Manhole (Game & Watch)
Manhole is a Game & Watch game that was released as a part of the Gold series on January 29, 1981, and was rereleased as a part of the New Wide Screen series on August 24, 1983. It was the first game in the Gold series. The New Wide Screen version was ported as a minigame in both Game & Watch Gallery and Game & Watch Gallery 4. Manhole is one of Game & Watch Gallery's Gallery Corner games.
The alarm indicator of the Gold version is a woman that is located beside the time/score, and the woman swings a bell when the alarm goes off. In the New Wide Screen version, there is also a woman as the alarm indicator, located beside the miss counter, and the woman also swings a bell when the alarm goes off.
Gameplay
Classic version
The main character has to stop pedestrians from falling into holes that lead to the sewers below. To do this, he uses a manhole cover, which fills in the holes long enough for the people to pass. The player earns a point for every pedestrian who travels across a manhole cover. As the game progresses, the pedestrians will move faster. More of them appear in Game B. If a pedestrian falls into the water, the player gets a miss. If the player reaches 300 points without any misses, the points will be worth double until the player does get a miss. If the player has any misses at said score, every miss will be cleared instead. When the player gets three misses, they receive a Game Over.
Modern version
Manhole was remade with an updated "Modern" version for Game & Watch Gallery. Toad, Donkey Kong Jr., and Mario are the pedestrians in this version, walking at different speeds, while Yoshi is the character the player controls. In this version, four manhole covers can stay up at once, unlike the original. The manhole covers can drop from characters stepping on them, causing the next pedestrian to fall if Yoshi does not act quickly. Yoshi can also hold a manhole cover in place to keep it from falling. He holds up the upper manhole covers with his head and the lower ones with his tongue. At 200, 500, and 700 points, a Chubby comes out of the ground and throws a heart at Yoshi, which removes a miss if he catches it. This version also features music, with the tempo changing depending on the speed of the game.
Controls
: Move
: Diagonal
Appearances in other games
Super Smash Bros. series
In Flat Zone and Flat Zone 2 (from Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, respectively), the main character from Manhole appears, where his manhole cover can be used as a platform. Mr. Game & Watch also has a move where he flips a manhole cover in front of him, based on Manhole.
WarioWare series
In WarioWare: Smooth Moves, there is a microgame similar to Manhole called Bridge Work, which is found in Orbulon's stage.
In WarioWare Gold, a microgame based on Manhole called Game & Watch: Manhole appears as one of 5-Volt's microgames. There is also a full length minigame with the same name.
Manhole-e
A card for the Game Boy Advance add-on, the e-Reader, contains a full version of the Manhole game. There were two versions of the card: One came bundled with the e-Reader peripheral device, and the other was distributed during E3 2002, although there are no differences between the two beyond the former being blue-colored and the latter being brown-colored. It was the only Game & Watch game to be released on an e-Reader card in America, although a series was planned at one point. The game was the Classic version.
Flavor text (English): Close the open manholes so no one falls in. If someone falls in, it is considered a "miss." "Miss" three times and the game is over. You can select GAME A(easy) or GAME B(hard) at the beginning of the game.
DSiWare
The game was re-released for Nintendo DSi's DSiWare. It was released on August 18, 2009, in Japan; April 5, 2010, in the USA; and April 9, 2010, in Europe and Australia. It was later released in Nintendo 3DS's Nintendo eShop.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl sticker information
| Name | Image | Artwork from | Effect in The Subspace Emissary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manhole | 
|
Game & Watch | [Arm, Leg] - Attack +5 |
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U trophy information
This is the only Game & Watch trophy not to utilize the handheld itself. Instead, it features a sprite from the game.
| Name | Image | Appears In | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manhole | 
|
G&W Manhole (01/1981) | No scrolling, only one stage, only a few sounds, and the age of 3D was nothing more than a twinkle in someone's eye. Nevertheless, this game was a blast at the time. In the Game & Watch title Manhole, you move a manhole cover back and forth so that the pedestrians can safely cross the road. What a simple yet fun game! |
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 人孔[1] Rénkǒng |
Manhole |
Media
|
It has been suggested that audio and/or video file(s) related to this section be uploaded. Reason: DSi version only Please upload all related music, sound effects, voice clips, or any videos for this section. See the help page for information on how to get started. |
Gallery
Modern version
Manhole cover
External links
- North American site (Internet Archive)
- Nintendo UK site
- Info page for the original Manhole on In the Attic, a website dedicated to classic videogames.
- In the Attic info page for a second version of Manhole, released on the Wide Screen Game & Watch system in 1983.
| Game & Watch games | ||
|---|---|---|
| Super Mario franchise | Donkey Kong (1982, MS) • Mario Bros. (1983, MS) • Mario's Cement Factory (1983, TT/NWS) • Mario's Bombs Away (1983, PS) • Donkey Kong Hockey (1984, MVS) • Super Mario Bros. (1986, CrS | 1987, Sp | 1988, NWS) • Mario the Juggler (1991, NWS) • Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. (2020, CoS) | |
| Donkey Kong franchise | Donkey Kong (1982, MS) • Donkey Kong Jr. (1982, NWS | 1983, TT & PS) • Donkey Kong II (1983, MS) • Donkey Kong 3 (1984, MVS) • Donkey Kong Circus (1984, PS) • Donkey Kong Hockey (1984, MVS) | |
| Miscellaneous | Green House (1982, MS) | |
| MS: Multi Screen • TT: Table Top • PS: Panorama Screen • NWS: New Wide Screen • MVS: Micro VS. System • CrS: Crystal Screen • Sp: Special • CoS: Color Screen | ||
- ^ From the iQue DSiWare release
