The Manhole: Masterpiece Edition

The game Manhole defines the word "whimsy!" As a little kid, I spent a long time exploring and interacting with all the characters. It took me years to find it again here on Steam, and I still love it! While there's no villain or plot, it's a casual experience of wandering in the imaginary, not sure what surprises lie in every little thing until you experience them for yourself. I recommend this game to kids, even kids at heart. This was an incredible game for Cyan to start with.

It's not made clear from the description, but this title is not a true "game" so much as a software toy. You explore the world and click on and view quirky stuff. There's no goals or endings or real puzzles or anything like that. It's not entirely without merit. It's an interesting piece of gaming history, for one thing, as the first offering from the brothers that would eventually go on to make the extremely important Myst. There's some fun stuff to discover in here as well and some parts that I remember fondly. I'll probably go through it again at some point. It's an extremely niche product, however. It's also not as good as Cyan's later title Cosmic Osmo. Finally, while playable on modern computers, it's not the most stable experience and could prove pretty buggy. As such, I think you would only want to get this if you are interested in it for its historical significance or are a Cyan completionist, and don't recommend it for anybody else.

The Manhole: Masterpiece Edition, developed and published by Cyan Worlds, Inc., is less concerned with being a “game” in the modern sense and more focused on presenting an interactive, exploratory experience that predates many of the conventions players now expect. Originally created as an early experiment in digital storytelling, it invites players into a whimsical underground world discovered through something as ordinary as a manhole cover. What unfolds is not a structured journey with clear goals, but a series of curious encounters designed to spark imagination rather than challenge skill. From the moment you descend into its strange, dreamlike setting, the game establishes its core philosophy: exploration without pressure. There are no objectives to complete, no puzzles to solve in the traditional sense, and no fail states to worry about. Instead, you move through a collection of static yet interactive scenes, clicking on objects and characters to reveal small animations, sounds, or bits of surreal humor. This design creates a sense of freedom that feels almost meditative, encouraging players to engage with the environment at their own pace without the expectation of progress…

https://youtu.be/qnl5VRr0Pok More akin to a collection of lights and sounds than what a modern video game would is like the origination of many games came from such humble beginnings.

Having recently turned 39, I decided to play The Manhole for the first time. It does bring me back to my childhood, in that yes it strikes me as a computer game whose origins were in 1988. Back in the days when it was amusing to click a picture and hear a boing boing sound. This entire game is like a sophisticated version of one of those playtoys in the crib that makes noises and moves about and accomplishes nothing. In a way, that's how it was advertised too. I don't mean to denigrate the purpose- a surreal exploration game with no goal but to enjoy and be silly. But the length of this thing makes it tedious to learn. If I was young enough to laugh at the same goofy noise every day then maybe this would be the game for me. Would I have the motor skills to use the computer though? The Masterpiece Edition graphical upgrade over the original certainly aged poorly. It visually resembles Myst with less effort, but navigation is difficult. Where do I click to turn around? Can I go back from here? The original line art didn't translate well into 3D rendered worlds when the latter hints at open world exploration, but the navigational nodes are restricted. The music is obnoxious, with th…

An okay short "game" with a great music, great visuals, a wonderful atmosphere, & pretty good voice acting. But there wasn't really a story & the price of $5.99 is too much so get it you are a hardcore cyan fan or if its on sale.