Line #118 VideoGame/MadMaze


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/madmaze_title_cropped_7136.jpg]]
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3	''[=MadMaze=]'' was [previous description copied from Wikipedia in violation of our Administrivia/{{Plagiarism}} policies; please replace with original writing]
4
5	The player takes on the role of a boy hailing from the Village of Weith. Wellan, the Village Elder, explains to you that The Mad One, [[MadGod an insane deity born of primal chaos]], has awakened, and is slowly reclaiming the world, transforming the land it controls into a sprawling and hazardous maze. Now, the [=MadMaze=] approaches Weith, and threatens to engulf the village. The boy is tasked by Wellan to travel to the center of the [=MadMaze=] and recruit the help of [[BigGood a wizard named Moraziel]] on the pretext that only with his help can the Mad One be defeated.
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7	The [=MadMaze=] is divided into three "levels" that themselves are divided into "sections".[[note]]Or what modern gaming nomenclature would call "worlds" and "levels" respectively.[[/note]] The gameplay is comprised of two elements - [[TheMaze exploration]], and interactive scenarios (A.K.A. Places of Power).
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9	The maze itself is composed of straight, [[CutAndPasteEnvironments homogenous]] corridors and right-angle turns. Each section can be easily mapped out on a sheet of graph paper, and beyond the first level, this becomes necessary. You must navigate the sprawling labyrinth in a first-person perspective and locate Places of Power.
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11	At Places of Power, you encounter people, animals, places and/or objects. [=PoPs=] are mostly text-based, in contrast to the graphical interface of the mazes. You are presented with a series of choices, usually in the context of [[DialogueTree a conversation]]. Correct choices will grant you access to the next section, and the best choices will reward you with some valuable information for future [=PoPs=]. However, bad choices will result in your untimely death. These text-based scenarios are the heart of the game; the mazes in between can mostly be considered {{Filler}}.
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13	At any time outside of a [=PoP=], you can save your game, though you only have one save file available. There is also a password system, but as it was dropped entirely from the second level onward, you can only use it to warp to two [=PoPs=] in the first level.
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15	[[http://www.vintagecomputing.com/madmaze/ The game can be found here]].
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17	[[http://www.vintagecomputing.com/index.php/archives/171 Discussion of the game can be found here.]]
18	----
19	!!This game provides examples of:
20	* AllDesertsHaveCacti: You run into a fair amount of [=PoPs=] with cacti in the second level, despite it taking place in the general area of the Middle East and Northern Africa.
21	* AllTrollsAreDifferent: In this game, they are huge, green, and stupid. You encounter one guarding a well very early on.
22	%%* AllUpToYou
23	* AndIMustScream: King Carlon's fate, before you free him.
24	* AndroclesLion: Subverted with [[spoiler:The Lyon, of course]]. If you help him with [[spoiler:the thorn in his paw]] when he asks, he'll attack you anyway.
25	* ArcWords: The rallying cry of the Atarri - "The dawn shall wash the sands in red."
26	* AscendedGlitch: The originally unintended ability to back out of a Place of Power by pressing the "Menu" button was deliberately emulated in the remake.
27	* AttackItsWeakPoint: The only way to defeat Ogrok.
28	* AxCrazy: From Castle Perilous onward, nearly everybody and everything you meet comes with the option to kill it. If you so desire, you can hack-and-slash your way through the maze, though by failing to collect any information, it's unlikely you'll get very far.
29	* BeastMan: The third level is home to various sapient races, including dinosaurs, jungle cats, and giant bugs.
30	* BigBad: The Mad One
31	* BigCreepyCrawlies: The Insectidae of the third level.
32	* BiggerOnTheInside: While the various forests you encounter in the first level can seem to exceed the dimensions set by the surrounding walls, it's nothing compared to the ''entire deserts'' you come across in the second level, or the futuristic cities in the third level.
33	* BigGood: Moraziel
34	** To a MUCH greater extent, the goddess known as The Lady.
35	* ButThouMust: Upon completing the first level, King Carlon will grant you possession of the Sword Valterre. If you refuse out of humility, Carlon will give it to you anyway, while explaining how deserving you are of it.
