It doesn’t matter that almost three decades have already passed: I keep looking at my box of Day of the Tentacle gawking. With the same illusion with which I was invaded the day it came into my hands. I look at every detail of his crazy art and his texts and I surrender to the sensations that the game itself transmits from its packaging. And yet the real treasure is inside.
It is a simple box, of course, but also the essence of the 90s in a tangible state . Having it in front of you is like going back to the days when cartoons were broadcast on Saturday mornings. In a way, that was the intention of Dave Grossman and Tim Schafer, the geniuses responsible for the Maniac Mansion sequel. Because the original creators were no longer at the helm of the saga, but who said that the second parts were not good never played ” The Day of the Tentacle “.
The translation of the cover by the late ERBE steals my umpteenth smile: I read that the game offers “ more than 100 totally surreal sound effects ”. And that provokes the inevitable. First, let me remember horn noises, the characteristic sound of the Cron-O-Latrines, the noise of the suction cups of the tentacles and those hen cries followed by indescribable noises typical of the Looney Tunes that were used so lightly in the LucasArts adventure games.
The second collateral effect of remembering the sound effects through its cover, already reviewing the captures, is that some of the most delusional digitized dialogues spring from my memories. How to forget the legendary phrase with which the Purple Tentacle sentenced humanity? ” I feel, like I can … conquer the world!”
Writing these lines to you, I feel the irrational need to reread – in a low voice – the solemn words of the Purple Tentacle . To start the game until the exact moment in which he pronounces them. Luckily, it’s right at the beginning. Possibly, if you have played Day of the Tentacle or its Remaster you have felt a similar impulse. And it is not for less: it may be a moment within the game’s opening animation, but it is also one of the best moments that graphic adventures have ever given us.
And the best thing is that, in a matter of great moments, the plot and development of Day of the Tentacle treasures much more. Lots. Scenes in which untethered surrealism converge, the hooligan and witty humor of cartoons before the turn of the millennium and exquisite puzzles specially spun to a plot in which lunar logic is masterfully measured. A set of elements that position this gem from LucasArts as one of the best adventure games ever made. A timeless classic.
And yet, Day of the Tentacle is, as stated in its cover image, a ” cartoon adventure .” A tribute to animated series with a special emphasis on the legacy of the legendary Chuck Jones, but also a thousand influences from film, television and comics. A continuous succession of impossible situations in which Grossman and Schafer, with much cheekiness, borrow ideas and concepts from films as different from each other as the Back to the Future trilogy, the Fly or the Rookies’ Revenge, among many others. And the best thing is not how they integrate them into the experience, but how well they lead them to their own terrain.
A double milestone if we add the way in which it follows in the wake and perfects the formula of three masterpieces: the delusional Maniac Mansion -already mentioned- and the highly acclaimed first two installments of Monkey Island. Catching up with all three. Bigger words backed by fact: many consider Day of the Tentacle the roof of the golden age of adventure games, others simply haven’t played it yet.
The evil Purple Tentacle has little arms: Let the world tremble!
In a student residence, not far from the university campus, a little hamster appears with a letter. In it, some desperate words of help: the Green Tentacle is going to be killed by its own creator, Dr. Fred Edison. His best friend, young Bernard Bernoulli , will not sit idly by and, in order not to lose his habit, makes the worst decision: to return to the Edison Mansion.
Along with his college mates Hoagie and Laverne , Bernard ventures into the massive residence that he turned upside down five years earlier for a more or less similar purpose: an impromptu time trial rescue mission. What none of the three students suspect is that carrying it out will unleash a series of catastrophes that will put humanity itself in check.
Not long before Bernard’s arrival, the Purple Tentacle , Verde’s evil counterpoint, quenched his curiosity – and thirst – by tasting the industrial waste drained from the mansion’s backyard. As a consequence of this, his intellect and aggressiveness intensified. And what is worse: two little arms sprouted from his body. Now nothing can stop the Purple Tentacle from conquering the world. Well almost.
Knowing the nature of his evil tentacle, Dr. Fred himself decided to bind both creatures in his secret laboratory before there were major consequences. But, of course, that scientist addicted to caffeine did not count on the possibility of Bernard returning to his mansion to free his creations. Now, the Purple Tentacle is free again and its goal is clearer than ever: humanity must be subdued.
In other circumstances, it would be too late. However, Dr. Fred has one ace up his sleeve: travel back in time through time and avoid the Purple Tentacle mutation. And, already put, this will give you the opportunity to test -with humans- his latest invention: the Cron-O-Latrine , a prodigious time machine built in a toilet. Lost to the river.
