Maabus

Maabus
DeveloperMicroforum International
PublisherMonolith
PlatformsMS-DOS, Windows 3.1x
Release1995
GenreAction-adventure
ModeSingle-player

Maabus is an action-adventure game developed by Canadian studio Microforum International and published by Monolith Productions in 1994.

Gameplay

Maabus is a science‑fiction adventure set on a lush, mysterious island and features hostile creatures that appear along the player's path. Exploration is presented through navigable video, creating the sensation of moving through a three‑dimensional environment rather than viewing static scenes. These components are blended to form an interactive adventure that draws on environmental exploration, sudden encounters with enemies, and movement through video-based spaces.[1]

Development

Maabus was developed by Microforum International. Since its 1987 founding the Canadian studio had primarily manufactured and duplicated compact discs. The decision was made to transition into game production in 1992.[2][3] Maabus was produced by the company's vice president Claudio Baiocchi, who also served as one of the story writers.[4] Freelance writer Robin Rowland said that Microforum approached him about penning the game's scenario in the winter of 1993.[5] Baiocchi described it as a "classic good-versus-evil plot." Development allegedly took 25,000 man-hours by 15 senior staff members.[4] Its trailer, set to the song Think About the Way by Ice MC, claimed that the game required 9,800 hours of 3D animation rendering; 5,320 hours of programming; 3,000 hours of drawing; 1,000 hours of sound effects recording; 710 hours of music selections; 400 hours of video and audio recording; and 2,000 hours of testing.[6] Microforum promoted Maabus at COMDEX in late 1994.[7] Coming on three discs, the game utilized the Multimedia PC configuration. Microforum planned to release a full-screen MPEG version.[4]

Reception

Next Generation reviewed the PC version of the game, rating it one star out of five, and stated that "unless looking at a handful of pretty pictures and dying in countlessly unpredictable ways is your idea of fun, spend your money on something else."[9]

Bob Strauss of Entertainment Weekly gave the game an A− and described the game as a combination of Myst, Doom, and The 7th Guest. He wrote that the game is as addictive as any of the games from which it draws inspiration.[1]

Trish Murphy for The Sydney Morning Herald said, "Despite its quirks, I found Maabus imaginative, challenging and great to play."[22]

Allie West for CD-ROM Today felt that the time limit "adds a certain tension", but noted that "the overall drifting nature makes this ultimately monotonous".[23]

CD-ROM Review rated the game a 4 out of 5 and called it an "exotic, compelling adventure game".[24]

The game sold more than 100,000 copies.[25]

References

  1. ^ a b c Strauss, Bob (July 21, 1995). "Maabus". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  2. ^ Vale, Allison (October 10, 1994). "Microforum taps the budding edutainment market". Playback. Archived from the original on September 7, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  3. ^ Hyams, Philip (October 1995). "Interview: Good CD-ROM producers wear many hats". Canadian Computer Wholesaler. Vol. 1, no. 5. OCP Publications. pp. 54–5. ISSN 1203-3138.
  4. ^ a b c Maddever, Mary (February 13, 1995). "SGI's new Webforce and reality pricing". Playback. Archived from the original on September 7, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  5. ^ Rowland, Robin (February 23, 2008). "My microcareer in videogames". The Garrett Tree. Archived from the original on November 17, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  6. ^ "Maabus Game Trailer". Microforum International. 1995. Retrieved March 8, 2025 – via Archive.org.
  7. ^ Rimer, Rom (December 5, 1994). "Comdex: pitching a virtual city". Playback. Archived from the original on September 8, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  8. ^ Perry, Kevin; Chapman, Ted; Kaiafas, Tasos (June 1995). "Reviews: Evil Mutants in the South Pacific". Computer Game Review. Vol. 4, no. 11. Sendai Publishing. p. 40. ISSN 1062-113X.
  9. ^ a b Next Generation staff (July 1995). "Finals". Next Generation. No. 7. Imagine Media. p. 74. ISSN 1078-9693.
  10. ^ PC Gamer staff (June 1995). "Reviews: Maabus". PC Gamer. Future plc. ISSN 1080-4471. Archived from the original on 22 October 1996.
  11. ^ West, Allie (September 1995). "Games Scene: Name of the game". CD-ROM Today. No. 17. Imagine Publishing. p. 88. ISSN 1069-4099.
  12. ^ Ward, Trent (August 1995). "Fondo Mediocre: Maabus" [Mediocre Background: Maabus]. CD-ROM Magazine (in Spanish). No. 6. Hobby Press. p. 78.
  13. ^ Olafson, Peter (June 1995). "Adventure Games: Maabus". Electronic Entertainment. Vol. 2, no. 6. IDG. p. 72.
  14. ^ Génération 4 staff (December 1995). "Test Express: Maabus". Génération 4 (in French). No. 83. Pressimage. p. 170. ISSN 1624-1088.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ Lord Casque Indigo (June 1995). "Maabus: Trop court, trop vague" [Maabus: Too short, too vague]. Joystick (in French). No. 61. Hachette Filipacchi Médias. p. 113. ISSN 1145-4806.
  16. ^ Jansohn, Udo (June 1995). "Review: Maabus – Expedition". PC Games (in German). No. 33. Computec. p. 102. ISSN 0946-6304.
  17. ^ Schnelle, Martin (August 1995). "Maabus". PC Joker (in German). Joker-Verlag. p. 22.
  18. ^ Stangl, Florian (June 1995). "Maabus". PC Player (in German). Future Verlag. p. 70. ISSN 0943-6693.
  19. ^ Wiesner, Thomas (July 1995). "PC CD-ROM Review: Maabus". Play Time (in German). Computec. pp. 89–90.
  20. ^ Heukemes, Frank (June 1995). "Reif für die Insel: Maabus" [Ready for the Island: Maabus]. Power Play (in German). Future Verlag. p. 89. ISSN 0937-9754.
  21. ^ Jama (May 1995). "Maabus". Secret Service (in Polish). Proscript. p. 44. ISSN 1230-7726.
  22. ^ Murphy, Trish (May 9, 1995). "Exploring by Proxy: Maabus". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 39. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Name of the Game". CD-ROM Today (17): 88. September 1995 – via Internet Archive.
  24. ^ Princeton Media Group (1995). Philip Lief Group (ed.). CD-ROM review : the only guide you need to make informed CD-ROM purchases (1996 ed.). New York, NY: HarperPerennial. p. 301. ISBN 0-06-273382-6. OCLC 33078851.
  25. ^ "Microforum Inc". National Post. March 27, 1997. p. 130. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. Retrieved September 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

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