Manhunter: New York
Encyclopedia
Manhunter: New York is a post-apocalyptic adventure game
designed by Barry Murry, Dave Murry and Dee Dee Murry of Evryware
and published in 1988 by Sierra On-Line. A sequel, Manhunter 2: San Francisco
was released the next year in 1989
(AGI) development tool. It was very different from other AGI games in that it did not use a text parser, incorporated a first-person rather than third-person perspective, and featured a rudimentary point-and-click
interface. In these ways, Manhunter foreshadowed later games like Myst
. The gritty, sometimes gory visuals, unique interface, and use of real-life locations in New York City
all helped set the game apart from Sierra's other titles, which were typically more family oriented.
The game had no live dialogues. Much of the gameplay had to do with tracking individuals with his MAD device and 'unlock' new places and addresses. The backstory and plot remain vague and obscure; the player had to put the pieces of the movements together in his head, instead of reading a narrative or descriptions, and understand on his own what is happening.
One of the criticisms concerning the interface was that the cursor/pointer was not controlled by the mouse, but by the keyboard. The mouse, if the player decided to use it, was only to point out where the cursor must go.
A follow-up game, Manhunter 2: San Francisco
(1989), continued the story. By that time, Sierra had unveiled their more impressive Sierra's Creative Interpreter
(SCI) development system. Despite offering up a more complex storyline, Manhunter 2: SF used the older AGI development system.
The Manhunter series was originally conceived as a trilogy, with all plots threads and loose ends to be tied up in the third game – Manhunter 3: London. However, the series was dropped after the second game and was never resumed. The Murrys also had plans for a fourth and final game (Manhunter 4) – if Sierra wanted one – to be set not on Earth but on the Orbs' home planet.
Contrary to popular belief, the Manhunter series was not discontinued owing to poor sales or lack of consumer interest. The games were critically acclaimed and sold well, and the series was never (and still has not been) officially canceled. However, since more than two decades have passed since Manhunter 2: San Francisco was released, it is extremely unlikely that the series will ever be completed.
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
designed by Barry Murry, Dave Murry and Dee Dee Murry of Evryware
Evryware
Evryware Inc. is a computer game development company based in Olympia, Washington, USA. It was founded in California in 1980 by two engineers, Dave Murry and Joe Gargiulo. Dave's siblings, Barry Murry and Dee Dee Murry, joined a few years later to round out the company. Evryware was active through...
and published in 1988 by Sierra On-Line. A sequel, Manhunter 2: San Francisco
Manhunter 2: San Francisco
-External links:* Game Information & Screenshots* *...
was released the next year in 1989
Scenario
It is set in the (then) futuristic year of 2004, when Earth has been enslaved by a race of aliens known as the Orbs. The Orbs, who look like giant floating eyeballs, have implanted all humans with global tracking devices, forced them to wear nondescript robes and forbid them from speaking or communicating. The protagonist has been assigned by the Orbs to track down fellow humans who are believed to be forming an underground resistance. Over the course of the game, the player discovers that the Orbs are not the benevolent rulers they claim to be; they are actually harvesting humans as a food source. The player then "switches sides" and works to overthrow the Orbs.Gameplay
Manhunter: New York used Sierra's Adventure Game InterpreterAdventure Game Interpreter
The Adventure Game Interpreter is a game engine which Sierra On-Line used through most of the 1980s to create and run animated, color adventure games...
(AGI) development tool. It was very different from other AGI games in that it did not use a text parser, incorporated a first-person rather than third-person perspective, and featured a rudimentary point-and-click
Point-and-click
Point-and-click is the action of a computer user moving a cursor to a certain location on a screen and then pressing a mouse button, usually the left button , or other pointing device...
interface. In these ways, Manhunter foreshadowed later games like Myst
Myst
Myst is a graphic adventure video game designed and directed by the brothers Robyn and Rand Miller. It was developed by Cyan , a Spokane, Washington––based studio, and published and distributed by Brøderbund. The Millers began working on Myst in and released it for the Mac OS computer on September...
. The gritty, sometimes gory visuals, unique interface, and use of real-life locations in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
all helped set the game apart from Sierra's other titles, which were typically more family oriented.
The game had no live dialogues. Much of the gameplay had to do with tracking individuals with his MAD device and 'unlock' new places and addresses. The backstory and plot remain vague and obscure; the player had to put the pieces of the movements together in his head, instead of reading a narrative or descriptions, and understand on his own what is happening.
One of the criticisms concerning the interface was that the cursor/pointer was not controlled by the mouse, but by the keyboard. The mouse, if the player decided to use it, was only to point out where the cursor must go.
A follow-up game, Manhunter 2: San Francisco
Manhunter 2: San Francisco
-External links:* Game Information & Screenshots* *...
(1989), continued the story. By that time, Sierra had unveiled their more impressive Sierra's Creative Interpreter
Sierra's Creative Interpreter
Sierra's Creative Interpreter is the scripting language created by Jeff Stephenson of Sierra On-Line for its adventure games after the older AGI, and the runtime environment for such adventure games....
(SCI) development system. Despite offering up a more complex storyline, Manhunter 2: SF used the older AGI development system.
The Manhunter series was originally conceived as a trilogy, with all plots threads and loose ends to be tied up in the third game – Manhunter 3: London. However, the series was dropped after the second game and was never resumed. The Murrys also had plans for a fourth and final game (Manhunter 4) – if Sierra wanted one – to be set not on Earth but on the Orbs' home planet.
Contrary to popular belief, the Manhunter series was not discontinued owing to poor sales or lack of consumer interest. The games were critically acclaimed and sold well, and the series was never (and still has not been) officially canceled. However, since more than two decades have passed since Manhunter 2: San Francisco was released, it is extremely unlikely that the series will ever be completed.
Real-World Locations
- American Museum of Natural HistoryAmerican Museum of Natural HistoryThe American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
- Bellevue Hospital
- Central ParkCentral ParkCentral Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
- Coney IslandConey IslandConey Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
- Empire State BuildingEmpire State BuildingThe Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
- Grand Central TerminalGrand Central TerminalGrand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
- Green-Wood CemeteryGreen-Wood CemeteryGreen-Wood Cemetery was founded in 1838 as a rural cemetery in Brooklyn, Kings County , New York. It was granted National Historic Landmark status in 2006 by the U.S. Department of the Interior.-History:...
- Prospect Park (Brooklyn)Prospect Park (Brooklyn)Prospect Park is a 585-acre public park in the New York City borough of Brooklyn located between Park Slope, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Kensington, Windsor Terrace and Flatbush Avenue, Grand Army Plaza and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden...
- Statue of LibertyStatue of LibertyThe Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
- Trinity Church (Manhattan)
External links
- Manhunter: New York – Adventure Classic Gaming Game Information & Screenshots
- Evryware' s official website
- The Manhunter Shrine