A plan with many fissures, of course, in circumstances in which everything is to be won. Seen from a certain perspective, in the worst case, Dr. Fred will be rid of Bernard’s clumsy and jinx for at least a couple of centuries. However, the experiment does not go as expected: by using a fake diamond to power his time machine, the Cron-O-Latrine fails and the three students end up at different times.
- Hoagie, the burly rock’n roll fan, ended up shipwrecked in 1794, meeting the founding fathers of the United States, who happened to be staying at the Edison Mansion.
- Laverne, the very flamboyant nursing student, will appear in a dystopian year 2194 in which the tentacles have taken control of the planet and have turned the human race into their pets.
- And, unfortunately for Dr. Edison and humanity itself, Bernard finds himself back in the present and unwilling to sit around and do nothing. How likely is it that things will get worse? Many. So many.
From there, Dr. Edison devises a new plan consisting of three very vague steps: rescuing lost students in the past and present before they make things even worse, attempting to sabotage the Purple Tentacle’s plans, and save the world and, finally, that everyone involved in this madness leave his mansion and leave him alone.
Playable, Day of the Tentacle is the total heir to Maniac Mansion. The premise continues to be to control several young people simultaneously through concrete actions. Solving a great puzzle that takes the form of a mansion solving with humor and, in the process, encouraging the player to indulge in all kinds of mischief.
There are big changes from Maniac Mansion . Initially, Grossman and Schafer continued the essential premise of LucasArts’ adventure games, so that the player could no longer lose the game. Encouraging him to freely experiment with the protagonists and, in the process, let himself be carried away when carrying out crazy or vile actions.
On the other hand, despite the fact that the entire plot of Day of the Tentacle takes place in the same mansion, a new layer of interaction is added to the great puzzle that is the game itself by having to travel through time, so that the rooms and the distribution is the same, but the elements are completely different in the past, the present and the future. And the most interesting: we can use that to our advantage.
In other words: through the Cron-O-Latrines the exchange of objects that only exist in one era is encouraged. But we can also create new ones by playing over time. We will be able to bury a bottle of wine at the end of the 18th century and thus obtain vinegar in the future. Which does not mean that we see brilliant anachronisms that accentuate the humorous and cartoonish tone of the whole .
Because if the game’s puzzles and challenges are the best LucasArts has ever done, the overall tone of the game experience is sensational. The influence of the Warner cartoons, the fanaticism for Star Wars and other works of science fiction and fantasy and the most rogue humor of Dave Grossman and Tim Schafer, two geniuses who creatively contrast and, at the same time, are they complement each other wonderfully.
After all, as the legendary Ron Gilbert has already said, Shaffer gives that necessary exaggerated touch that ends up setting the rhythms, while Grossman is subtle, but brilliant. And in that regard, Day of the Tentacle consistently delivers the best of both for the player.
Cartoon Madness, Back-to-the-Future Excellence, and the LucasArts Touch
Before embarking on Day of the Tentacle, the now legendary Dave Grossman and Tim Schafer had already made a major mark on video games and graphic adventures. To his talent as a whole, added to that of Ron Gilbert, we owe Monkey Island . However, the sequel to the revolutionary and no less acclaimed Maniac Mansion was its first big game. And that, in many respects, was quite a responsibility.
You could say that, at heart, the development and the form that the call to be Maniac Mansion 2 took was more of an alignment of stars than something really premeditated. After a very intense pace by LucasArts (the LucasFilm Games rebranding ), many of the greatest talents in the house were seen with enough time and willingness to undertake something different. In this regard, and as Grossman reminded Retrogamer, returning to the Edison mansion was a great opportunity.
That idea was like floating in the air, like a UFO or the smell of donuts. The development of [Monkey Island 2] was coming to an end, and Tim [Schafer] and I were already prepared and more than willing to tackle a project of our own.
One of the projects that we had been considering for a long time was [a new installment of Maniac Mansion], and I think the general perception on the part of LucasArts was to stick together and make a sequel to one of their sagas. So, whatever happens, the damage we could cause would be minimized.
I remember Kelly Flock bringing it up one day, kind of like ‘we thought you might like to do this’, and we said yes, of course. It was the signal we expected.
As we discussed, the similarities between Day of the Tentacle and the cartoons were entirely intentional. The Looney Tunes and Chuck Jones animation and visual style were a huge inspiration that is still felt in the game experience through the settings, the designs of the protagonists and the animation style.
And although today it is something relatively recurrent in graphic adventures, the artistic quality of that game was amazing and captivating. The characters were huge and the level of detail in the backgrounds – colorful, twisted and quirky – filled the player’s eye.
