When you hear people discuss their gaming backlog, it usually does not include games that are decades old. In my case though, I grew up with Lucasarts adventure games, but I somehow managed to miss both Maniac Mansion and Day of the Tentacle. I have bought them both at least once over the years since, but, with some regret I never got around to playing them. Thankfully though, in this digital age of remastering and re-releasing titles, it’s often just a matter of time before these old gems get a chance to shine again, front and center. Last year’s Grim Fandango Remastered was a wonderful treat, and it’s with similar gusto that I was pleased to hear about Day of the Tentacle getting its revival.
These remasters are no small task. The artwork in Day of the Tentacle Remastered (DOTTR) was completely re-drawn from top to bottom. The difference is dramatic, but true to the original. But even beyond the detailed and arduous job of redoing all of the art was also changing the interface. Those familiar with the SCUMM engine will recall the HUD that allowed players to Push, Pull, Use, Give, Open, Talk To, etc., with the click of a mouse button. In DOTTR, that format is by default changed to a more modern ‘compass’ style control scheme in which these commands are condensed into small icons that are bound to the cursor, rather than being permanently placed at the bottom of the screen. This change allows for significantly more screen real estate than the old format which makes playing DOTTR a (slightly) more engrossing experience.
If you long for the days of the old HUD and even the old graphics and original sounds, fear not — Double Fine did a really smooth job of keeping the old look, feel, and sound intact and players can switch between the original and remastered versions at anytime simply by pressing F1, and you can mix and match these styles, too. I found myself doing this for every room, comparing the original to the remastered basically side-by-side, and doing so provided me both a nostalgic feeling and a sense of appreciation of not only how far digital animation and graphics have come, but also an appreciation for the work that went into this remaster.
The passionate effort of Double Fine shows up in other places, too. Take for example what appears to be the complete Maniac Mansion game that is embedded within DOTTR. You discover this within about the first hour in ‘weird Ed’s’ room, and there’s even an Achievement for starting it up. It’s not likely we’ll ever see Maniac Mansion remastered because it’s just so darn old, but you never know — having it within DOTTR is great. Speaking of Achievements, there are fifty-eight of these and some of these are unlocked by doing very simple and optional things. I received the Energy Conscious Achievement by turning off the television upstairs, and the “And Then the Universe Implodes” one by attempting to mix the disappearing ink with the Booboo-B-Gone. Some of these Achievements are likely to get at least a smirk if not a chuckle out of you, which goes hand-in-hand with the constant ‘zany’ humor you’ll find throughout the game.
DOTTR is indeed keen on humor, including those that break the fourth-wall and some pre-ESRB day humor as well. The humor is presented in dialog, animation, and sound, and you can’t help but notice the quality of it all that went into it. None of it’s new mind you, this is, as far as I can tell and have read, all of the original material and the vast majority of it holds up perfectly well today. Similarly, the puzzle design holds up as well, but it’s tougher than your modern day adventures, make no mistake. Some puzzles have some very obtuse gaps and that’s not helped by the fact that there are often a lot of ‘rooms’ and objects (both in world and in your inventory). The combination of all of these can be stout when you’re stuck and at the point of “pixel-hunting” and combining everything-with-everything. Every classic adventure game seems to have these type of puzzles, it’s just part of the genre really, and there’s no shame at ultimately looking at a walkthrough if you’ve done your own level of due diligence.
At the end of the day, DOTTR has the best of both worlds — an excellent, timeless game with a high quality, passion-driven remaster. Add it to your digital library and let’s all look forward to Full Throttle Remastered in the coming months.
