Maniac Mansion Cheats & Cheat Codes for Windows, NES, and More

Maniac Mansion is a 1987 point-and-click graphic adventure video game. Lucasfilm Games developed and published the game, and Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick created it. Together, Gilbert and Winnick went on to create Thimbleweed Park (2017), a point-and-click adventure game that the duo considers a spiritual successor to Maniac Mansion. Gilbert and Winnick based the game on horror films and B-movies, specifically with the cliche tropes the genres had to offer in mind. Maniac Mansion is also Lucasfilm Games’ first self-published video game. To speed up Maniac Mansion’s production, Gilbert created SCUMM, a game engine that LucasArts used in many projects after Maniac Mansion.

The game was released on several consoles including the Commodore 64, Apple II, MS-DOS, Amiga, Atari ST, NES, and Macintosh. The NES port was very different from most of the other versions of the game. Nintendo of America voiced concerns about the game being inappropriate for children. While Nintendo still maintains a mostly family-friendly image today, back then, Nintendo focused on making entertaining games for children. The NES port was heavily reworked as a result to make it more kid-friendly.

Maniac Mansion is still a popular video game today. Gamers can buy this 1987 classic on Steam for $5.99. It’s also available on GOG for the same price. Buying from either of these web stores is the most secure way for gamers to experience Maniac Mansion. That said, there are other places where players can find and play the game. Potential players can find Maniac Mansion on websites like Play Classic Games. Naturally, anyone interested should go with whatever option they’re most comfortable with.

At the time of launch, Maniac Mansion received glowing reviews with a specific focus on its cutscenes, graphics, and humorous storytelling. Orson Scotto Card, the author of books like Ender’s Game (1985), credited Maniac Mansion by saying it was one of the first games to prove video games were a good medium for storytelling. The game also popularized and influenced the point-and-click adventure genre. Today, gamers still love this game. Steam rates Maniac Mansion a 9 out of 10, and GOG gives it a 4.5 out of 5. Lemon64 also rates it a 9 out of 10.

Maniac Mansion Premise

Maniac Mansion puts players in control of protagonist Dave Miller and two of his companions. At the beginning of the game, players get to choose which two friends Dave brings along. Players can choose between Bernard, Jeff, Michael, Razor, Syd, and Wendy. Each companion has different, unique abilities, meaning some characters won’t be able to solve certain puzzles. Don’t fret, because any combination of characters can complete the game. Depending on who the player takes with them with depend on what paths they ultimately have to take to reach the end. Some paths will be blocked by puzzles the player’s chosen group can’t do.

What makes Maniac Mansion stand out from many other games for the early to mid-1980s are the cutscenes. Ron Gilbert, one of the game’s creators, actually coined the term “cutscene” to describe a cinematic that interrupts gameplay to move the story forward.

The game starts with Dave Miller preparing to enter the Edison family mansion. Dr. Fred Edison lives in the mansion with his wife, Nurse Edna, and their son, Weird Ed. The family also lives with two disembodied tentacles that roam around freely. Dr. Fred is a mad scientist who kidnaps people in hopes of using their brains for experimentation. According to the game’s opening cutscene, his actions are the result of brainwashing. 20 years before the beginning of the game, a sentient meteor crashed near the Edison mansion and influenced the family to do its bidding. Dave decides to storm the mansion to rescue his missing girlfriend, Sandy Pantz, because Dr. Fred kidnapped her for his experiments.

Every member of the household will attack the player if they’re found except for the green tentacle. Players need to avoid the purple tentacle and every member of the Edison family because if they catch the player, they’ll be killed or sent to the dungeon. If the player dies, they’ll be forced to take over one of the other party members and continue playing. If Dave and all his companions die, the player receives a Game Over. Players have a chance to get one of five possible endings. These endings are dependent on which characters the player brings, what paths they take, their accomplishments, and what characters survive.

Maniac Mansion Main Characters

Many retro games from the early and mid-1980s (and even into the ’90s as well) leave much to be desired in terms of characters. Sometimes players didn’t even control a protagonist and, instead, played a vehicle or some other form of machinery. In Space Invaders (1978), for example, players control a laser cannon, not a character. Maniac Mansion, however, focuses on a colorful and creative cast of characters that carry the story from start to finish.

Playable Characters:

• Dave Miller: Dave Miller is Maniac Mansion’s main playable protagonist and one of seven playable characters in total. Dave recruits the help of two of his friends to break into and investigate the Edison mansion. He believes that Dr. Fred Edison kidnapped his girlfriend, Sandy, and he sets off to save her as any good boyfriend would. Dave can die if he’s caught by one of the members of the household, but that won’t result in a Game Over. As long as players still have at least one of Dave’s companions, they can keep playing without Dave.
• Dave’s Companions: Dave recruits two friends to join him on his mission. The player gets to choose which companions to bring. There are six options in total, including Bernard, Jeff, Michael, Razor, Syd, and Wendy. Each companion has a different ability that makes them useful to the team. For example, Bernard is a handyman who can repair appliances. Razor and Syd are both proficient musicians, so they can play instruments. To make things easier, players should bring two companions that have different abilities, so Razor and Syd aren’t a good combo. Any combination of characters can complete the game, though. Depending on who the player brings, they’ll be forced to take character-specific routes.

Other Prominent Characters:

• Sandy Pantz: Sandy Pantz is Dave’s girlfriend and she’s also Dr. Fred’s latest victim. Dr. Fred kidnapped her to conduct experiments on her. If Dave and his friends don’t get to her in time, she’ll perish.
• Dr. Fred Edison: Dr. Fred Edison is Maniac Mansion’s main antagonist and he’s a mad scientist. Dr. Fred wasn’t always like that, though. 20 years before the beginning of the game, a mysterious meteor crashed into Earth and landed right near the Edison mansion. The meteor is sentient and able to control the will of others. It brainwashed Dr. Fred and his entire family, twisting them to its will. For some reason, the meteor forces Dr. Fred to conduct sick experiments on the human brain, so he constantly needs new test subjects. This is why he takes Sandy. If Dr. Fred catches the player, he’ll capture or kill them, forcing them onto one of the remaining characters.
• Nurse Edna Edison: Nurse Edna Edison is Dr. Fred’s wife and another dangerous member of the household. She lives in the mansion with her husband and their son, Weird Ed. She also assists Dr. Fred in his experiments and kidnaps new test subjects with/for him. Like her husband, if she catches the player, she’ll capture or kill them.
• Weird Ed Edison: Weird Ed Edison is the son of Dr. Fred and Nurse Edna and, like his parents, he’s been brainwashed by the sentient meteor that crashed near their mansion. Weird Ed is just as hostile as his parents too, so if he catches the player, he’ll also capture or kill them. The player needs to avoid the entire family.
• The Tentacles: The Tentacles are, perhaps, the oddest residents inside the Edison mansion. They consist of one green tentacle and one purple tentacle. Both tentacles are large and disembodied, meaning they aren’t attached to anything. They’re still able to move around the mansion, though. Like the Edisons, the purple tentacle is hostile and will attack the player. For some reason, the green tentacle is docile, though, and poses no threat to the player.

Maniac Mansion Titles in the Series

Maniac Mansion surprisingly didn’t spawn a massive series. Since the game is so highly revered in the gaming industry, it’s shocking that it only got one video game sequel. Maniac Mansion revolutionized the way that video games told stories and it helped popularize the point-and-click adventure-style games that gamers have come to know and love. Despite it only having two games in the series, its legacy lives on today. The two games have been re-released and remastered a few times throughout the years.

The Maniac Mansion Video Game Series:

• Maniac Mansion (1987)
• Day of the Tentacle (1993) – This Maniac Mansion sequel also goes by the name Maniac Mansion II: Day of the Tentacle

In 2017, Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick created Thimbleweed Park, a point-and-click adventure game similar to Maniac Mansion. Both creators consider it to be a spiritual successor to Maniac Mansion.

Despite Maniac Mansion only getting one video game sequel, it did get a TV show adaptation. The Maniac Mansion show was a sitcom based on the first game and ran from 1990 to 1993. It has three seasons in total.

