Morteviele’s mansion
Le Manoir de Mortevielle is an adventure video game developed and published by Lankhor in 1987.
Above in the middle the Amiga game cover.
Let’s not ignore the creative team:
Authors: Bernard Grelaud, Bruno Gourier
Cast: B. Bruno Gourier
Graphics: Maria Dolores, Dominique Sablons, Bernard Grelaud
Sounds / voice synthesis: Batrice & Jean-Luc Langlois
My memory, and what a memory, concerns the “running” game on the wonderful Commodore Amiga. I have to admit that according to several unanimous opinions, the game was slightly better than the Atari ST, with the latter “handling” the sound better (ouch, it hurts).
The action begins in the office and with a spoken introduction (by speech synthesis). You are Jrme Lange, private detective, under your door there is a letter from Julia, a childhood friend who invites you to go to the Mortevielle manor for no reason.
The reception of Jrme Lange by the butler of the Mortevielle manor is a moment we will not forget: “Jrme, a long time ago … How sad, Juliet is dead”.
This is followed by a long monologue from our “friend Max” (the butler), in which he tells us who lives in the manor, what the operating rules of the manor are (meal times, fair times, etc …) and explains for us that we have to stay in the mansion because of the storm.
The villa has an impressive number of rooms to be “visited”.
You end up in your room.
The places to be explored are Legion: A secret passage; A cave; An attic; A chapel; A crypt; A fountain …
You can search all of these places (but discreetly if possible, otherwise you will either be kicked out or you).
The game allows you to go anywhere in the mansion as well as outside (but not too far or death is guaranteed).
Julia’s family is housed in the villa: Guy her son and Eva her daughter-in-law, Lo her husband, her stepson Pat and the cousins Bob, Ida and Luc.
You can interview them to advance your investigation and they will answer you through speech synthesis.
Not only is it an innovative game, it’s an excellent one too. He scored 16/20 on his Tilt # 58 test.
The game received two Golden Tilt awards from said Tilt magazine.
Laurat at Tilts d’or 1987 in the Best Sound Effects category and in the Best Adventure Software category.
It was also the first game to get a 100% rating in Generation4 magazine.
Video bonus:
