Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (video game)

Last updated
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life.jpg
North American Box Art
Developer(s) 7th Level
Publisher(s) 7th Level, Panasonic Interactive Media
Director(s) Steve Martino
Producer(s) Robert Ezrin
Writer(s) Bart Jennett
Platform(s) Windows
ReleaseDecember 1997 [1]
Genre(s) Adventure
Mode(s) Single player

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life is an adventure game created by 7th Level in 1997 for Windows. The game is based on the 1983 film of the same name and was the third of three Monty Python games created by 7th Level. It was rated Mature by the ESRB in North America.

Contents


Summary

Loosely based on the 1983 film of the same name, the title sees the player traverse through the different stages of life while collecting items. [2] The Monty Python Mrs. Particle and Mrs. Velocity comedy sketch audio is included as an unlockable easter egg in the game. [3]

Development

The Meaning of Life was the third in a trilogy of Python games developed by 7th Level, after Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time and Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail . [4] Halfway through developing The Meaning of Life, 7th Level went bankrupt, leading to Take Two Software to take over the financing, development and publication of the title. Due to the hurried completion, the game was released with various bugs. [5] The game went gold on November 4, 1997. [1]

While preparing for the fall launch of the title, Eric Idle also worked on the expansion of PythOnline. [6]

Critical reception

The Los Angeles Times said the game is "heavy on disjointed, psychedelic cartoons". [7]

Destructoid felt the game had "completely nonsensical, illogical, weird-as-hell puzzles". [8] Adventureclassicgaming asserted that it plays more like an adventure game than previous Python titles. [9] Just adventure felt the interface was easy to use. [10]

PC Gamer gave high praise to its sense of humour. [11] Entertainment Weekly wrote that it "subverts multimedia conventions and good taste with equally silly vigor". [12] The AV Vault noted the game's use of dry off-the-wall humour. [13] Monty Python fansite Montypython.net wrote it is "difficult, maddeningly illogical, silly and sure to offend". [14]

Related Research Articles

<i>Monty Pythons Life of Brian</i> 1979 film by Terry Jones

Monty Python's Life of Brian is a 1979 British comedy film starring and written by the comedy group Monty Python. It was directed by Jones. The film tells the story of Brian Cohen, a young Jewish-Roman man who is born on the same day as—and next door to—Jesus, and is subsequently mistaken for the Messiah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monty Python</span> British surreal comedy group

Monty Python were a British comedy troupe formed in 1969 consisting of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. The group came to prominence for the sketch comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus, which aired on the BBC from 1969 to 1974. Their work then developed into a larger collection that included live shows, films, albums, books, and musicals; their influence on comedy has been compared to the Beatles' influence on music. Their sketch show has been called "an important moment in the evolution of television comedy".

"The Funniest Joke in the World" is a Monty Python comedy sketch revolving around a joke that is so funny that anyone who reads or hears it promptly dies from laughter. Ernest Scribbler, a British "manufacturer of jokes", writes the joke on a piece of paper only to die laughing. His mother also immediately dies laughing after reading it, as do the first constables on the scene. Eventually the joke is contained, weaponized, and deployed against Germany during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Idle</span> British comedian, actor and writer (born 1943)

Eric Idle is an English actor, comedian, songwriter, musician, screenwriter and playwright. He was a member of the British surreal comedy group Monty Python and the parody rock band the Rutles. Idle studied at Pembroke College, Cambridge, and joined Cambridge University Footlights. He reached stardom when he co-created and acted in the sketch series Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–1974) and the films Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Life of Brian (1979) and The Meaning of Life (1983) with John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Graham Chapman.

<i>Monty Python Sings</i> 1989 compilation album by Monty Python

Monty Python Sings is a compilation album of songs by English comedy troupe Monty Python. Released in 1989 to celebrate their 20th anniversary, it contains popular songs from their previous albums and films. The album was dedicated to the memory of founding member Graham Chapman, who died two months before its release.

<i>Monty Pythons The Meaning of Life</i> 1983 film by British comedy group Monty Python

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, also known simply as The Meaning of Life, is a 1983 British musical sketch comedy film written and performed by the Monty Python troupe, directed by Terry Jones. The Meaning of Life was the last feature film to star all six Python members before the death of Graham Chapman in 1989.

<i>Discworld</i> (video game) A point-and-click adventure game

Discworld is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Teeny Weeny Games and Perfect 10 Productions and published by Psygnosis. It is based on Terry Pratchett's novels of the same name. Players assume the role of Rincewind the "wizzard", voiced by Eric Idle, as he becomes involved in exploring the Discworld for the means to prevent a dragon terrorising the city of Ankh-Morpork. The game's story borrows elements from several Discworld novels, with its central plot loosely based on the events in Guards! Guards!

<i>Spamalot</i> Musical comedy play by John Du Prez and Eric Idle

Spamalot is a stage musical with score by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, with lyrics and book by Idle. Based on the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the musical offers a highly irreverent parody of Arthurian legend.

<i>Monty Pythons Fliegender Zirkus</i> TV series or program

Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus are a pair of 45-minute Monty Python German television comedy specials produced by WDR for West German television. The two episodes were respectively first broadcast in January and December 1972 and were shot entirely on film and mostly on location in Bavaria, with the first episode recorded in German and the second recorded in English and then dubbed into German.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rabbit of Caerbannog</span> Fictional animal in the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail

The Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog is a fictional character in the Monty Python film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The scene in Holy Grail was written by Graham Chapman and John Cleese. The rabbit is the antagonist in a major set piece battle, and makes a similar appearance in Spamalot, a musical inspired by the movie. The iconic status of this scene was important in establishing the viability of the musical.

