On January 30th, 1993, history was made. Mystery Science Theater 3000 aired the now infamous episode that featured Manos: The Hands Of Fate. Thanks to Joel and The Bots, what could have been a long forgotten piece of drive-in trash became a pop culture phenomenon that led to the original film being restored in HD, a limited edition vinyl release for the soundtrack, and an 8-bit style video game that Dangerous Minds recently reported on.
Taking cues from Castelvania II: Simon’s Quest, Ghosts ‘N Goblins, and other favorites from the classic Nintendo era, Manos: The Hands Of Fate puts the player up against The Master, his minions, and big-kneed Torgo. Taking on the role of Mike, players will have to “wander into the desert, uncover a dark temple, and battle the forces of darkness.” The gameplay is more enjoyable than the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, less frustrating than Battletoads, and more faithful to the film that spawned it than Atari’s E.T. The box art hits the retro stylings right on the head (and is much more faithful to the game than the original Mega Man’s box art).
Most film to video game adaptations took liberties with the plots of the movies to create enemies and new levels; Manos features a stage where Mike flies a biplane, fights what appears to be the big bad from the schlocky Robot Monster, and is attacked by the couple that is seen making out through the entire film.
The game came about once the developer, Sam Beddoes, realized that Manos: The Hands Of Fate was in the public domain (as many movies featured on MST3K were). There are plenty of references to the film as well as the Mystery Science Theatre episode that spawned the Manos renaissance. Unfortunately, there are no plans for a game based on Hired, the short that was featured before Manos on the MST3K episode.
You can download your very own copy of Manos: The Hands Of Fate through iTunes or Google Play. If you’re too busy working for a living or spending time with your family, you can watch a play through on YouTube.