What’s more, Peter Chan , one of the great talents of LucasFilm and LucasArts, had to relearn how to draw and rebuild his drawing style to break with traditional perspectives when it came to creating backgrounds and sets. An extra effort that helped to achieve the magic and that the group had an extra identity .
Logically, that it was a sequel and completely reimagined the visual identity of the original Maniac Mansion would be a stark contrast for fans of what was considered one of the great pillars of the adventure adventure genre. Fortunately, its creators also took part in the project.
Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick were present for initial story planning and during brainstorming sessions. But Tim and I owned the project and we wrote it together.
It was an exceptional collaboration, practically an extension of how we work together on the Monkey games, but with many more areas of responsibility and accountability. There wasn’t much conflict in the relationship, we had similar tastes in many ways, and if we disagreed, a quick conversation was usually enough.
In this respect, the original plan for Day of the Tentacle was much more ambitious. As in Maniac Mansion, the player was intended to have a choice of six young men at the start of the game, leading to unique lines of dialogue and entirely new and unexpected events. However, shaping that was sheer madness.
To maintain our own sanity during production, we decided it would be better to limit it to Bernard, Hoagie, and Laverne, rather than allowing the player to choose between multiple leads. A lot more things were animated by hand than in Maniac, and having to animate all those actions for all six characters would have cost us our lives.
Which brings us to the million dollar question: who were the discarded protagonists? In essence, it was about the return of Razor, a familiar face of Maniac Mansion; Chester, a character who was later recycled for Day of the Tentacle, and Moonglow, a sixth student who was left in the dark.
- Razor is the redhead staring back at Bernard in the Maniac Mansion cover image. A punk with a spiked collar, extra attitude and a knack for music.
- It is known that Moonglow was very short, with sandals, very loose clothing and long curly hair.
- Finally, Chester’s character was a kind of beatnik, fond of poetry and jazz. Although it was discarded as the protagonist, its original design had facial hair removed and was used as the basis to create Ned and Jed, the Edison twins from the year 1794.
As an anecdote, both Hoagie and Laverne, the new characters in Day of the Tentacle , were created inspired by people close to those responsible for the game: the long-haired and laid-back rock fan is based on a Megadeth pipe that Schafer met, while the eccentric and student takes inspiration from an ex-girlfriend of Grossman.
Beyond the original design of these characters, what was really lost along the way was the imagined personality for them and their particular way of approaching the puzzles and interacting with what happens in the game itself. Too ambitious a plan for LucasArts at that time.
It seems to me that we first thought about what kind of people they should be, and then Larry Ahern did his concept drawings. Based on those ideas and the drawings, we reimagined what kind of people they should be. It was organic!
We had several artists working for a year or so to create all that animation, which at the time seemed like a lot but by today’s standards it is more or less normal. What was really amazing was watching Peter Chan create the backdrops – he drew every last scene, and in each one he would go from concept sketch to finished art in about two days.
Once half of the protagonists had been discarded, further adjustments had to be made. Originally, the game allowed the player to alternate between Bernard, Hoagie, and Laverne from the beginning of the game. In other words, once the first section has passed, it would be possible to walk through the three eras. However, giving the player more options and information up front is not always the best idea.
As the project took shape, with the puzzles well tied, it was decided that initially Bernard could be controlled, who could walk freely until the moment in which we were asked for the anti-copy key of the game.
Later, with the ability to travel in time, we could do ours in colonial times through Hoagie and, once we have understood the system of exchanges through time, control poor Laverne, who had become stuck in the future in the most literal sense of the term.
In this regard, the fact that Day of the Tentacle has digitized dialogues was essential to blur the line that separated cartoons from what had been seen in other graphic adventures, and CD technology opened up that possibility. However, LucasArts did not put all the eggs in the same basket and a version was released on floppy disks in which only the voices were kept in the cutscenes.
Unfortunately, there was never an official version with the voices in Spanish of The Day of the Tentacle : the adventure reached the old continent with the voices in English and German. A pity, of course, if we take into account the results that we would later see on Monkey Island or Grim Fandango . And yet that didn’t stop him from connecting with millions of players around the world through epic moments.
21 unforgettable moments from Day of the Tentacle
As we did with The Secret of Monkey Island and Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, at VidaExtra we wanted to collect some of the best moments from Day of the Tentacle . Crazy scenes, highly inspired puzzles and phrases that are the history of adventure games.
Of course: the rise of the Purple Tentacle!
The first great moment of the game does not take long to appear: after taking a sip of a contaminated chemical, the Purple Tentacle comes very, very high and, waving its new little arms, shouts to the four winds that it feels as if it could conquer the world . Imagine that it had also grown fingers!
