Escape from Monster Manor
| Escape from Monster Manor | |
|---|---|
 North American cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Studio 3DO[1] |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts[1] |
| Platform(s) | 3DO Interactive Multiplayer |
| Release date(s) |
|
| Genre(s) | Horror, first-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Distribution | 1 CD-ROM |
Escape from Monster Manor, also known in Japan as Virtual Horror Norowarate Yakata (バーチャルホラー 呪われた館), is a video game developed by The 3DO Company and published by Electronic Arts for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer.
Development
The game's main developer was Leo Schwab.[2] Schwab has cited Wolfenstein 3D as the chief inspiration for the game. After some months working on a different 3DO game, Schwab and his team abandoned that project and switched to the less ambitious Escape from Monster Manor so that they could have a demo to present at that year's Consumer Electronics Show.[3]
Plot
Escape From Monster Manor is a first-person shooter where the player character wanders through a haunted mansion from a first-person point of view in a 3D environment. The player must defeat spiders, spooks, and other horrors to escape.[4]
The objective of the game is to collect pieces of a sacred talisman in each stage, then make it through twelve levels to the exit to escape.
Reception
Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game a 6.75 out of 10, mentioning some minor issues with the control but overall recommending the game for its well-rendered graphics and genuinely creepy audio.[5] GamePro praised the game's frightening graphics and audio, nerve-wracking challenge, and strafing ability.[6] A review in Edge praised the "look and feel" of the game, but criticized the simplicity of the game design and gameplay. The game was compared unfavorably to DOOM and given a score of 5/10.[1] The game was reviewed in 1994 in Dragon #204 by Sandy Petersen in the "Eye of the Monitor" column. Petersen gave the game 2 out of 5 stars.[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Escape From Monster Manor". Edge (Future Publishing) (7): 79. April 1994.
- ↑ Matthews, Will (December 2013). "Ahead of its Time: A 3DO Retrospective". Retro Gamer (122) (Imagine Publishing). p. 26.
- ↑ Schwab, Leo (September 24, 2012). Let's Play - Monster Manor, YouTube. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Petersen, Sandy (April 1994). "Eye of the Monitor". Dragon (204): 59–62.
- ↑ "Monster Manor Review". Electronic Gaming Monthly (56) (EGM Media, LLC). March 1994. p. 38.
- ↑ "ProReview: Escape From Monster Manor". GamePro (57) (IDG). April 1994. pp. 58–59.