though not necessarily resulting in an immediate game over, but rather the loss of a playable character). This adds a layer of caution to the player's actions. With its blend of quirky humor, engaging storyline, and challenging puzzles, Maniac Mansion became an iconic title in the adventure genre, laying the groundwork for many successful LucasArts games that followed.