I like mazes. They were the first puzzle I would go to in an activity book when I was a kid and I still can’t resist poking around one when I see it. Mazes are my jam.
Mazescape is a solitaire game that might have been made just for me. It involves a maze that is laid out on a folding map. When you unfold the map once, you will see a starting point. You take your fingertip or the little pointer piece, and starting at the starting point, you trace your way through a maze. A dead end is almost immediately apparent and you will feel dumb.
But wait! Now you get to use the gimmick of this game. With your pointer on one part of the map, you will unfold the other part of the map. New paths open up. You can explore them, or continue to fold/unfold parts to the map before moving on. It is this process of folding, refolding and unfolding that parts of the maze open to you until you find your way to the elusive exit.
It is a clever gimmick and one that will make you feel truly lost. The act of revealing the map in segments also creates some dramatic reveal moments. Oh dear, what is that glowing skull doing there? This flaming tower certainly looks ominous. How exactly can I get all the way over there?
Each map comes with its own scavenger hunt list of sights to look for. There are also colored keys that you are meant to find before passing through colored gates. Some maps even give you tasks like find the coin and then take it to the wishing well. Because it is still just a paper map, nothing happens when you do these things but it is still a nice thematic touch.
Currently there are two versions of Mazescape, Ariadne and Labyrinthos. Each has seven different maps. It doesn’t matter which you start with but if you like this kind of thing, you will most likely get both.
Amazingly, there is a virtual demo of how the game works at their website.
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