7th Level was a video game development company based in Dallas, Texas and founded in 1993. Notable game titles by the company include: the three Monty Python games ; G-Nome (1997), a MechWarrior-style game; Helicops (1997), an anime-inspired game that featured arcade-style aerial combat; and Tracer, a game where the player hacked computer systems distributed for cash by using a virtual avatar in the design of Neuromancer, Shadowrun, or Snowcrash-styled virtual worlds.

<i>Monty Pythons Complete Waste of Time</i> 1994 video game

Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time is a collection of minigames, screensavers, desktop wallpaper and icons for Mac OS System 7 and Windows released in 1994 by 7th Level, Inc. It was brought on board the Mir Space Station by astronaut Andy Thomas.

<i>Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail</i> 1996 video game

Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail is an adventure game created by 7th Level in 1996 for Windows. The game is based on the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail and was the second of three Monty Python games created by 7th Level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffrey Steefel</span>

Jeffrey Steefel is a creator of video games and former actor. He earned a degree in drama from University of California, Davis. Steefel served as Executive Producer at Turbine, Inc. from 2004 to 2015, during which time he led the creation and launch of The Lord of the Rings Online. Since 2015, he has been building a game development studio at Wizards of the Coast, currently in Open Beta with Magic: The Gathering Arena, the studio's first game.

<i>Monty Pythons Flying Circus</i> British sketch comedy television series (1969–1974)

Monty Python's Flying Circus is a British surreal sketch comedy series created by and starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Terry Gilliam, who became known collectively as "Monty Python", or the "Pythons". The first episode was recorded at the BBC on 7 September 1969 and premiered on 5 October on BBC1, with 45 episodes airing over four series from 1969 to 1974, plus two episodes for German TV. A feature film adaptation of several sketches, And Now for Something Completely Different, was released in 1971.

<i>Four Last Things</i> (video game) 2017 point-and-click adventure video game

Four Last Things is a point-and-click adventure video game. Made by Joe Richardson, it came out on 23 February 2017 for Windows, Android, and iOS.

<i>A Pocketful of Python</i>

A Pocketful of Python is a series of five books by the Monty Python team, in which each of the surviving members selects their favourite material from the group’s TV series, films, records and books. The first two volumes, by Terry Jones and John Cleese, were released in 1999 as part of the team’s 30th anniversary celebrations. Two further volumes, by Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin, followed in 2000 while the final volume, by Eric Idle, was eventually released in 2002. Each team member’s volume includes a preface written by one of the other Pythons. In 2006 all five volumes were released as a single paperback edition, entitled The Very Best of Monty Python.

<i>Rugrats Adventure Game</i> 1998 educational adventure video game

Rugrats Adventure Game is an educational adventure point and click video game based on the Rugrats television series released for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh on September 30, 1998. It was developed and published by Broderbund. The game follows Tommy Pickles and friends Chuckie, Phil, and Lil as they try to rescue Tommy's beloved toy Reptar from being thrown out as garbage. The game incorporates point and click gameplay, with characters and objects appearing in different locations even after the player has visited them once. Angelica, the series' main antagonist, appears in the game to help further the story and ultimately become the game's main villain.

<i>3-D Body Adventure</i> Educational video game released in 1994

3-D Body Adventure is a 1994 educational video game developed by Knowledge Adventure and published by Levande Böcker i Norden for MS-DOS, Mac OS, Microsoft Windows.

References

  1. 1 2 "New Developments in 7th Level Shift To Integrated Solutions, Tools & Technology". 7thlevel.com. November 14, 1997. Archived from the original on January 29, 1998. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  2. "Monty Python Proves It Again: Laughter Gives Meaning to Life". Los Angeles Times. 1998-02-05. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved 2019-06-06.
  3. "Looking for Lost Monty Python Material? Look No Further". www.vulture.com. 7 August 2018. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
  4. "Four Fat Chicks -- The Games of Monty Python". www.tap-repeatedly.com. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
  5. "Some Of The Corpses Are Amusing". sotcaa.org. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
  6. "Python's Idle Not Laughing at Web Prank". movies2.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
  7. "Monty Python Proves It Again: Laughter Gives Meaning to Life". Los Angeles Times. 1998-02-05. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved 2019-06-06.
  8. "Games time forgot: Monty Python's Meaning of Life". Destructoid. 27 November 2007. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
  9. "Monty Python's The Meaning of Life - Review - Adventure Classic Gaming - ACG - Adventure Games, Interactive Fiction Games - Reviews, Interviews, Features, Previews, Cheats, Galleries, Forums". www.adventureclassicgaming.com. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
  10. "Meaning of Life Review - Just Adventure +". 2008-04-11. Archived from the original on 2008-04-11. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
  11. Cobbett, Richard (2011-10-15). "Saturday Crapshoot: Monty Python". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
  12. "Monty Python's The Meaning of Life". EW.com. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
  13. "Monty Python's The Meaning of Life PC review | The Adrenaline Vault". 2011-07-24. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
  14. "Monty Python Videos and DVD". 2001-10-21. Archived from the original on 2001-10-21. Retrieved 2019-06-06.