Anthony's Film Review - Day of the Tentacle (Video Game, 1993)

The sequel to Maniac Mansion is a quirky and fun adventure game...

In 1987, Lucasfilm Games, which would later be known as LucasArts, released their first computer adventure game, Maniac Mansion. It's a game that mixes comedy, science-fiction, and horror, centering on a group of teens trying to save a girl from the clutches of a mad scientist in his mansion. The game was a hit, enough for a sequel to be developed six years later. Day of the Tentacle takes the player back to the mansion for another adventure, this time centering on one of the youngsters from Maniac Mansion plus two new friends. It's a game that is at least as fun as Maniac Mansion.

Compared to Maniac Mansion's mildly dark humor, Day of the Tentacle has a much more cartoonish look and feel. Playing Day of the Tentacle is the equivalent of watching a cartoon that you control. And like Maniac Mansion, you the player plays the role of multiple characters, controlling one at a time. In this game, the main character is the nerdy Bernard, who was one of the kids in Maniac Mansion. The other player-controlled characters are the fat rock musician Hoagie and the constantly anxious Laverne. Whichever character you are controlling at the moment, the gameplay involves walking around and exploring different rooms, as well as picking up, using, opening, closing, pushing, and pulling things, not to mention talking to other characters.

To understand the story, we must first recall the setting of Maniac Mansion. It's a big house where the scientist Dr. Fred had gone mad because of an alien meteor. Also living there is his wacky nurse wife Edna, their son Weird Ed, and two alien tentacles. One tentacle is green and has a kind personality, while the other one is purple and more on the evil side. That said, Day of the Tentacle begins when Purple Tentacle drinks toxic waste from the mansion and suddenly sprouts a pair of arms. Suddenly, he is hungry for power and plans to take over the world. He escapes to do just that.

One night, Bernard and his friends Hoagie and Laverne receive a message, summoning them back to the mansion. Once there, Dr. Fred has a plan to stop Purple Tentacle: send the three youngsters back in time one day in order to stop the dumping of the toxic waste, thereby preventing Purple Tentacle from drinking it and going mad. But something goes wrong. Bernard does not end up traveling through time, Hoagie ends up 200 years before the present, and Laverne lands 200 years in the future. Interestingly, all are at the same mansion, and this is what makes the story interesting.

While Bernard remains in Dr. Fred's mansion, Hoagie finds that the same house had been an inn in the late 1700s. In fact, three of the Founding Fathers of the United States, John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington, are drafting the U.S. Constitution there, and Ben Franklin is flying a kite outside nearby. Meanwhile, Laverne is held captive by a horde of tentacles, which have taken over the house and claiming it as their headquarters, with old Purple Tentacle as its master. The only other humans there are either held in prison or are taking part in a human show as entertainment for the tentacles. The objective is to get Hoagie and Laverne safely back home to the present day with Bernard. The only way the three can connect with each other is by transferring items between each other through their time machines.

And that's one place you can appreciate the humor in this game. The time machines are converted porta-potties, and where one would expect a toilet, there's an opening where Bernard, Hoagie, and Laverne can "flush" items to each other, accompanied by the sound of a toilet flushing. Meanwhile, in the future where Laverne is, the tentacles may have taken over the world at that time, but there is plenty of lighthearted humor to make these creatures appear quite amusing and not frightening at all. And the Founding Fathers whom Hoagie meets in the distant past? Well, there are some funny moments that occur with them, too.

Whether you want to call it an interactive cartoon or an adventure game, Day of the Tentacle is a simple yet fun experience for the audience. In terms of difficulty level, it's neither overly easy or overly difficult. When I played the game, I found myself easily figuring out what the next steps were based on things I found. At the same time, there were times when I got stuck and couldn't figure out what to do next, but thankfully, I got myself moving again by carefully reexploring things. I'm happy to say that I finished the game without consulting any hints or walkthroughs at all. But enough about me and my experience with the game. If you like simple yet fun adventure games, particularly those with lighthearted humor, you'll like Day of the Tentacle.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Day of the Tentacle, visit the Internet Movie Database and Moby Games.