Maniac Mansion Cheats, Glitches, & Secrets

Maniac Mansion is a simple point-and-click adventure game that forces players to solve puzzles and avoid capture or death. Like Thimbleweed Park (2017), Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick didn’t create the game with cheats in mind. In the late 1980s, it might have been more expected to build some sort of cheat code system into their game, but they wanted their players to experience the non-linear story and puzzles as authentically as possible.

The only way a player can “cheat” is to look up a walkthrough that helps them navigate the mansion and solve any puzzles they might come across. These types of walkthroughs are incredibly helpful, but they will inevitably spoil the story. If players want to avoid spoilers, they should avoid these types of guides.

Fortunately, some experienced players have reported a few glitches that can make moving through the mansion easier. Unfortunately, most of the reported glitches are for the NES version of Maniac Mansion, which was heavily altered after release. Please keep in mind that these glitches may not work on every version of the game.

Glitches on the NES Version

• Avoid the first confrontation with Nurse Edna: At the beginning of the game, the player will enter the mansion’s kitchen. Nurse Edna is waiting in the kitchen. This kicks off a chase sequence where the player needs to outrun Nurse Edna or be captured. There is, however, a glitch that will literally make Edna disappear.
  • How to use the glitch: Open the pause menu (the menu that lets players save, reset, etc.) and then unpause the game for Nurse Edna to vanish.
  • Second method: Switch to another playable character and then back to the original character and she should disappear.
• Freezing Nurse Edna in Her Room: When the player enters Nurse Edna’s room, she’ll be waiting for them and try to capture them. Players can freeze her in place if they act quickly enough.
  • How to use the glitch: As soon as you enter her room, switch to another character, wait 20 seconds, and then switch back to the original character. For some reason, this makes Nurse Edna sit stationary in her room until the player leaves. She’ll reactivate if the player returns, but they can use the same method to freeze her again.
• Freezing the Purple Tentacle: Players can bypass the Purple Tentacle similarly to Nurse Edna if they are in the Outer Lab area. All players need to do is trigger a cutscene in the Outer Lab area and it will keep the Purple Tentacle from chasing after Dave or his friends.
  • How to quickly trigger a cutscene: Ring the doorbell if Weird Ed hasn’t collected his package or have Jeff or Bernard fix the phone. Call Nurse Edna and before she answers, switch to the companion outside the lab and walk inside.
• Have One Companion Instead of Two: Players can choose to take Dave and one companion into the mansion instead of the usual two. This isn’t a glitch worth exploiting, though. The number of chances the player has is dependent on how many characters they still have alive and free. If, for some reason, players want the extra challenge, they can use this glitch.
  • How to use the glitch: Click on the desired companion and then click Start as quickly as possible. If players do this correctly, the start button glitches out and the selected companion unhighlights. Click on the desired companion again and then click the glitched-out Start button. This should start the game with Dave and only one companion.

Codes for Secret Messages on the NES

• During gameplay, press A + B + Select + Start at the same time. Players will get up to 50 different secret messages.

Secrets & Easter Eggs on the NES

• Super Mario Bros. Theme: After restoring power to the arcade, players can get a quarter. Take the quarter to the arcade and use it on the Meteor Mess machine. The beginning of the Super Mario Bros. theme will play.
• Open the Inner Door Early: Before restoring power to the arcade, players can open the Inner Door early. As long as they get to the combination lock before Dr. Fred plays Meteor Mess, this glitch should work. Enter “0000” as the combination and the door will open.

Maniac Mansion Cheats FAQ

How many endings does Maniac Mansion have?

Maniac Mansion has five possible endings.

What is the safe code in Maniac Mansion?

Players can use the telescope to find the combination. They’ll find the combination written under Nurse Edna’s safe. The telescope allows them to get a close-up of the note. The combination isn’t the same in every playthrough. It has a chance to be one of the following codes:

• 0120
• 1029
• 1230
• 3621
• 4186

Can you lose in Maniac Mansion?

Yes, if the Edisons kill or capture Dave Miller and both of his companions, the player will receive a Game Over. Any combination of characters can complete the game, but some players have also reported that it’s possible to hit a dead end.

How long does it take to beat Maniac Mansion?

According to HowLongToBeat.com, the main story takes about three hours, while the main and side quests will take five hours.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Let's Play With Brigands / Lucasfilm Games.