Getting a Little Burnt Out on Sokoban? Try Manoosh!

How many games can be set in a warehouse, involve moving heavy boxes, and still be fun? Your answer before the advent of Sokoban would probably have been something like...hmmm...I don't know..."none." Even after Sokoban's release, it seemed safe to conclude that the possibilities for this sort of game had been exhausted. I thought so too...until I met the mustachioed Manoosh!

Story & Gameplay:

Manoosh is a janitor at Doktor Strangetail's warehouse. But when the good Doktor's experiments with "Smart Serum" go awry, Manoosh, mustache and all, must get out of the warehouse in a hurry!

Stripped to its essentials, the game requires that the player clear an obstacle through a room full of boxes and holes in the floor, which can be filled in with those same boxes.

Along the way the player encounters creatures dubbed "Rat Things" by the developer, which remain asleep while trapped but will relentlessly pursue the player when they can reach him. Rat Things move towards the player in right angles (similar to rooks in Chess), going as far as they can in any given direction per turn. This makes it necessary to carefully plan one's
moves when they're on the scene. However, Manoosh is not without recourse against these rodents: he will periodically find brooms, which can be used to dispatch the Rat Things to their final reward.

Manoosh is not only on a mission to save himself: scattered throughout the game are numerous cats in need of rescue! Some are healthy and ready for immediate rescue while others have been poisoned by noxious gas and so require antidote before they can be brought to safety.

Graphics & Interface:

The graphics in this game are perfect. When I say perfect, I don't mean that they're the highest quality graphics you've ever seen. They're not. But they are pretty good, and more importantly, they are a flawless match with the lighthearted, satirical tenor of the game as a whole. The graphics in the cut scenes between every few levels appear to be hand drawn and look very nice, as do the in-game graphics themselves.

The interface itself is also quite well done. When you start a game, you select the level you want to start on by clicking on a window of a nighttime view of the warehouse itself. Doing so brings up a small map of the layout of the level. Very nice.

Even more impressive is the main gameplay interface. In addition to some basic stats (level, moves, etc.) The bottom third of the screen contains a picture of Manoosh looking worried and holding up a white flag of surrender. After your initial move, a speech bubble containing the word "oops" appears. The impressive thing is that these images aren't just mere scenery, they're part of the game control interface! Clicking on the white flag will start the level over, and you can use the "oops" bubble to undo your previous few moves. This seamless blending of the game interface with the game scenery is spectacular!

Sound & Music:

The sound effects and music are perfect for the same reason that the graphics are: they're in perfect harmony with the tenor of the rest of the game. Even if this were not the case, they are nice by themselves (I especially like the cat's meow!).

Another thing worthy of comment is the way that the music is used. The music plays at the beginning of the game but stops fairly soon thereafter, which allows the stumped player to concentrate on how to get Manoosh to the exit. I don't know if this was the developer's intent, but it is a welcome added touch.

Miscellanea:

Manoosh has the very entertaining of habit of spouting trivia if the player is stumped for too long! All I can say is "wow!"

Manoosh must smart his way through 100 levels. As far as level difficulty goes, it varies. Some of the levels are extremely easy, others are pretty hard. Then again, a lot of the time I puzzle over a particular level only to sit down at a later point and almost immediately know the solution. If the player feels that the difficulty needs to be tweaked a bit, she can do it herself with the smoothly integrated level editor!

The Only Downside:

This game has only one downside, as far as I'm concerned: it is not compatible with Windows Mobile 2005. The developer is currently in the process of determining whether it is possible to make the game compatible with WM2005 and should know pretty soon whether this can be done.

The developer also told me that they would welcome any feedback on, or criticism of, the game. The only suggestion I would make to the developers at this point is that they create a section of their website where users can upload levels they've created and download those created by others.

Conclusion:

This is Neuronic's first game, and it's a fantastic debut! Every single element of this game adds to its appeal! The story, the graphics, the sound and music, and the level editor are all excellent in their own right, and their combination in Manoosh is a true accomplishment! Bravo!