Time to go back to the mansion
The opening animation for Day of the Tentacle is a handcrafted wonder that sets the tone for the adventure. As curious data, it was prepared by a fellow who was also color blind. So the absence of green, purple and reddish colors suited him wonderfully.
This is Woodstock?
One of the most interesting scenes is the time vortex that is generated when using the Cron-O-Latrines: although it happens in the first bars of the game, important elements will appear that will occur throughout the adventure. A very psychedelic trip that fits with the Woodstock that Laverne’s parents lived through.
The time to check if our copy of the game is legal
In the age of video games on floppy disks and CDs, anti-copy systems were not based on software, but on brochures, wheels and codes printed in the manual. In Day of the Tentacle we had to help Dr. Fred with a formula before resuming our game. A genius.
Tributes to Star Wars? The ones you want!
LucasArts was not only a division of LucasFilm, but its offices were overflowing with fans of George Lucas’s work. In Day of the Tentacle we can find several nods to Star Wars, including a Darth Vader calendar, an Imperial Soldier helmet or the telephone number of the telemarketer: ” 1-800-STAR WARS “
These are your keys?
How far is Bernard on the Moon? If we go a bit away from the Edison Mansion we will see a mysterious subject trying to open a car. Possibly it is Baron Zemo, although we dare to doubt it. The fact is that our hero? he gets her the car keys, which were, by chance, in someone else’s room.
A very curious fact, in the license plate of the car you can read Zach, and the reason is very special: Peter Chan , who made the scenarios, usually cast references to his own children in his drawings. In this case, Zach is the name of her second son.
What headlines!
One of the most interesting aspects of Day of the Tentacle is that every time we make great progress in the story we will see a transition scene with a touch of humor. In the past we will see the Founding Fathers discuss the United States Constitution, while in the future we will see the details of the ultimate Purple Tentacle plan. And in the present?
Every time we go a little forward with Bernard, we’ll see how the newspapers echo the progress of the Purple Tentacle’s plan for world domination. And despite the fact that the game is from 1994, many of the headlines are typical of El Mundo Today.
Laverne, that bad influence
Laverne is the last of the three protagonists to enter the scene, but she is definitely the one that best adapts to all this madness: the student is a real earthquake with humans and tentacles alike, and she will not hesitate to put a hamster in the microwave if that lightens the next step. Of course, warning the camera that children who do that may risk being given up for adoption.
A game within a game!
In the Day of the Tentacle box it is indicated that a copy of the original Maniac Mansion is included in the game, but the best thing is that it does not come on a separate floppy or disk, but within the game itself.
If we go to Weird Ed Edison’s room we will see a PC right next to the door. If we execute the verb or the Use command on it, the Maniac Mansion game will start. As simple and crazy as it sounds.
Your face is familiar to me
There are many cameos and winks in Day of the Tentacle , but one stands out in a special way: if we go to colonial times we will see a very unique portrait in the hall of the mansion: the very Max from Sam & Max Hit the Road. Quite a detail.
The left-handed hammer, even before the Simpsons
Red Edison, the ancestor of Dr. Fred, had a very particular vision of science. In fact, one of his most peculiar inventions is a left-handed hammer. And the best thing is not that it works with those with a dominant left hand, it is that right-handers cannot use it to hit.
Two million dollars in royalties
At a certain point in the story in Day of the Tentacle we will see how Farley Krock from LucasArts Games calls Dr. Fred to discuss royalties for participating in the original Maniac Mansion. And while it’s all part of a puzzle, it’s very likely that Grossman and Schafer are still laughing at getting it into the game.
A classic: what happens if you wash a car?
To advance in the game we need it to rain and we are not given many clues to make that happen. To achieve this we have very rare items such as soap, a bucket of water, a brush, a dirty car … Eureka!
From the director’s comments on the special issue of Day of the Tentacle , it was very clear to Grossman that the car had to be washed to cause a storm. Some kind of unwritten law. Apparently, many players failed to associate that idea.
¡¡Una mofeta !!
There were many animated Looney Tunes shorts that inspired the aesthetics and tone of Day of the Tentacle . From the short film El Conejo de Sevilla to ¿Qué es opera, viejo? And yet the Warner character the team liked the most was not the lucky rabbit, but Pepe Le Pew.
In this regard, and in homage to the most infatuated skunk in cartoons, they created a custom puzzle in which we not only had to paint a black stripe on a white cat to make it look like a stinky skunk, but also cause a very Looney effect. Tunes among the Edison .
The beauty pageant
One of the most insane puzzles in the entire game basically consists of winning a beauty contest between humans by involving a stuffed mummy.
