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Manhunter: New York is a post-apocalyptic adventure game set in the (then)
futuristic year of 2004, when Earth has been enslaved by a race of aliens known as
the Orbs. The Orbs, who look like giant floating eyeballs, have implanted all humans
with tracking devices, forced them to wear nondescript robes and forbidden them
from speaking. The protagonist has been assigned by the Orbs to track down fellow
humans who are believed to be forming an underground resistance. Over the course of
the game, the player discovers that the Orbs are not the benevolent rulers they
claim to be; they are actually harvesting humans as a food source. The player then
"switches sides" and works to overthrow the Orbs. Manhunter: New York utilized
Sierra's Adventure Game Interpreter (AGI) development tool. It was very different
from other AGI games in that it did not use a text parser, incorporated a
first-person rather than third-person perspective, and featured a rudimentary
point-and-click interface. In these ways, Manhunter foreshadowed later games like
Myst. The gritty, sometimes gory visuals, unique interface, and use of real-life
locations in New York City all helped set the game apart from Sierra's other titles,
which were typically more family oriented. |
