Manhunter 2: San Francisco
Manhunter 2: San Francisco was developed by Evryware and published by Sierra On-Line in 1989 for MS-DOS, Macintosh, Amiga, and Atari ST. Manhunter was created by three siblings, Dave Murry, Barry Murry, and Dee Dee Murry. Manhunter 2 was the last game Sierra published using their Adventure Game Interpreter (AGI) engine. (Though eventually some indie game developers would create their own games using it, like Enclosure 3-D and King’s Quest 1 Redux.)
Manhunter is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi series. In the year 2004, giant floating eyeballs called Orbs have taken over Earth. You play as a Manhunter, forced to track down other humans. The sequel immediately follows the first game, with the player in pursuit of a serial killer name Phil. Once again, the game uses real maps of the city, and features several landmarks.
I originally played Manhunter 2 on a Macintosh 512K, in beautifully dithered monochrome—a look that was particularly suited to the game. Like Sierra’s other AGI Mac ports, text was in a unique, high-resolution font, and icons and menus were available for quick shortcuts to common actions. I start off by sharing my original box, as well as a look at the black and white version of the game. I then switch to playing on an emulated Macintosh II, in all 16 colors.
- Evryware Game Studios
The developer’s web site, still online as of May 2024. - Request Manhunter: San Francisco on GOG
The Manhunter series is not currently sold online. You can ask GOG to add it here. - Manhunter: San Francisco on Wikipedia
- Manhunter is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi series that includes themes of slavery and murder, and gory visuals. Chinese characters are depicted using racist stereotypes, with bright yellow skin.
Part 1
Let’s check out Manhunter 2: San Francisco for Macintosh! The giant floating eyeballs have… eyes now? Upsetting.
Part 2
The sky is red, robots are blue, let’s play Manhunter SF on my Macintosh II.
Part 3
I think it’s time to climb the Ghirardelli sign? Manhunter 2: San Francisco continues!
Part 4 (plus Elsewhere in the Night)
Last week, Manhunter 2 defeated me. Tonight, I will not stop until I have defeated it. Hopefully we’ll have time for CosmicVoid’s Elsewhere in the Night afterward—a recent game inspired by the Manhunter series!