36	* CoolHorse
37	* CoolSword: Valterre.
38	* CruelAndUnusualDeath: The Insect Mother killed one of her husbands "by implanting eggs in his body, so that the hatching larvae would feed on his living flesh. [[ForTheEvulz That was a most amusing death.]]"
39	* DamselInDistress: Persephone.
40	* DealWithTheDevil: This turns out to be the real reason [[spoiler:your village elder sent you on this quest in the first place]].
41	%%* DialogueTree
42	* DirtyCoward: [[spoiler:Moraziel.]]
43	* TheDragon: The Mad One's Archpriest.
44	* ElementalPowers: For the third level, you gain the power to control the nine elements - [[PlayingWithFire fire]], [[GreenThumb ea]][[DishingOutDirt rth]], [[BlowYouAway air]], [[MakingASplash water]], [[ShockAndAwe lightning]], [[AnIcePerson cold]], {{s\|oulPower}}pirit, [[PsychicPowers mind]], and {{time\|StandsStill}}.
45	* EverybodyHatesMathematics: The final trial guarding the exit to the second level is the dreaded [[PunnyName Al-Gibra]].
46	* ExpositionBreak: Usually provided by the local sage living in each level, though you'll need to talk to other {{NPC}}s to get a more complete picture.
47	* FaceHeelTurn: The fate that awaits [[spoiler:you in the [[MultipleEndings bad ending]]]].
48	* FailureKnight: The hermit in the first level is indicated to be one.
49	* FakeUltimateHero: Once you actually find [[spoiler:Moraziel, he turns out to be next to no help whatsoever]].
50	* FantasyKitchenSink
51	* FeaturelessProtagonist: You are referred to as being young and male, but otherwise are never shown on-screen.
52	* FlatWorld: In the third maze, you can find yourself standing at The Edge Of The World. It's not entirely certain if your world actually is flat, or if it's just the result of the [=MadMaze=]'s [[AlienGeometries blatant disregard for the laws of physics]].
53	* GameBreakingBug: In the library, you're told you need a library card before you can learn any information on Moraziel (and the information the library has on Moraziel will turn out to be essential for your survival) and that you can get one from an ObstructiveBureaucrat in another [=PoP=]. But once you meet the bureaucrat, thanks to a faulty DialogueTree, there's nothing you can do or say to get the correct library card. The librarian will quiz you on both the first ''and'' last name that's supposed to be on your card. It's only by trial and error cheating that you can learn that the name on your card is supposed to be [[spoiler:Elias Throckmorton]] and get the information on Moraziel you need.
54	* GameLevel: The maze sections are, for the most part, arranged linearly, but there are a few instances where the maze splits into multiple routes. The first instance of a split occurs past the Endless Desert Sands in the second level, when you are given a choice between heading toward the Twisted Temple or the River of Flame.
55	* HandWave: A handful of deaths include a postscript indicating that your departed spirit "searches out a likely looking youth from your home village and whispers all the spells you know in his ear", justifying why you can use this information on your next run -- not that this was all that necessary, considering you could just load your save file.
56	%% HaveANiceDeath: For those obsessive-compulsive enough, it becomes a SelfImposedChallenge to find every possible way you can die.
57	* IKnowYourTrueName: The Dragon of Ice reveals that any being who knows the true name of a dragon has power over it. The Dragon of Ice himself wishes to take advantage of this fact, but the only clues he has to go on are a paltry seven given to him by a wizard. Rather than figure out the clues himself, the Dragon forces you to decipher the clues for him. [[spoiler:The Dragon is ultimately Hoist By His Own Petard when the clues allow you to deduce ''his'' real name.]]
58	* ImAHumanitarian: The Crone Matilda. Every time you encounter her, she tries to prepare you for dinner. Unfortunately, she always has some piece of information you need, so avoiding interaction with her isn't the best course.
