I love to play retro video games. But only games from the years of my childhood on. I think this is because you get used to a particular quality of graphics and gameplay and then that level continually gets better throughout your life. You get faster, lighter machines, with better graphics, music and gameplay. So I am not playing anything from 1975, but I get excited about emulators of my favorite games from 1985. Today we are going to look at a specific genre of game that I have always loved - maze video games.
a History of Maze Video Games
For maze video games it all started in 1959 at MIT in a room filled with a TX-0 computer. This is where the first maze video game was created, called Mouse in the Maze. The gameplay was simple. A mouse is tasked to get through a maze and find the cheese (the goal). The mouse in the game is considered the very first character in a video game. The next 2 maze games were not developed until 1973, with Gotcha (Atari’s 4th game) and Maze (by Steve Colley). Maze is considered a revolutionary game for many reasons. It is believed to be the first 3D first person game ever made, and it is the very first first person shooter game. We can thank Maze for Doom, Call of Duty, Wolfenstein, Halo, Call of Duty and all of the other shooter games you know and love. Video games exploded in popularity in the 1980’s with the expansion of home consoles like the Atari 2600 and the booming of arcades based on Space Invaders (1978), Pac-Man (1980), and Donkey Kong (1981). This is when the flood of new maze games were developed as the popularity of maze game Pac-Man led to many games with similar gameplay.
Definition of Maze Video Games
I think we should define what we are talking about. So, what is a maze video game ? Well it is a game that where the playing field is a maze. This can mean solving a maze within a time limit, outracing your opponent, and outrunning enemies chasing you thru the maze. There are 4 main types of maze games:
1 - Overhead maze games
2 - Maze chase games
3 - First-person maze games
4 - Grid capture maze games
Let’s define each and give some examples of the best games of each type.
Overhead maze games
This is just what it sounds like. As a player you have an overhead view of most/all of a maze playing board that your character does not have (because they are in the maze).
Examples of this include the aforementioned Mouse in the Maze (1959) and Gotcha as well as these important games:
Tank Battalion (1980) - the first game that combined the popular tank video game theme with the overhead maze view. Gameplay involves the player destroying 20 tanks per level that are trying to destroy the players base. You can also use your tank to change the mazes by blowing up a wall.
Dig Dug (1982) - One of the top grossing games when it was released, it started a fad of “digging games’ based off of it’s gameplay. The player must dig his way thru the board and defeat all his enemies to move to the next board. Digging around the board essentially creates a maze that can be used by the other characters. Personally I love to play this game and will never pass it by if I see it.
Bomberman (1983) - The main character, Bomberman, a robot, must find his way thru the maze while avoiding enemies. Standard stuff, but it was the start of a series with over 70 titles that continues up to today. Besides the standard gameplay of avoiding enemies while reaching the exit you have the ability to use bombs to find hidden doors that lead to new portions of the maze.
Gauntlet (1985) - When this 4 player cabinet showed up in arcades my friends and I spent pockets full of quarters trying to defeat this. You could play as one of 4 characters each with their own strengths and weaknesses: A warrior, wizard, valkyrie or elf. I was always the elf. I loved trying to solve the maze and get to the exit while trying to avoid/kill the enemies, but it was always the ghosts that got me.
Maze Chase Games
You may have been thinking, wait how did you speak about overhead maze video games and never mention Pac-Man ? Well, because it became so popular, easily the most popular game in the maze genre that it created it’s own sub-genre of overhead maze games, the maze chase games. You get the overhead view but the gameplay includes being chased or doing chasing by enemies. Any discussion of this must start with Pac-Man.
Pac-Man (1980) - Simply put one of the greatest video games of all time. Made to appeal to both men and women at a time when many games were directed at males (with war and sports themes). You know the gameplay, so no need to describe it, but the game is significant historically for many reasons: The first video game with power-ups; the first successfully licensed game; the first game with cutscenes; the first game with a widely recognizable character to become a mascot.
Rally-X (1980) - A formula one racing game that takes place on a large scrolling maze (it scrolls in 4 directions) while you are being chased by evil red cars. The goal is to collect 10 yellow flags per level while avoiding the red cars, and boulders placed in your way. Historically significant for having a bonus round, believed to be the first while slso one of the first games to feature continuous background music.
Lady Bug (1981) - Gameplay was based on Pac-Man with the significant upgrade being the use of gates which when crossed would change the layout of the maze. Instead of ghosts you need to avoid one of 8 different types of insects and instead of dots you eat flowers, letters and hearts.
Ms. Pac-Man (1981) - This sequel to Pac-Man is considered by many the best version of the game because of a few tweaks to the gameplay - 4 different mazes, multiple warp tunnels on some levels, and fruits that move and appear differently. Argue amongst yourselves.
First-person maze games
A game where the player has the same view as the character in the game.
Maze (1973) - Mentioned above as the first 3D first person game ever made, and the very first first person shooter game. Developed and played at MIT it was continually updated and and improved - adding additional players, map views, and scoring among them. The name changed multiple times as it was developed. Eventually it was developed into a separate game called Mazewar (1977) developed by Jim Guyton for the Xerox Alto.
Capture the Flag (1983) - Important because it was one of the first first person games to allow 360 degree movement, and also one of the first 3D games that was multiplayer. This game is the sequel to the game Wayout (1982) that added the second player. Gameplay was themed so that one player was trying to capture the flag while the other is defending it. Interesting in this game is that it can create an infinite number of different mazes for the players.
Grid capture maze games
In a grid capture maze game the goal is for the player to visit every post in the maze/grid/level to move on to the next level. This is mostly done by traveling on the grid (much like an on-line type maze) rather than between the walls in the pathway.
Amidar (1981) - The original game that launched the genre. Gameplay is similar to Pac-Man in that you complete a level while avoiding enemies that are chasing you, however you travel ON the lines instead of in-between them. Once you complete a section by touching all the area surrounding it, the section colors in (see the purple blocks below). Every other level is played either as an ape collecting coconuts while being chased by headhunters, or a man with a paint roller being chased by pigs. Sounds weird, it is.
Although over 20 grid capture games were developed in the 5 years following the release of Amidar, none are recognizable to me.
final thoughts
Each of the 12 games above helped make gaming what it is today and make up the core foundation of maze video games. While most of these games came out in the 1980’s, we still have new Pac-Man and Bomberman titles coming out 40 years after their initial game releases. Maze video games include the all-time video game classics Dig Dug, Gauntlet, and Ms. Pac-Man. The easy to understand gameplay make maze video games easy for anyone to play. If you want to go retro and waste a day playing some fun games, try a few of these classics - I think you’ll like them !
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