The Maze (VGC-1)


 * "Discover a mysterious, treacherous, and labyrinthine dungeon of monsters and booby traps, with treasure and equipment for the taking. The Maze allows players to take on the role of an adventurer seeking fame and fortune as they tread through dungeons, courtyards, caverns, hallways, crypts, and what-have-you, fighting monsters, avoiding traps, and collecting loot and equipment. With the layouts of each level being randomized every time you start playing, you know that a little unpredictability will keep things from getting too boring in...The Maze!"
 * -Publicity blurb for the U.S. release.

The Maze (Japanese: ラビリンスアドベンチャー Rabirinsuadobenchā Labyrinth Adventure) is an action RPG developed by Kakushin Gaming for the VGC-1 console, particularly on the VHC-1 home computer module.

The game was released on the 5.25-inch floppy disk format (later on 3.5-inch floppy), along with a short five-level demo version released on V-Cassette.

Synopsis
Within the mystic land of Xanyth, legends tell of the Maze, a multi-level complex that goes deep underground, with each room arranged like a labyrinth. Many enter, but only few manage to come back out alive with stories to tell of their adventures within. Each floor within the Maze is crawling with ferocious monsters and has booby traps hidden to catch the unaware, but there are also treasures and useful equipment, the latter of which often left behind by past adventurers who did not make it. The player takes on the role of a new adventurer, who sets out to seek fame and fortune by tackling the Maze. Little did everybody know is that there's more to the Maze than just the monsters and the treasure that awaits those who seek it out...

Gameplay
The Maze is a top-down, single-player action RPG in the form of a dungeon crawler.

Each level, or floor, is arranged like a labyrinth for the player to explore through. To complete a level and move on to the next, the player has to find a key to unlock the exit.

It has a progressive level-up system. Leveling up requires collecting EXP points, which comes from killing monsters or collecting treasure. As the player level up, their character's capabilities in attack power (ATK), defense power (DEF), speed (SPD), health (HP), and magical ability (MAG) are increased.

Monsters and Booby Traps
The monsters start out weak in the first few floors, but afterwards become progressively stronger and more relentless. In every fifth room in the Maze is a powerful boss monster, often accompanied by a group of weaker monsters. When a boss monster is defeated, they leave behind one of seven "Mysterious Artifacts" that are vital to the storyline of the game.

For details on the monsters, see The Maze (VGC-1)/Enemies.

The booby traps, if not successfully avoided, can deal damage to the player's health or worse, deplete all of it at once. The game features a kind of warning sound that blares when the player triggers a booby trap. It is also possible to lure monsters into booby traps to dispatch them, depending on the situation.

Items/Weapons/Etc.
The player character starts out with a short sword and a shield and wearing a suit of leather armor, but they can collect other weapons, armor, and equipment along the way to bolster their offensive and defensive capabilities. Some items allow the usage of offensive or defensive magical spells. Items are rated for their overall capabilities on a 1- to 5-star scale, with 5 stars being the highest, 1 being lowest. In addition, there are food items which can be collected to restore lost health, along with potions that could either benefit or harm you. When the player touches a potion, they are asked if they wish to use it now or to put it in their inventory.

For details, see The Maze (VGC-1)/Items.

NPCs
There are also friendly NPCs that can be interacted with for information regarding any and all aspects of the Maze.

Pause Screen
At the pause screen, you can adjust the volume level, change your equipment, armor, and weapons, and activate potions collected during gameplay.

Game Over
The player can get a game over, whether from taking damage from a trap or killed by a monster, and can either start all over again or continue from their last point of progress.

Controls
The input controls for the game uses both the VG-KB keyboard and the game controller of the player's choice.

Controller

 * Joystick - Movement
 * A button - Attack/Interact with NPC/library book/logbook
 * B button - Defend
 * C button - Use magic
 * A + B - Strong attack

Keyboard

 * Arrow keys - Highlight selection at pause screen
 * Enter key - Confirm selection at pause screen
 * Shift key - Return to previous menu
 * Space bar - Enter/exit pause screen

Floors
There are a total of 35 floors in The Maze, plus a hidden 36th floor that could only be accessed by obtaining all seven Mysterious Artifacts. There several different themes for the floors, such as castle dungeons, courtyards, hallways, crypts, caverns, temples, abandoned mines, ancient Egyptian-style tombs and hedge mazes. The hidden 36th floor has a unique theme, resembling a Mesoamerican temple made of crystal.

The layout of each floor, along with the theme of those floors, is randomized, so one, for example, could be in a regular dungeon in one level and end up in a series of mine tunnels in another.

After every fifth floor is a library room, which contains books that can be read for information, as well as a logbook for saving the player's progress. Also in each library room is a market stand run by Jenni. At each market stand are weapons and items that she managed to salvage and scavenge throughout the Maze to sell to any paying customer. You can use the treasure you collect to purchase from Jenni's stand.

More to be added!