Publisher: Double Fine
Developer: Double Fine, Shiny Shoe
Year: 2016
Platform: Windows

Rating: 7

It had been about 20 years since I played the original SCUMM classic by LucasArts, long enough that I couldn’t recall any of the puzzles. So I thought I’d give the remaster a try to see if it was as good as I remember. It was, indeed. And while the remaster changes nothing about the story or the puzzles, its enhancements make this the version the more worthy play today.

You can read my original review to get the basic plot and my opinions of the game. I was pleased to discover time has been kind to the game’s humor, with the Purple Tentacle’s dictator brain being appropriately over the top and inoffensive. The puzzles were also mostly fair and I only required a few hints to get through. I found myself still annoyed at how much time all the backtracking takes when you need to exchange items across timelines; it would seem a shortcut for that could have been created without significantly changing the game.

As far as improvements go, the increased resolution graphics are a significant step up. Everything before had been exceptionally blocky; things are smoothed out now while maintaining the zany comic look. The music is remastered. The best improvement comes from the verb list available by pulling up a verb dial. This allows the graphics to take up more of the screen. And if you don’t like these updates, you can always easily toggle to the original version at any time.

You can also play the full version original Maniac Mansion on a computer inside the game. Lastly, the Steam achievements are fun, rewarding you for trying out some off the wall stuff, including one action that might just involve a microwave.