Part 4: Maniac Mansion Part 3: Outer Lab Access

Maniac Mansion Part 3: Outer Lab Access


Now that we have the means to open the dungeon door at will, we still need to open the big, padlocked door on the left side of the dungeon. Getting the dungeon key wasn’t strictly necessary, I’ll admit, but an open door is much easier than using the Edison capture/loose brick method to wrangle everybody around.

Anyway, to get the outer door key, the first step is to have someone visit the fourth room on the fourth floor.


Which seems to belong to Dead Cousin Ted! Man, he had much nicer digs than in DotT.


My, she seems to be a, erm, very classy lady. What’s this machine called, “Hunk-O-Matic?” Well, I suppose I can give it a shot.



No more sand kicked in Bernard’s face! I should have done this ages ago!


Very nice sarcophagus. I wonder who uses it?


Oh! Excuse me, I didn’t know you were in here.



You won’t turn me in, right? All the other Edisons seem bent on capturing us.



Thanks. You know, I got roped into helping Dave rescue his girlfriend, but I’m honestly glad I came now.



It’s really been a learning experience for me. I hope you don’t mind, but I used your Hunk-O-Matic to do some quick bulking up.



Well, I should probably get going now. It was good talking to you.


In the main hall of the mansion, there is a door with no way of opening. So how does one open it?


I’m not sure how you were supposed to guess this, since there isn’t even a “Look At” verb to investigate anything. The only real indication is the fact that one of the two gargoyle heads is bigger than the other. Anyway, the door only stays open while someone is actively pushing the banister decoration, so it’s time to call in reinforcements.

Razor, are you around here?


Yeah, wha’d’ya want?
What were you doing in the kitchen?
Just havin’ some fun. Why’d you call me out here?
I think I can get into the basement through here, but I need someone to hold down this gargoyle head.
*sigh* DAVE?
YEAH?
I GOT SOMETHING FOR YOU TO STARE AT HERE.
COOL. BE RIGHT THERE.


UM, THE DOOR IS KIND OF LOCKED.

Let this be a warning. Ed locks the door after he leaves, so keep track of where everybody is. It’s not an unwinnable situation since you can use the doorbell to get into the dungeon and then back into the rest of the mansion, but it still kind of sucks.


Hello, Dave. I need you to hold down a gargoyle head for me.
It’s part of a staring contest or some shit. Just do it.
Don’t you worry, I can out-stare any inanimate object, just you wait!


Once again, the lights are out and you will need to feel for the switch.


Oh, my!


The key we’re looking for is the silver key, hanging on the wall next to the fuse box. Take my advice: don’t mess with the fuse box. It does not end well.


However, you can mess with this door here, assuming you have the old, rusty key.


As you can see, it leads directly to the dungeon. Now we just need to find the outer lab door key.


Through this door is the pool, which you saw in the roundup update.


You may have noticed that there’s a radio in the middle of the pool. Well, we need the radio, but no one wants to swim in hard water. So what are three college kids in a whacky situation to do?


Well, did anyone happen to notice this grate hidden behind some bushes? Simply pull them aside...


Shit. HEY, DAVE!
BUSY!
Retard. HEY, BERNARD!


Thank you, Charles Atlas!
Fuck, out-lifted by a nerd. I’ll never hear the end of this.


Getting through the grate lets you access the foundation of the mansion, as well as the plumbing.


And, for some reason, this valve in the front controls the pool’s water level. Simply open it up once Bernard is in place.


You’ll want to work quickly, since the pool is acting as coolant for the nuclear reactor. I could tell you why keeping the pool empty is a Bad Thing, but I think I’ll let Dr. Fred himself explain.


The pool is empty again! We’re going to have another meltdown!


I always get stuck with cheap equipment. Boy, is the meteor going to be pissed.




A far cry from his evil mastermind self. For bonus points, try to imagine that big, evil voice from DotT speaking these lines.

Purple Tentacle at your disposal, sir.
Quick! Go check out the reactor.
Yes sir!



Meanwhile, Bernard’s got some things he needs to grab. Not only can we get the radio now, but there’s also a glowing key here. Fortunately, radioactive iron is mostly harmless when exposed to it for a limited time. Not so harmless would be closing the valve right about now or pressing the Big Red Button there, but I’ll leave those actions to the next roundup update.


Meanwhile, Purple’s only action is to check the basement and switch out the lights. He doesn’t even see Dave, even though Purple enters from those stairs. Purple is also one of the reasons you shouldn’t mess with the fuse box.


Still, we got the glowing key, which is what unlocks that outer door. See you next time, when we go through the much more complicated process of opening up the lab’s inner door.