Cronela’s Mansion, A Cross-Platform Homebrew, Launches Kickstarter

There are ambitious homebrews, and then there’s Cronela’s Mansion, created by game developer Straynus. Most people who develop for retro systems pick one system and focus all their energy there. Straynus just couldn’t pick one…he developed a cross-platform game with NES, SNES, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance versions, PLUS a modern console version…each different!

Five different versions of the same game? You’d have to be a maniac…or just a fan of Maniac Mansion, the classic Lucasarts PC game that got an NES port back in the day. Cronela’s is an obvious riff on such a title, with its point-and-click exploration gameplay, wacky gothy characters, and puzzles that can only be solved through trial and error. Help Tommy, the rad dude with sunglasses, find his missing brother and maybe win the attention of green-haired Hedda (who owns a talking tarantula).

A unique homebrew means a unique crowdfunding campaign. There will be physical versions for each variant of Cronela’s Mansion (yes, even the Switch version). Some are more expensive than others, and the most expensive aren’t what you think. Game Boy is the lowest at 50 Euros / 52 dollars, of course, but the NES version is in the middle range at $75. While most NES homebrew carts set their prices at $60, this one needs a custom board and mapper, which is more expensive than just taking a board off the shelf. Same for the SNES version which costs even more ($79). The MOST expensive is….the PC version — almost no one produces physical PC games anymore, but Straynus sure does. The big box with all the feelies costs $119. We won’t even talk about the collectors’ editions, which cost more.

If you want to go cheaper, go digital. The Cronela’s Mansion ROM for GBC is $13. The Switch digital copy is $21, and the NES digital copy is $25. You can get ALL the digital versions in one tier for $105, or if you’re a true maniac for this mansion, ALL the physical versions for $403! And there are tiers even more expensive than that.

Like we said…ambitious. The Cronela’s Mansion campaign will remain open for an entire month, enough time to decide which version you want. The mansion shuts its doors on March 5. Oh yes…and you can try out demos for several versions through this link.