Maze game is a

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

genre description first used by journalists during the 1980s to describe any game in which the entire playing field is a

maze 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 ...

. Quick player action is required to escape monsters, outrace an opponent, or navigate the maze within a time limit. After the release of Namco's ''

Pac-Man originally called ''Puck Man'' in Japan, is a 1980 maze action video game developed and released by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. Th ...

'' in 1980, many maze games followed its conventions of completing a level by traversing all paths and a way of temporarily turning the tables on pursuers.

Overhead-view maze games

While the character in a maze would have a limited view, the player is able to see much or all of the maze. ''Maze chase games'' are a specific subset of the overheard perspective. They’re listed in a separate section.

First-person maze games

Maze chase games

This subgenre is exemplified by

Namco was a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Na ...

's ''

'' (1980), where the goal is to clear a maze of dots while being pursued. ''Pac-Man'' spawned many sequels and clones which, in Japan, are often called "dot eat games". Other maze chases don't have dots, and the goal is clear the maze of the pursuers themselves (e.g., '' Pengo'', ''

Guzzler ''Guzzler'' is a maze video game developed and manufactured by Tehkan and licensed to Centuri for US distribution in 1983. It was released as an arcade conversion kit, including a new marquee and control panel, then ported to the SG-1000 console. ...

'', ''

Jungler ''Jungler'' is an arcade maze game developed by Konami and released in 1981. Distributed by Stern in the United States beginning in 1982, the game has players controlling a multi-segmented creature attempting to destroy similar enemy creatures by ...

'').

Grid capture games

In grid capture games, also called line coloring games, the maze consists of lines, and the goal is to capture rectangular areas by traversing their perimeters. The gameplay is not fundamentally different from ''

'' (players still have to navigate the entire maze to complete a level) but enough games have used the grid motif that it is a distinct style. One unique element is that it is possible to capture multiple rectangles simultaneously, usually for extra points. ''

Amidar ''Amidar'' is a video game developed by Konami and released in arcades in 1981 by Stern. The format is similar to that of ''Pac-Man'': the player moves around a fixed rectilinear lattice, attempting to visit each location on the board while a ...

'' established the model for this subgenre.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Maze Video Games

Maze games Maze game is a video game genre description first used by journalists during the 1980s to describe any game in which the entire playing field is a maze. Quick player action is required to escape monsters, outrace an opponent, or navigate the maz ...