''MIDI Maze'' is a networked

first-person shooter First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...

maze game A maze is a path or collection of paths, typically from an entrance to a goal. The word is used to refer both to branching tour puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching ("unicursal") patterns that lea ...

for the

Atari ST The Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the Atari 8-bit family. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985 and was widely available in July. It was the first pers ...

developed by Xanth Software F/X and released in 1987 by Hybrid Arts. The game takes place in a maze of untextured walls. The world animates smoothly as the player turns, much like the earlier ''

Wayout ''Wayout'' is a 3D First-person (video games), first-person perspective video game programmed by Paul Allen Edelstein, originally published for the Atari 8-bit family, Atari 8-bit computers in 1982. It was released for the Apple II series, Apple ...

'', instead of only permitting 90 degree changes of direction. Using the

MIDI MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and re ...

ports on the Atari ST, the game is said to have introduced

deathmatch Deathmatch, also known as free-for-all, is a gameplay mode integrated into many shooter games, including first-person shooter (FPS), and real-time strategy (RTS) video games, where the goal is to kill (or "frag") the other players' characters a ...

combat to gaming in 1987. It also predated the

LAN party A LAN party is a gathering of people with personal computers or compatible game consoles, where a local area network (LAN) connection is established between the devices using a router or switch, primarily for the purpose of playing multiplaye ...

concept by several years. The game found a wider audience when it was converted to ''Faceball 2000'' on the

Game Boy The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same ...

Gameplay

Up to 16 computers can be networked in a "MIDI Ring" by daisy chaining MIDI ports that are built into the Atari ST series. The game area occupies only roughly a quarter of the screen and consists of a

first-person view First-person view (FPV), also known as remote-person view (RPV), or simply video piloting, is a method used to control a radio-controlled vehicle from the driver or pilot's view point. Most commonly it is used to pilot a radio-controlled aircra ...

of a flat-shaded maze with a crosshair in the middle. All players are shown as ''Pac-Man''-like

smiley A smiley, sometimes referred to as a smiley face, is a basic ideogram that represents a smiling face. Since the 1950s it has become part of popular culture worldwide, used either as a standalone ideogram, or as a form of communication, such a ...

avatars Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance ...

in various colors. Bullets are represented as small spheres. The game is started by a designated master machine, which sets rules, divides players into teams, and selects a maze. A number of mazes come with the game, and additional mazes can be constructed using a text-editor.

Development

The original ''MIDI Maze'' team at Xanth Software F/X consisted of James Yee as the business manager, Michael Park as the graphic and networking programmer, and George Miller writing the AI and drone logic.

Ports

version was developed by Xanth, and published in 1991 by

Bullet-Proof Software Blue Planet Software, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher. Established as Bullet-Proof Software, Inc. in Japan, Blue Planet Software became a separate company founded by Henk Rogers in Honolulu, Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ha ...

, with the title ''Faceball 2000''. James Yee, owner of Xanth, had the idea of porting the 520ST application to the Game Boy. George Miller was hired to rewrite the AI-based drone logic, giving each drone a unique personality trait. This version allows two players with a

Game Link Cable The Nintendo Game Link Cable is an accessory for the Game Boy line of handheld video game systems, allowing players to connect Game Boys of all types for multiplayer gaming. Depending on the games, a Game Link Cable can be used to link two gam ...

, or up to four players with the Four Player Adapter. It is often rumored that the Game Boy version would allow up to 16 players by daisy-chaining Four Player Adapters, which is not the case. According to programmer Robert Champagne, the game does contain a 16-player mode; however, it requires a special connector that would be bundled with the game, to create a "chain" of Game Link Cables. As Nintendo did not allow them to do so, that connector was never released, so the 16-player mode cannot be enabled. A

Super Nintendo The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Euro ...

version, also titled ''Faceball 2000'', was released in 1992, supporting two players in split-screen mode. This version features completely different graphics and levels from the earlier Game Boy version. A variety of in-game music for this version was composed by George "The Fat Man" Sanger. A

Game Gear The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990, in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and during 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear primarily competed with Nintendo's Game Boy, ...

version, also titled ''Faceball 2000'', was released to the

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese market by Riverhill Soft. It is a colorized version of the monochrome Game Boy version, supporting two players with two handheld consoles connected by a cable. A PC-Engine CD-ROM version, titled only ''Faceball'' (フェイスボール), was released in Japan by Riverhill Soft.