Logically, to achieve this you will have to do all kinds of temporary nonsense: burst a clown’s balloon, put a horse to sleep by reading a science book to steal its teeth … even get a rock’n-based glue vomit roll.
Bernard and his arithmomania
Those with arithmomania are said to feel an irresistible urge to count objects, words, or perform arithmetic calculations. The Earl from Sesame Street is a good example, and Bernard from Day of the Tentacle is a bad example.
When the time comes, we must get enough coins to run a washing machine for 200 years. Bernard not only gets them, but takes the trouble to check what year each one is from.
Every American should have a vacuum cleaner in the basement
Blank sheet syndrome is relatively common. In fact, it happened to the Founding Fathers of the United States when they wrote the Constitution. At least, in the Day of the Tentacle universe. Precisely for this reason, they put up a suggestion box with which to integrate the most absurd and convenient requests for our mission.
The Tentacle Costume
From the beginning, Laverne’s mobility is very limited. Once it is available in the game, we can only leave the human kennel to use the bathroom or to be seen by the doctor. Luckily, a subtle change in the past and we can pretend to be tentacles and go where we want.
The change? Little thing: ask Betsy Ross herself to redesign the flag of the United States so that it looks like a cone with four holes. By asking, we obviously refer to making a great change to the original pattern.
Have you not seen La Mosca?
Thanks to the movies (and the Simpsons) we know the side effects of using a teleportation machine when there is a fly inside. But what if three college students use a time machine at the same time? Definitely something much worse.
Time to go bowling
Shrinking a squad of Purple Tentacles is practically impossible. Except, of course, that they position themselves in a fan, without moving and, also, the chance that we carry a bowling ball in our pocket.
Everything returns to normal, or almost
Day of the Tentacle retains its excellence from start to finish, and following the same time travel assumptions seen in Back to the Future not only leaves sensational opportunities for a third that never came, but also implies that all Pranks committed throughout history are part of this absurd timeline that we fashion with cheekiness and extra humor.
Day of the Tentacle: the coronation of LucasArts in the golden age of Graphic Adventures
Ron Gilbert, one of the two original creators of the Maniac Mansion series, was no longer at LucasArts when Day of the Tentacle began development. Which does not mean that his genius was very present in the sequel. On the one hand, through his participation in the scripts and the production process. But, above all, for that legacy that continued to grow through his partners and fellow laughs: Tim Schafer and Dave Grossman.
The reality, on the other hand, is that – despite the excellence of The Day of the Tentacle – the interest in adventure games began to decrease worryingly.
Before closing the 90’s we saw wonders of the caliber of Grim Fandango , Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis and, beyond LucasArts, jewels like Blade Runner. There were even two more installments of Monkey Island, but games like DOOM, Metal Gear Solid or The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time were the focus of interest.
Most importantly, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace began to be produced in 1997 and LucasFilm’s top priority and LucasArts happened to be in a galaxy far, far away.
It is paradoxical that one of the last great graphic adventures, perhaps the most relevant together with Monkey Island , hit the shelves just a little before the decline of the genre. That instead of giving point and click the great boost they needed, especially with the impressive possibilities of CD Rom technology, Day of the Tentacle served to mark in many respects the sweetest moment of that Golden Age and, turn, the beginning of the end in a way of understanding the adventures.
Perhaps, and only perhaps, is that of all the graphic adventures that came out in that exceptional year 1993, and they were not exactly few, Day of the Tentacle is the one that left the most depth and the one that best continues to hold the guy in the artistic, the plot and the humorous. A story about four students determined to twist a Purple Tentacle with little arms and big plans.
Because Bernard is clumsy, jinx, and terribly inappropriate . But his way of doing things – usually the most devious – has managed to steal millions of laughs over the decades. To several generations of PC and console gamers. And in the process, he serves as a timeless example and part-time guinea pig in establishing what a masterfully crafted video game puzzle should and should look like.
Despite all its news and initiatives, Day of the Tentacle was not one of those graphic adventures that served to lay the foundations of the genre. And of course, the removal of the three bonus characters should have reduced their replayability considerably. But the secret of his success does not lie in either of those two nuances, but in his way of radiating wit and greatness from humor . A humor designed for young and old, like the Looney Tunes.
I look at my Day of the Tentacle box a little more before putting it back in place and come to a new conclusion. Doing the thug in the style of the Warner cartoons is still a pleasure decades later. And I do not rule out that those same sensations continue to manifest themselves for at least a couple of centuries. In an ever closer year 2194 in which, it seems, the Tentacles will dominate the Earth.
