Manes

Released Year : 1984
Published by : ASCII / ZAP
Price : 4800 yen
Platform : MSX
Media : ROM

「Mori=Aki wanders in the underground surrounded by rock, water, ice and lava. You are the only one who can save him ! Oops, violent monster emerged, too. Can you fight them and escape ? 」(quoted from Japanese package)


Controls

Cursor            Move Mori=Aki
Space Key      Dig Cave wall in Floor 1/ Jump in Floor 2 and 4

You can clear the each floor to get to the goal which is located bottom of the right side.


The maze game with full of ZAP taste

　Released in very early age of MSX, developed by ZAP. General rule is running toward the goal in maze, with four taste like cave, water, glacier, volcano.
The pictures listed on "MSX Magazine" which is the only source for MSX users at that time, looked amusing, they reminded us large map behind the screen. And it encouraged elementary school students like us to imagine "Its not Konami made but has possibility to be good", even we already become expert because of having experience to buy useless titles again and again.
　Surprise is BGM. The title screen has original BGM, it reminds us "Tritorn" ! And each four floors has their own BGM, its fabulous work for 1984. Additionally, odd-floors have side-view, even-floors have top-view, and the function of space-key varies.
　But unfortunately, like "Pinapplin" and "Funky Mouse" which were also developed by ZAP, you can feel its not perfectly crafted. There are some unreasonable factors everywhere. When you jump you should be super strict on your step, hyper moving speed of enemies, sometimes your life perfectly depends only on luck, and so on.


Released before Goonies

　The similar title, featured with the similar cave stage "Goonies" were released in 1985 (The movie was also released in 1985). It means that Manes didn't imitate Goonies. The origin of the word "Manes" is derived from Roman Myth, means the souls of dead ancestors.


Package　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 Title screen has original BGM ! Surprising !　




Floor 1 is in cave. You can dig sideways.　　　　　　　Jumping over water in Floor 2



You will be killed with only half-body gap.　　　　　Floor 3 is in glacier, slippery !



Floor 4 is in volcano. The summit is not crossable.You can jump over the monsters.