Codex Gamicus
Register
Advertisement
Midnight Rescue!
Midnightlearn.jpg
Developer(s) The Learning Company
Publisher(s) The Learning Company
Designer
Engine
status Status Missing
Release date 1989 (NA)
Genre Educational
Mode(s) Single-player
Age rating(s)
Platform(s) PC, DOS, Apple Macintosh
Arcade system Arcade System Missing
Media Floppy disk[1]
Input Keyboard
Requirements
Credits | Soundtrack | Codes | Walkthrough

Midnight Rescue is an educational game created by The Learning Company designed to help strengthen children's reading and critical thinking skills. It is intended for children grades 3-5.[2]

Gameplay[ | ]

In this game, the Master of Mischief (Morty Maxwell) is planning to make the Shady Glen School disappear at midnight using invisible paint. He is hiding in one of five robots brought to life from paintbrushes to try to deceive the Super Solver. The Super Solver has a camera and he will use it to take pictures of the robots, which reveals things they are carrying that have been rendered invisible as well as making the robot disappear. By reading various short stories and articles scattered around the school and correctly answering questions posed by the Master of Mischief at the end, the Super Solver gains clues as to what the correct robot is carrying.

One thing that makes the game harder is the fact that the Super Solver has limited time and film. From the moment the game starts, you will have 9 minutes to stop the Master of Mischief (the clock shows three hours from 9:00 to midnight). However, time is paused when he looks at clues and his notes. He can get more film from a film machine that is found somewhere in the halls of the school every game. There's one catch, though: he can only get film if he answered a question or questions correctly; otherwise, the film machine will say "EMPTY!!!"

He also has to be careful when one of them appears. If he doesn't take the picture fast enough, too fast so he doesn't get the robot, or takes it in the wrong direction, the robot will try and get him in one of two ways:

  • Throwing a trick at him; for example, a pie or banana peel. This costs the Super Solver 45 seconds (15 minutes on the clock).
  • Crashing into him. This costs him one shot per crash.

However, the Super Solver can avoid this by jumping or moving into a classroom or up/down the stairs.

Robots[ | ]

The robots were all formed from painting/cleaning instruments.

  • Buffo - a buffing brush
  • Lectro - an electric paintbrush
  • Pogo - a rubber cement brush
  • Rollo - a paint roller
  • Turbo - a spray can

End scenarios[ | ]

At the end of the game, the player would proceed to click on the robot that they believed the Master of Mischief to be hiding in. The Super Solver would then accuse the chosen robot of being the Master of Mischief. Either one of two endings would follow:

  • If the player was correct, the robot would turn into the Master of Mischief, who would disappear after the Super Solver threw a pie at him.
  • If the player was incorrect, the robot would then douse the Super Solver in Disappearing Paint, effectively terminating all resistance, and then run around the school.

It is also possible to simply run out of time. If that happens, the school disappears. No points are collected.

Music[ | ]

  • The music heard at the beginning of the game and in the hallways of the school is The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Paul Dukas.
  • The music heard inside the rooms of the school is In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg from Peer Gynt.

Enhanced version[ | ]

In 1995, a slightly enhanced and more Windows-friendly version was released on CD-ROM.

References[ | ]

External links[ | ]

Template:Edu-videogame-stub

Advertisement