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MANIAC MANSION - NES manual by JALECO/LUCASARTS
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ABOUT MANIAC MANSION
THERE ARE WEIRD PEOPLE LIVING IN MANIAC MANSION: Dr. Fred, a
"retired" physician turned mad scientist; Nurse Edna, a former
health care professional who's as strange as the good doctor;
Weird Ed, a teenage commando with a hamster fetish; and
then there's Dead Cousin Ted, and the tentacle, and
somebody--or something--else... And what's a nice young
cheerleader named Sandy doing in Dr. Fred's basement?
YOUR GOAL is to direct a team of three local teenagers
(including Sandy's boyfriend, Dave) through the mansion to
rescue Sandy. As you explore, you'll meet all the strange
inhabitants of the mansion, and you'll discover Dr. Fred's
ambition to control the world--one teenager at a time.
WARNING: DO NOT USE WITH A FRONT OR REAR PROJECTION TV
Do not use a front or rear projection television with your
Nintendo Entertainment System (R) ("NES") and NES games.
Your projection television screen may be permanently damaged
if video games with stationary scenes or patterns are played
on your projection television. Similar damage may occur if
you place a video game on hold or pause. If you use your
projection television with NES games, Nintendo will not be
liable for any damage. This situation is not caused by a
defect in the NES or NES games; other fixed or repetitive
images may cause similar damage to a projection television.
Please contact your TV manufacturer for further information.
You'll find that each of the seven teenagers you can choose
from has special skills, talents, and weaknesses. And each
of the crazy occupants of the mansion has goals and desires
that can help or hinder your team, depending on how you handle
them. The story--and your approach to rescuing Sandy--will
be different depending on which kids you choose and how you
interact with the people and things inside the mansion itself.
Each of the possible stories in MANIAC MANSION is really a
large, complex puzzle made up of scores of smaller puzzles.
From time to time, movie-like "cut-scenes" reveal clues about
the story and what's going on elsewhere. As you discover the
smaller puzzles that make up each story line, you'll find that
most will have to be solved in a certain order. There can
be several ways to get something done--but of course, there
is always a best way. Good luck!
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îSTARTING THE GAM
Press "B" to move from the title screens to the character
selection screen.
Move the arrow with your directional controller over the kid's
portraits and press the A button when the arrow is over a kid
that interests you. You will see a short biography of that
kid on top of the screen. Dave (Sandy's boyfriend) will always
be on your team, so you can select two other kids. The first
two portraits you click on will be highlighted with a white
border, like Dave's. The white border means that the
character in the portrait is selected for your team. If
you'd like to change your selection, just click again on the
picture of the kid you don't want. The border will disappear
and you can select another one. You can win the game with any
team, but the story line and many of the puzzles you need to
solve will be different for each combination. When you
have completed your selection, move the arrow to the
"start" icon and press the A button.
After the title sequence, you will see your team standing in
the driveway next to the mansion. When they all turn and
face you, you will be directing the actions of Dave (you can
switch control to a "new kid" if you'd like--see page 15).
1. THE MESSAGE LINE is the line at the very top of the screen.
Words spoken by any of the characters appear on this line,
as well as game related messages (for example, "PLEASE
SELECT TWO KIDS BESIDES DAVE").
2. THE ANIMATION WINDOW is the largest part of the screen
where the animated world of the mansion is displayed. It
shows the "camera's eye view" of the room that the currently
active character is in.
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THE SENTENCE LINE is directly below the Animation Window. You
use this line to construct sentences that tell the characters
what to do.
4. VERBS must be selected from the groups of words in the
columns below the SENTENCE LINE. You will always be able
to see all the verbs used in the game--they will not
change as the game progresses. To select a verb, position
the cursor over the word and press A. In the case of the
most commonly used verbs (i.e. GET, OPEN, AND USE), you
may select one of these verbs automatically by pressing
the select key. Each time you press Select you will activate
one of the three verbs.
5. THE INVENTORY is the area below the Verbs. Each character
on your team has his or her own inventory. It is empty at
the beginning of the game (except for each character's
CD Player--see page 18); the name of an object is added
to a character's Inventory when the character picks the
object up during game play. There is no limit
to the number of objects a character can carry. When
there are more than four items in an Inventory, an arrow
icon appears in the middle of the list. Use it to scroll the
list down or up.
NOUNS (objects) can be selected in two ways. You may select
a noun by placing the arrow over an object in the Animation
Window and pressing A. Most objects in the mansion, and
all objects that are usable in the game, have names. If
an object has a name, it will appear on the Sentence Line
when you move the arrow over it and press A. You may
also select nouns by clicking on words in the Inventory.
TO MOVE A CHARACTER AROUND, move your arrow to a place
in the Animation Window that you want your character to
go. Press the A button when your arrow is in the right
place. Your character will automatically move to that
location, assuming he or she is able.
