The Beginning of an Era
In the early 1980s, Nintendo made a decisive step into the portable gaming market. With the release of Manhole in January 1981, the company introduced a brand-new product line – Game & Watch. The game was designed by visionary Gunpei Yokoi, who would later become known as the "father" of the Game Boy.
Gameplay
The player controls a worker holding a manhole cover. Pedestrians walk across the screen, and the goal is to place the cover under their feet at the right moment so they don’t fall.
If someone falls → you lose a life.
After several mistakes → the game is over.
The longer you survive → the faster and harder it becomes!
This simple yet tense mechanic makes Manhole a prime example of a game that is "easy to learn, hard to master."
Significance for Nintendo
Manhole illustrates Yokoi’s philosophy of "Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology" – using affordable and simple technology in a brilliantly creative way. The game laid the foundation for an entire generation of portable consoles that achieved worldwide success.
Fan Port for Oric
The legacy of Manhole continues to live on through fans and collectors.
This one preserves the original concept – moving the manhole cover to save pedestrians – but adapts it to the aesthetics and limitations of classic home computers from the 1980s. This version serves as a bridge between two different retro worlds – Game & Watch and Oric.
Controls
Q, A, P, L - Move player
Forum Link
https://forum.defence-force.org/viewtopic.php?p=33151
Game release date
09.2025
Download Link
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Gallery
