Automania [Windows]

Originally released in 1984 by Mikro-Gen, Automania (also known as Manic Mechanic) challenged players to assemble ten cars while navigating a factory full of hazards. Decades later, Langford Productions recreated this classic for Windows, preserving the original levels and adding a bonus screen for fans of the Spectrum era.

In the remake, which was released in 2015, players guide Wally Week through a lively and hazardous factory environment. Collecting parts and assembling cars remains the core challenge, demanding careful timing and precision as obstacles like bouncing tires and automated machinery test the player. The original pixel graphics have been enlarged and colorized, creating a “Speccyvision” aesthetic while avoiding the notorious Spectrum color clash.

Back then, Richard Langford (the author, if it’s not clear enough), who hadn’t developed a game since the early 1990s, used Game Maker to bring Automania to modern PCs. The project highlights how fan-made remakes can honor classic gameplay while updating visuals and accessibility, preserving a piece of gaming history for new audiences.

You can download this free game here!

Trailer

About the game

Welcome to the world of Wally Week.

O.K. Wally try and get it right this time! All you have to do is get these car parts from the store, take them to the assembly area and put ’em together. Simple, INNIT?

If you had bought decent shelving units things wouldn’t keep falling off, would they Wally, and if the gangplanks seem to have a mind of their own it’s ‘cause you’re a Wally, Wally. If you put things back in their right places you wouldn’t have to jump over them to get what you want. With your flat hat, beer belly and oversize boots you really are a Wally, Wally.

You as Wally Week have a number of cars to build, each consisting of 6 parts. You will begin in the store area with tyres bouncing around to hit you. You must go to the stock room, identify the parts required, and go up the ladders to each level to collect them (moving over the part will collect it). The gangplanks are none too safe and you must jump the gaps to reach the relevant parts. There are various items strewn on the floors which again have to be jumped over. These appear in different places on the screen, so the game is a constant challenge.

You will then return to the assembly area to place the parts in their correct positions on the car, but to deposit the upper parts of the car (e.g. windscreen, roof etc) you will have to jump when in the correct position.

This is one of the first game I wrote for Windows. Not sure if the stange pixel style I used was a good or a bad thing, but you can decide. I’ve made a couple of tweaks before posting here – game starts in full screen and pressing Escape on the title screen quits. Just unzip the file to a folder and off you go!