History VideoGame / TheManhole

* TakeThat: On a shelf of children's books with pop-up descriptions of what they're about is a textbook called "Metaphors of Intercultural Philosophy".

* WideOpenSandbox: One designed for kids, in that there's no enemies to fight or treasure to hoard. Just looking around poking in every nook and cranny to see if anything fun happens.

* WarpWhistle: Mr. Dragon's TV set. You warp to a different place through it depending on what channel you pick.

* MythologyGag: In the Masterpiece Edition, the rhinoceros at the top of the tower tells you she was a flamingo in a previous life.

* WarpWhistle: Mr. Dragon's TV set.

* EdutainmentGame: Very mild educational elements, such as a book of the alphabet and a few sentences written in both French and English.

* WideOpenSandbox

''The Manhole'' is a 1988 computer game by Rand and Robyn Miller of Creator/{{Cyan}} Inc., better known as the creators of ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}''. It presents a whimsical universe for children to explore at their own leisure, with the exploration as its own reward. The authors had started with plans for an interactive but linear storybook, but found that building a storybook ''universe'' was much more fun.

* PortalPicture

''The Manhole'' is a 1988 computer game by Rand and Robyn Miller of Cyan Inc., better known as the creators of ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}''. It presents a whimsical universe for children to explore at their own leisure, with the exploration as its own reward. The authors had started with plans for an interactive but linear storybook, but found that building a storybook ''universe'' was much more fun.

* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins

* TurtlePower: He speaks French!

* CantTakeCrticism: Hamlet Pig will get irritated and refuse to let you pass if you say you don't like his (non-sequitur, randomly generated) poem. The rhinoceros lady he's guarding (presumably his superior) will tell you to just humour him whenever you speak to him because "his brain is very small".

In 1989, it earned the distinction of being the first game ever published as a CD-ROM. In the 1990s, the original UsefulNotes/AppleMacintosh UsefulNotes/HyperCard version started receiving ports to other platforms, including [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer MS-DOS, Windows]], and most recently, the [[IOSGames iPhone]].

* GenrePopularizer: The dawn of the [[PopUpVideoGames Pop Up Video Game]].

''The Manhole'' was followed by a SpiritualSuccessor [[RecycledINSPACE IN SPACE]], ''VideoGame/CosmicOsmo''.

* ChessMotifs -- The flamingo's domain.
* EdutainmentGame -- Very mild educational elements, such as a book of the alphabet and a few sentences written in both French and English.

* GenrePopularizer -- The dawn of the [[PopUpVideoGames Pop Up Video Game]].
* MacroZone -- And Macro Zones ''within'' Macro Zones. You can sail a tiny boat around the teacup of a rabbit who lives inside a fire hydrant.
* MythologyGag -- In the Masterpiece Edition, the rhinoceros at the top of the tower tells you she was a flamingo in a previous life.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent -- This dragon is a laid-back dude in CoolShades.

* ShoutOut -- The whooshes of a passing spaceship form the five-note motif from ''Film/CloseEncountersOfTheThirdKind''.

* TakeThat -- On a shelf of children's books with pop-up descriptions of what they're about is a textbook called ''Metaphors of Intercultural Philosophy.''
--> This book isn't about anything.
* TurtlePower -- He speaks French!
* UpdatedRerelease -- The "New and Enhanced" edition, the "Masterpiece" edition...
* WarpWhistle -- Mr. Dragon's TV set.

* WorldOfChaos -- There's no rhyme or reason between how the game's areas connect ''at all''. But then, that's part of the fun.

* WorldOfChaos -- There's no rhyme or reason between how the game's areas connect ''at all''.

* WorldOfChaos

* TurtlePower

''The Manhole'' is a 1988 computer game by Rand and Robyn Miller of Cyan Inc., better known as the creators of ''{{Myst}}''. It presents a whimsical universe for children to explore at their own leisure, with the exploration as its own reward. The authors had started with plans for an interactive but linear storybook, but found that building a storybook ''universe'' was much more fun.

In 1989, it earned the distinction of being the first game ever published as a CD-ROM. In the 1990s, the original {{Macintosh}} {{HyperCard}} version started receiving ports to other platforms, including [[IBMPersonalComputer MS-DOS, Windows]], and most recently, the [[IOSGames iPhone]].

* ShoutOut -- The whooshes of a passing spaceship form the five-note motif from ''CloseEncountersOfTheThirdKind''.

* EverythingsBetterWithBunnies

''The Manhole'' was followed by a SpiritualSuccessor [[RecycledINSPACE IN SPACE]], ''CosmicOsmo''.