TO TELL A KID TO CARRY OUT THE DIRECTIONS YOU'VE PUT ON THE
SENTENCE LINE, press the A button when the arrow is over
the last object that will be in the sentence. Example: You
wish to have Dave use a key in a door. Press the A button
when the arrow is over the verb "use." Then move the arrow
to the key in Dave's Inventory and press the A button.
Finally, move the arrow to the door in the Animation
Window. Make sure the sentence line reads "Use key
in door" and press the A button.
USING THE VERBS: USE, OPEN OR GET. A quicker way to
form a sentence using the most commonly used verbs in
Maniac Mansion: USE, OPEN or GET. Simply move your arrow
over an object to be included in the sentence (such as
"radio"). Press the "SELECT" button to cycle through
the verbs: USE, OPEN or GET. Press the A button when
the proper verb has been inserted into the
sentence. Example: USE Doorbell. This special use
of the SELECT button allows you to quickly open doors,
pick up items, or use items that don't need to be
"turned on" first (Or items that have already been turned on).
Cut-scenes are short, animated sequences--like scenes from
a movie--which can provide clues and information about
the characters. When you are viewing a cut-scene, you do
not direct the actions so the text below the Animation Window
disappears.
You may "fast-forward" through a cut-scene by pressing your
B button.
READ THE SIGN ON THE FENCE. Point the verb "read." Click A.
Point to the sign. Click A. Dave will walk over to the
sign and will tell you what it says via the Message Line.
DIRECT DAVE TO WALK TO THE MANSION by moving the arrow to
the left edge of the screen and pressing the A button.
Have him continue walking to the left until he's in front
of the mansion.
TO GET INTO THE MANSION, try the sentence, "Pull door mat."
FIRST, select "Pull" by moving your arrow over the word in
the Verb List and pressing the A button once. "Pull" now
appears on the Sentence Line.
SECOND, select the mat by moving your arrow over the mat
and pressing the A button. "Pull door mat" on appears
on the Sentence Line and pressing the A button
will complete the task.
THIRD, pulling the mat will reveal the key needed to get
into the mansion.
NEW KID--Select "New Kid" from the menu to bring up the list
of kids in your party. Move the arrow to the kid you wish
to activate and press the A button.
Don't forget that you have to have two other team members
in order to try and rescue Sandy. Each kid is a vital part
of your team. Your task is to find out how they can help.
START BUTTON--By pressing the "START" button at any point
during the game, you will go to the save game screen.
There are four choices on the save screen:
BACK TO THE MANSION--Will put you right back where you
left off in your current game.
SAVE GAME--Saves your progress in your current game.
RESTORE SAVED GAME--Will put you back where you last saved
your game.
KEYS, KEYS, KEYS--There are several keys to be found inside
the mansion--all of which serve some purpose.
WHAT DO THE KIDS DO?--All the kids have a talent, and it's
important when you're selecting your team to choose wisely.
Here's a quick rundown of what these kids can do:
CD PLAYERS--Each kid is equipped with his or her own compact
disc player. When the CD player is on, a background "theme"
song plays. Turn it off and the character will not have
any background music. NOTE: Every kid has a CD player.
To eliminate all theme music, all 3 CD players must be turned off.
THE PACKAGE--During the game, a package will be left at the
mailbox outside the mansion. You'll know it's there because
the mailman will ring the doorbell. Get that package!!!
At the very least, prevent Weird Ed from getting it. You'll
need something on the box. The package itself comes in handy too!
BULLETIN BOARD--The enclosed poster will give you many hints.
Refer to it often. Here are a few other hints:
-Being sent to the dungeon isn't bad. It can even be good.
-There is a loose brick in the dungeon.
-Sometimes you can get past someone by having a kid get
captured, creating a diversion.
-The flashlight is useful in dark places.
MANIAC MANSION HINT BOOK--For just $7.95 (includes shipping
and handling), order a Maniac Mansion hint book, a complete
guide to the game with over a hundred clues , solutions to
all of the puzzles, and helpful hints such as how to get the
combination to Nurse Edna's wall safe or how to drain the
radioactive swimming pool. Get a glimpse of the entire
mansion with our comprehensive map, which shows you each
room, check your inventory against the object listings, and
enjoy a full narrative of the adventure, from start to
finish, from Dave's perspective. Just call 1-800-STARWARS
(1-800-782-7927) between 8 am and 5 pm, Pacific Time,
Monday through Friday and ask for the Lucasfilm Games
catalog department. In Canada call 1-800-828-7927.
Or send a check or money order to Lucasfilm Games,
P.O. Box 5896, San Mateo, CA 94402-0896.
TAKING CARE OF YOUR JALECO GAME
*This Jaleco Game Pak is a precision-crafted device with
complex electronic circuitry. Avoid subjecting it to
undue shock or extremes of temperature. Never attempt
to open or dismantle the game pak.
*Do not touch the terminal leads or allow them to come
into contact with water or the game circuitry will be damaged.
*Always make sure your NES Control Deck is SWITCHED OFF
when inserting the Game Pak or removing it from the Nes
Control Deck.
*Because of the SAVE GAME FEATURE, you should hold RESET
while removing the Game Pak.
