Initial release date 26 July 2012 Publisher FreakZone Games Mode Single-player video game | Developer FreakZone Games Genre Platform game | |
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Platforms Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows Similar Pitiri 1977, Hand of Fate, Lunnye Devitsy, The Spirit Engine 2, Faerie Solitaire | ||
Manos: The Hands of Fate is a video game developed and published by FreakZone Games, based on the cult film of the same name. Although published in 2012, the game features graphics and sound inspired by games found in the 8-bit era for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Originally released for iOS systems, Manos was later ported to Microsoft Windows and Android. Manos: The Hands of Fate features Mike, a husband and father who attempts to expunge a man known as "The Master" in order to escape a lodge and rescue his family.
Contents
Plot
Lost while on vacation, Mike, his wife Margaret and their daughter Debbie make their way through the desert, attempting to locate a place to stay. They eventually discover the Valley Lodge, a hotel maintained by a satyr named Torgo, who "take[s] care of the place while the master is away". Mike fights and defeats Torgo, and then enters the building, which is infested with numerous paranormal beings, which Mike must defeat in order to rescue his family, who have gone missing. Eventually, Mike returns outside. He flies an airplane and discovers that the Master, head of the lodge, has kidnapped Mike's family. The Master instructs his six wives to attack Mike, and then kills Torgo, declaring he has failed him. After Mike defeats the wives, he does battle with The Master.
If the player has collected all of the hidden "Hands of Fate" over the course of the game, they will view a good ending, in which Mike and his family leave the Valley Lodge, with Mike telling two women that it is not worth staying at. If they have not, they will view the bad ending, with Mike standing alone at the door, telling the same women that he "takes care of the place while the Master is away".
Development
The idea of creating a Manos-themed video game was a running joke between developer Sam Beddoes and his friend. Eventually Beddoes realized the film was in the public domain and thus Beddoes realized that making such a game would be possible. Initially the idea was to make a game similar to Shadowgate for NES; however, after watching an episode of The Angry Video Game Nerd, Beddoes changed his mind, stating that watching the nerd caused him to "realise what MANOS was destined to be". When asked by Eurogamer how they could turn the movie into a video game, the developers replied "[B]y latching onto memorable moments in the movie and blowing them wildly out of proportion!", noting that a kissing couple drinking beer in the film are represented in the game as an enemy that throws beer bottles at the player.
Manos: The Hands of Fate contains references to Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes and films; however, they were made intentionally obscure to avoid copyright infringement. As well, during the MST3K Kickstarter telethon, the Game Grumps played the game along with Crow T. Robot in MST3K's trademark "Shadowrama" style.
Reception
Manos: The Hands of Fate has received mixed reviews from critics. Cody Musser, reviewing the iOS version of Manos for IGN, gave Manos a 6.0 out of 10. He praised the game's graphics and sound, but criticized the controls, bugs and hit detection. A review of the Microsoft Windows edition for ScrewAttack gave Manos a 6.5 out of 10. They praised the gameplay, graphics and sound, but noted that it was not difficult and too short.