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As regular readers are probably aware, all of us here at ViTNO are huge fans of the Commodore 64, so it’s our great pleasure to be able to present to you an exclusive look at Mancave – Wife Free Zone, a brand new game from the venerable Commodore scene group, Megastyle – we were keen to get the latest information on this project and Roy Widding (@Rotterroy) made contact with us to provide the details!

Originally conceived and scripted by Widding (Captain Cloudberry, Tombstones), the game focuses on the plight of one Richard Morningwood, average suburbanite male and hero of the story. Returning from work one day, Richard decides to retreat to the titular “mancave” – a personal fiefdom decked out with various gadgets, tech-toys, not to mention a personal stash of “adult” magazines that Richard finds to be the perfect way to unwind at the end of a long and stressful day at the office…

Disaster strikes when Richard discovers that his kids, Brad and Kyle, have managed to break into the mancave and purloined his collection of adult reading matter, proceeding to distribute them liberally around the house.

The game features plenty of arcade platforming action as players take control of Richard in a race against time to round up the magazines from around the house before they’re discovered by his wife. If that didn’t seem a daunting enough prospect, you must make sure not to let any of the family members catch you in the act of rounding up such filthy possessions, as well as keeping a look out for Richard’s dreaded mother-in-law. Then there’s the added complication of the Freddy, the local carpenter and additional nuisance, whose handiwork around the Morningwood household has resulted in numerous holes appearing in the floor, making Richard’s task ever harder!

It’s safe to say that poor old Richard really does have his work cut out for him, and this sorry state of affairs has started to have an adverse effect on the poor chap’s stress levels. Should Richard get too stressed out, he’s likely to burst a blood vessel and it’ll be game over!

The game is being coded by Chris Stanley (@ScubaChris72), who’s other works include Exploding Fish, also heading to the C64. The game is still at an early stage of development, but Roy was kind enough to supply us with some promotional screenshots and artwork that showcase the game’s art style, which we think you’ll agree look stunning. The background art has been created by graphic artist David Eriksson (FX), whose portfolio includes titles such as Spike 64 Dislike and Penultimate Fantasy, while other graphics were created by Widding himself.

Roy was also able to provide a sample of the game’s soundtrack, some which sound rather similar to a certain hit BBC sitcom from the mid 1990s that’s very much in tune with the game’s theme! The rest of the samples sound great and we can’t wait to hear the final result.

Many thanks to Roy Widding and the rest of the Megastyle team for providing us with this early reveal and we’ll continue to bring you progress on this project as more information becomes available!

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