Point and click adventure games have a certain undeniable charm about them, granting exceptional immersion despite their occasionally clunky controls and obtuse puzzles. In the sea of retro point and clicks, the “MacVenture” franchise stands out, thanks to its brutal difficulty and macabre tone. Originally developed by ICOM Simulations for the Macintosh and later ported to the NES, this memorable series is unforgiving, morbid, and absolutely aimed at adults. Uninvited (Macintosh, 1986), is somewhat of a black sheep in the series, and is often overlooked next to other MacVenture titles like Déjà Vu (Macintosh, 1985) and Shadowgate (1987). That’s a shame, as Uninvited is an underrated horror adventure that pushed the boundaries of the Nintendo Entertainment System, leaving lasting memories along the way.
Into the Haunted Mansion
Like many classic horror games, Uninvited is set in an ominous, seemingly haunted mansion, bursting to the seams with paranormal activity. You play as an unnamed character who wakes up after a terrible car crash, and with your younger sister missing from the passenger seat, you hurriedly out for help. Left stranded, you enter a foreboding manor in search of assistance, but wind up much worse for wear. Making the situation even more dire, the house is infested with all manner of spooky inhabitants, including ghosts, tricksters, and plenty of paranormal creatures, all of which are insistent on ending your life.
This isn’t Resident Evil (PlayStation, 1996); you won’t be able to kill these creatures with a handgun or grenades. Instead, Uninvited challenges you to use your wits by collecting items, combining them in unusual ways, and solving puzzles to survive the night. A lot of your time will be spent clicking around various rooms, searching for keys or other useful items, hoping that something you find will aid against the inevitable horrors to come.
For example, when you encounter a ghost early in the game, most actions will result in your swift death. However, if you explore the house enough to find a can of “No-Ghost”, simply spraying that on the specter will get the job done. It’s not about how precisely you can aim or how quickly you can run, it’s all about finding a unique solution to each encounter. Most of the puzzles in Uninvited are a bit more complex, but you get the idea.
Bumps in the Night
That said, Uninvited isn’t without its flaws. The interface is a little clunky, some puzzles can result in pixel hunts, and deaths can be frustrating, but the atmosphere more than makes up for it. Every moment you spend searching through this sprawling haunted mansion is full of suspense and mystery, especially as you start uncovering some of its secrets. The NES version also provides vibrant colors and removes some of the bothersome features of the Macintosh original, including a hidden background failure timer, streamlined magic usage, and a few other fixes.
Courtesy of The Cover Project
If you’ve never played Uninvited, I highly recommend that you track down a copy and check it out. It’s one of the few horror games in the otherwise expansive NES library, and a great entry point into the MacVenture series as a whole. In addition to the old school Mac, Amiga, Atari ST, and NES versions, you can also play Uninvited on modern systems via the 8-Bit Adventure Anthology, available on Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation consoles.