# Escape from Monster Manor

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***Escape from Monster Manor*** is a [first-person shooter](/source/First-person_shooter) video game developed by [Studio 3DO](/source/The_3DO_Company) and published by [Electronic Arts](/source/Electronic_Arts) exclusively for the [3DO](/source/3DO_Interactive_Multiplayer).

The game was released as ***Virtual Horror: Norowarate Yakata*** (バーチャルホラー 〜呪われた館〜, *Bācharu Horā ~Norowareta Yakata~*, lit. Virtual Horror: Cursed House) in Japan.

## Gameplay

*Escape From Monster Manor* is a [first-person shooter](/source/First-person_shooter) where the player character explores a haunted mansion in a 3D environment, and must defeat spiders, ghosts, and other menaces to escape.[2]

The objective of the game is to collect pieces of a sacred talisman in each stage, then make it through twelve levels to the exit to escape. Rather than having a [HUD](/source/HUD_(video_gaming)), the player's health is visible as damage to the on-screen hand and the ammunition is listed as a bar on the gun sprite.

## Development and release

The game's main developer was Leo Schwab.[3] A [computing](/source/Computing) and [programming](/source/Computer_programming) prodigy, Schwab was best known for his [Amiga](/source/Amiga) [screen hacks](/source/ROM_hacking) and animations during the mid-late 1980s[4] and for developing *Disney Presents: The Animation Studio* for Silent Software in 1990.[5][6] Schwab joined [Electronic Arts](/source/Electronic_Arts) head [Trip Hawkins](/source/Trip_Hawkins) when the latter founded [The 3DO Company](/source/The_3DO_Company) for the release of the [3DO Interactive Multiplayer](/source/3DO_Interactive_Multiplayer).[7] For *Escape from Monster Manor*, Schwab has cited *[Wolfenstein 3D](/source/Wolfenstein_3D)* as the chief inspiration for the game. After some months working on a different 3DO game, Schwab and his team abandoned that project and switched to the less ambitious *Escape from Monster Manor* so that they could have a demo to present at that year's [Consumer Electronics Show](/source/Consumer_Electronics_Show).[8] The game's source code was released onto [GitHub](/source/GitHub) under the [MIT License](/source/MIT_License) on August 7, 2022,[9] with an accompanying [live stream](/source/Live_stream) on [YouTube](/source/YouTube) by original developer Leo Schwab.[10]

## Reception

*[Electronic Gaming Monthly](/source/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly)* gave the game a 6.75 out of 10, mentioning some minor issues with the control but overall recommending the game for its well-rendered graphics and genuinely creepy audio.[11] *[GamePro](/source/GamePro)* praised the game's frightening graphics and audio, nerve-wracking challenge, and [strafing ability](/source/Strafing_(gaming)).[12] A review in *[Edge](/source/Edge_(magazine))* praised the "look and feel" of the game, but criticized the simplicity of the game design and gameplay. The game was compared unfavorably to *[DOOM](/source/DOOM)* and given a score of 5/10.[13] The game was reviewed in 1994 in *[Dragon](/source/Dragon_(magazine))* #204 by [Sandy Petersen](/source/Sandy_Petersen) in the "Eye of the Monitor" column. Petersen gave the game 2 out of 5 stars.[2]

## References

1. Noda, Minoru; Uchisawa, Goro; Nagano, Isabella; Taco X (April 29, 1994). "3DO Real New Games Cross Review" (in Japanese). *[Weekly Famicom Tsūshin](/source/Famitsu)*. No. 280. [ASCII Corporation](/source/ASCII_Corporation). p. 75.

1. Petersen, Sandy (April 1994). ["Eye of the Monitor – Escape from Monster Manor"](https://web.archive.org/web/20201113080630/https://annarchive.com/files/Drmg204.pdf). *[Dragon](/source/Dragon_(magazine))*. No. 204. [TSR, Inc.](/source/TSR,_Inc.). pp. 61–62. Archived from [the original](https://annarchive.com/files/Drmg204.pdf) on November 13, 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-24.

1. Matthews, Will (December 2013). "Ahead of its Time: A 3DO Retrospective". *[Retro Gamer](/source/Retro_Gamer)*. No. 122. [Imagine Publishing](/source/Imagine_Publishing). p. 26.

1. Skelton, Mindy (March 1988). ["Leo Schwab Is Just Having Fun"](https://archive.org/details/Info_Issue_19_1988-03_Info_Publications_US/page/n45/). *[.info](/source/.info_(magazine))*. No. 19. Info Publications Ltd. pp. 47–9. Retrieved July 16, 2022.

1. Schenck, Ben (March 1991). ["Graphics"](https://archive.org/details/info_Issue_37_1991-03.info_Publications_US/page/n19/). *[.info](/source/.info_(magazine))*. No. 37. Info Publications Ltd. pp. 20–3. Retrieved July 16, 2022.

1. Means, Ben and Jean (December 1990). ["Interview with Leo Schwab, Creator of Disney's *The Animation Studio*"](https://archive.org/details/1990-12-compute-magazine/page/n133/). *[Compute!](/source/Compute!)*. No. 124. [ABC Publishing](/source/American_Broadcasting_Company). p. A8. Retrieved July 16, 2022.

1. Times Roman (April 1994). ["The Outside World"](https://archive.org/details/Amiga_News_Vol._02_No._03_1993-04_Portable_Computing_International_US/page/n7/). *Amiga News*. Vol. 2, no. 3. Portable Computing International. p. 8. Retrieved July 16, 2022.

1. Schwab, Leo (September 24, 2012). [Let's Play – Monster Manor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR_-E-UCsf0), YouTube. Retrieved December 19, 2013.

1. [Escape from Monster Manor - GitHub](https://github.com/ewhac/EFMM-3DO)

1. Schwab, Leo (7 August 2022). [*Escape from Monster Manor: A Source Code Walkthrough*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPwZBXAq4-4) (Podcast). [YouTube](/source/YouTube). Retrieved 11 August 2022.

1. Semrad, Ed; Carpenter, Danyon; Manuel, Al; Williams, Ken (March 1994). ["Review Crew – Monster Manor"](https://archive.org/stream/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_56#page/n37/mode/1up). *[Electronic Gaming Monthly](/source/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly)*. No. 56. Sendai Publishing. p. 38.

1. Tommy, Toxic (April 1994). ["ProReview: Escape from... Monster Manor"](https://archive.org/stream/GamePro_Issue_057_April_1994#page/n59/mode/2up). *[GamePro](/source/GamePro)*. No. 57. [IDG](/source/International_Data_Group). pp. 58–59.

1. ["Testscreen – Escape from Monster Manor"](https://archive.org/stream/Edge_UK_007#page/n78/mode/1up). *[Edge](/source/Edge_(magazine))*. No. 7. [Future Publishing](/source/Future_Publishing). April 1994. p. 79.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Escape from Monster Manor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_from_Monster_Manor) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_from_Monster_Manor?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.