Maniac Mansion
Reed highlighted the "wonderfully ambitious" design of "Maniac Mansion", in reference to its writing, interface, and cast of characters. Game designer Sheri Graner Ray believed the game to challenge "damsel in distress" stereotypes through its inclusion of female protagonists. Conversely, writer Mark Dery argued that the goal of rescuing a kidnapped cheerleader reinforced negative gender roles. The Lucasfilm team built on their experiences from "Maniac Mansion" and became increasingly ambitious in subsequent titles. Gilbert admitted to making mistakes—such as the inclusion of no-win situations—in "Maniac Mansion", and he applied these lessons to future projects. For example, the game relies on timers rather than events to trigger cutscenes, which occasionally results in awkward transitions: Gilbert worked to avoid this flaw with the "Monkey Island" series. Because of "Maniac Mansion"s imperfections, Gilbert considers it his favorite of his games.