Unreleased ports

A port of ''MIDI Maze'' for the

Atari 8-bit family The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers introduced by Atari, Inc. in 1979 as the Atari 400 and Atari 800. The series was successively upgraded to Atari 1200XL , Atari 600XL, Atari 800XL, Atari 65XE, Atari 130XE, Atari 800XE, ...

was developed by Xanth, but cancelled around 1989. A prototype was eventually found and the ROM was released. According to Robert Champagne, other unreleased ports were worked on at Xanth, including IBM PC and NES. A port for Nintendo's

Virtual Boy The Virtual Boy is a 32-bit tabletop portable video game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. Released in 1995, it was marketed as the first console capable of displaying stereoscopic "3D" graphics. The player uses the console like ...

console, to be titled ''NikoChan Battle'' (ニコちゃんバトル) in Japan, was almost completed, but canceled as the system was discontinued in late 1995. A prototype was found in 2013, and the ROM was subsequently released.

Reception

In 1994,

Sandy Petersen Carl Sanford Joslyn "Sandy" Petersen (born September 16, 1955) is an American game designer. He worked at Chaosium, contributing to the development of ''RuneQuest'' and later creating the acclaimed and influential horror role-playing game ''Call ...

reviewed the game for ''

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

'' magazine, giving it 2 out of 5 stars. Super Gamer magazine gave an overall review score of 82% writing: "Ultra successful on the little Game Boy, this 3-D maze shoot-'em-up has been totally uprated for the SNES." ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' picked ''Faceball 2000'' as the #5 greatest game available in 1991, saying: "The Game Boy meets virtual reality (i.e., artificial, computer-enhanced, first-person perspective). In ''Faceball 2000'', you assume the identity of a Holographically Assisted Physical Pattern Yielded for Active Computerized Embarkation — or HAPPYFACE — and hunt down your opponents. You can play alone or link up with as many as three additional players. More fun than real-life tag, and much more stimulating."

CNET Gamecenter ''CNET'' (short for "Computer Network") is an American media website that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos on technology and consumer electronics globally. ''CNET'' originally produced content for radio and televi ...

called ''MIDI Maze'' one of the 10 most innovative computer games of all time. In 2018,

Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gan ...

ranked the game 25th on their "25 Underrated Game Boy Games."

Legacy

Personal Computer World ''Personal Computer World'' (''PCW'') (February 1978 - June 2009) was the first British computer magazine. Although for at least the last decade it contained a high proportion of Windows PC content (reflecting the state of the IT field), the mag ...

'' said that in 1987, ''MIDI Maze'' introduced the concept of

combat, using the built-in

ports of the Atari ST for networking. ''MIDI-Maze II'' was later developed by Markus Fritze for Sigma-Soft and released as

shareware Shareware is a type of proprietary software that is initially shared by the owner for trial use at little or no cost. Often the software has limited functionality or incomplete documentation until the user sends payment to the software developer ...

References

External links

''MIDI Maze''
at Atari Mania
''Faceball 2000''
#25 of 1UP's Essential 50
''Darren Stone (Xanth Programmer) talks about Faceball 2000''
at EPO {{DEFAULTSORT:Midi Maze 1987 video games 1991 video games 1992 video games 1993 video games Atari ST games TurboGrafx-CD games Blue Planet Software games Cancelled Atari 8-bit family games Game Boy games Game Gear games Super Nintendo Entertainment System games Cancelled Virtual Boy games Split-screen multiplayer games Maze games Multiplayer null modem games First-person shooters Video games scored by David Whittaker Video games scored by George Sanger Video games developed in the United States Riverhillsoft games