Mad Professor Mariarti
| Industry | Video game development |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1990 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Mad Professor Mariarti |
Mad Professor Mariarti is a puzzle-platform game created and released by Krisalis Software in 1990.
Plot
Disorder has taken over the five laboratories of Professor Mariarti following experiments that caused equipment and objects to animate, interrupting his research. To regain control, Mariarti must deactivate all laboratories, demonstrate his mental stability, and avoid being confined to an institution.
Gameplay
The game comprises five distinct laboratories: Biological Observations, Chemical Research Department, Computer Laboratory, Spacerocket Development, and Central Power Control. Players may explore the first four labs in any sequence; the Central Power Control becomes accessible only after the others are shut down. The Amiga and Archimedes editions utilize horizontal scrolling combined with vertical flip-screen mechanics, whereas the Atari ST version implements flip-screen in both horizontal and vertical directions.
Within each laboratory, Mariarti collects various items to unlock new sections and ultimately deactivate the lab. Examples include:
- Jam jars functioning as colour filters to reveal hidden doors
- A diver’s helmet enabling survival in high-pressure chambers
- A planted bean that grows into a beanstalk climbable by Mariarti
- A battery used to power a robot that retrieves items out of reach
Enemies encountered correspond to their respective laboratory themes—such as walking floppy disks and joysticks in the Computer Lab; flasks and molecular models in Chemical Research; and mutated plants and animals in Biological Observations.
Mariarti begins equipped with an unlimited supply of spanners for defense. Additional weapons can be acquired from Tool Vendors by spending tokens collected throughout the labs. Environmental dangers include acid pools that slowly deplete health and deadly electric zappers. Certain hazards can be neutralized through switches located within each laboratory. Ultimately, activating a final switch in every lab shuts it down, returning Mariarti to the central lobby where the next laboratory can be selected.