59	* InterfaceSpoiler: Remembering that the game has no memory (meaning there's no inventory and no EventFlags) allows the player to rule out several useless options that would otherwise seem perfectly valid; acquiring items is rarely necessary, and when it is, you generally acquire the item at the same moment you learn you need it (as the game's only method of checking what you have is to ask the player directly).
60	* InsectGenderBender: Averted with the Insectidae. Males exist solely to become the queen's primary mating sources and, after 100 years of matrimony, be killed in some gruesome fashion for her amusement.
61	* JackassGenie: You come across a lamp that contains a spiteful genie. If you rub the lamp, he doesn't even bother with granting you wishes, and instead forces you to participate in a mandatory PopQuiz testing your knowledge of minor characters in the story so far. If you guess wrong, you die.
62	* LeapOfFaith: Subverted with [[spoiler:The Guru Mattu]]. If you jump when indicated, you will fall to your death.
63	* TheLoad: Iggy the Wizard, whom you are imprisoned with at one point. He reveals an exit to you, but beyond that either provides no help in the puzzles to come, or suggests the wrong answers.
64	** He usually does manage to give good advice most of the time he gives advice. It's just that most of the time, he doesn't offer a suggestion and he can [[OnceDoneNeverForgotten never live down]] the one time he gives bad advice on [[spoiler:which fruits to pick.]] If you consult Iggy in the final round of your final battle with [[TheDragon the Archpriest]] he will inadvertently give you the clue to winning.
65	* MadGod: The BigBad of the game, referred to as The Mad One, or [[HeWhoMustNotBeNamed He Whose Name Is Not Spoken]].
66	* TheMaze: It's called [=MadMaze=] [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin for a reason]].
67	** MobileMaze: "A wall is closing in behind you!" This happens whenever you leave a Place Of Power, besides the way you came in.
68	* MultipleEndings: In the final Place of Power, there are two options that both explicitly end with "The End". In the good ending, you defeat [[TheDragon the Archpriest]] and you and your 2 companions are rewarded by [[BigGood The Lady]]. In the bad ending, you live but [[spoiler:are forced to [[FaceHeelTurn become the Mad One's minion]], spending the rest of your life committing atrocities, with the knowledge that your home village is spared being your only consolation]].
69	* NintendoHard:
70	** [[AvertedTrope The first level is of easy-medium difficulty.]]
71	** The second level considerably trickier, as it's easy to miss important passwords or information. If you're not consulting a {{Walkthrough}}, and you miss anything, [[PermanentlyMissableContent you're out of luck]]. The mazes are also nearly twice the size of the first level's.
72	** In the third level, the sections are about 1.6 times the size of the second level, and the [=PoPs=] feature logic puzzles of a level of such complexity that you'll require the kind of chart you find in a puzzle magazine. Fortunately, [[PointOfNoReturn before you pass through the Lair of the Insect Mother]], you can return to any section in the level, thanks to the transportation service offered by the Floating City.
73	* OurDragonsAreDifferent: [[TalkingAnimal All are able to speak]], and are fond of posing complex riddles.
74	* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: You can open the magically locked door in the tower of Castle Perilous just by saying "Open Sesame". Your character {{lampshade\|Hanging}}s this: "You marvel at the foolishness of men who will go to great lengths to protect their treasure rooms with magical spells, and then use such obvious passwords."
75	* PasswordSave: The Cipher seems to have been intended as one -- certain points in the game give you a poem, and by reciting that poem at the title screen you can be returned to that point. However, the game also has a fully-functioning ''actual'' save system, making the Cipher redundant -- which is probably why there aren't a whole lot of Cipher points in the game anyway.
76	* PermanentlyMissableContent: Technically averted. The game does not keep track of your inventory or information you come across as you move from Place Of Power to Place Of Power. To use an item, you have to prove you own it by describing some of its features. This means that you can get through any situation simply by saving beforehand and brute-forcing the solution if necessary. \
77	\
78	That said, if you are opposed to guessing answers or using {{Walkthrough}}s, it is incredibly easy to permanently lose access to important information. [=PoPs=] can be repeated indefinitely (as explained in the ShallIRepeatThat entry), but once you pass through them to the maze beyond, the exit is immediately walled off behind you. With some exceptions, you won't be able to reach that [=PoP=] (or preceding [=PoPs=]) ever again. \
79	\
80	Thankfully, the third level, which is harder in many respects to the first two levels, is lenient in this regard, as most [=PoPs=] can be revisited.
