Day of the Tentacle, also known as Maniac Mansion II: Day of the Tentacle, is a 1993 graphic adventure game developed and published by LucasArts. It is the sequel to the 1987 game Maniac Mansion. The game’s plot follows Bernard Bernoulli and his friends Hoagie and Laverne as they attempt to stop the evil Purple Tentacle — a sentient, disembodied tentacle — from taking over the world. The player takes control of the three and solves puzzles while using time travel to explore different periods of history.
Dave Grossman and Tim Schafer co-led the game’s development, their first time in such a role. The pair carried over a limited amount of elements from Maniac Mansion and forwent the character selection aspect to simplify development. Inspirations included Chuck Jones cartoons and the history of the United States. Day of the Tentacle is the eighth LucasArts title to use the SCUMM engine, and the company’s first title to feature voice acting.
The game was released simultaneously on floppy disk and CD-ROM to critical acclaim and commercial success. Critics focused on its cartoon-style visuals and comedic elements. Day of the Tentacle has featured regularly in lists of “top” games published more than two decades after its release, and aspects have been referenced in popular culture.
Minimum System Requirements | Recommended System Requirements | |
CPU | INTEL 2 GHz Dual Core | Intel Pentium III / AMD Athlon XP 1500+ |
VRAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
RAM | 1 GB | 128 MB |
OS | Windows XP/Vista/7/8/8.1/10 | Windows XP/Vista/7/8/8.1/10 |
Graphics Card | nVidia GeForce 6100 / AMD Radeon 7000 64mb | |
Direct X | 9.0c | DX 9 |
SOUND CARD | DirectX Compatible | DirectX Compatible |
HDD Space | 100 MB free | 250 MB |
Game Analysis | The game, which takes place five years after Maniac Mansion, opens with Purple Tentacle becoming exposed to toxic waste spewing from Dr. Fred Edison's mansion. The toxic waste isn't the by-product of any experiment, it's a device designed specifically to pump toxic sludge out of the building, as it is all the rage with mad scientists lately. Purple's ingestion of it results in him growing a pair of flipper-like arms, vastly increased intelligence, and acquiring a thirst for global domination. | |
High FPS | 200+ FPS ( GTX 1060 ) | |
Optimization Score | 10 |