81	* PointOfNoReturn:
82	** The third level, which stops dividing the maze into discrete [[GameLevel sections]], has two of the Cruel variety.
83	** Once you enter the Insect Mother's lair, you'll be trapped in a small sub-section, with the only exit being the Pyramid of the Insectidae. If you haven't yet gathered all the information to pass the traps, and save here... well, prepare to die. A lot.
84	** Another occurs when you enter the final section of the maze.
85	* PopQuiz:
86	** One is provided by a JackassGenie.
87	** At a chasm with a rickety bridge, a booming voice gives you a minor quiz, [[SubvertedTrope subverting the trope]] along the way:
88	*** What your quest is.
89	*** What your name is (anything besides a blank form will do).
90	*** What the finest wine in the world is - this is information you do not encounter earlier on, and an incorrect answer will result in death. However, if you get it right, you learn what the finest wine is in the process.
91	* PunchClockVillain: Gonzaga the Black Knight is actually a pretty okay guy. He just happens to be serving Timozel the Usurper.
92	* SchmuckBait: Some of the choices you can make are decidedly unheroic and/or foolish.
93	** Dare the troll guarding the well to arm-wrestle you.
94	** Stride right on up to the front gate of Castle Perilous and announce how you'll topple the evil regime single-handedly. WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong!
95	--> '''Guard''': [[WhatTheHellPlayer "He's kidding, right?"]]
96	** Climb to the highest peak of the Taralen Mountains, and leap to your death.
97	** Swim through the River of Flame. Or better yet, ''drink'' from the River of Flame.
98	--> It is not a pretty death. At last, you stop twitching.
99	** Tell the booming voice at the chasm that your quest is to find a nice ranch-style colonial near good schools.
100	** Go to the Plain of Ferit, and summon a roc.
101	--> Are you SURE?
102	-->-- Yes
103	-->-- No
104	** Press a ''VOLCANO GOD'' for information and, when he angrily tells you to leave, push your luck.
105	--> [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Guess how many people survive volcanic eruptions when standing on the rim of the volcano. Can you say, "reduced to component molecules"? I knew you could.]]
106	** Provoke the wrath of the Wizard Wicksmear, and you'll be given the choice to either "flee", or "stay and die." Unfortunately, picking the latter does not reward you with a funny message... or any message at all, really. It just ends the game.
107	*** Something similar happens in Level 2 if you refuse to help Crone Matilda. You're given the choice to either "reconsider" or "die". Same result too.
108	*** Happens one more time at the start of the final [=PoP=], in the Seat of Madness where you're given the choice to either "Use Talisman" or "Wait". If you choose Wait you'll get a subtle hint that waiting isn't such a good idea, then another option of "Use Talisman" or "Wait". If you Wait again you'll get a [[{{Understatement}} less subtle]] hint that waiting's the wrong decision, followed by the choice, "Use Talisman" or "Die".
109	** Find excuses to hang around Crone Matilda after you've gotten the information you need.
110	* SchrodingersGun: The game does not track your inventory, so you can use items that you never collected, so long as you know the magic words associated with it and can describe its distinguishing features.
111	* SecondPersonNarration
112	* SecretIngredient: Before VideoGame/{{Portal}} introduced us to rhubarb cake with extra rhubarb, [=MadMaze=] gave us chocolate cake with grated radish.
113	* SequenceBreaking: The game has no EventFlags and does not track your inventory, so it's possible to get through puzzles that require a particular object or spell by just acting like you already have it. To prevent this from trivially breaking the game, players are required to select the correct magic word to activate whatever they're using -- though of course, that works less well on later playthroughs.
114	* ShallIRepeatThat: Exaggerated. Most [=PoPs=] can be repeated indefinitely by exiting the way you came and going back in. Also, within a given [=PoP=], you can repeat actions that should not be repeatable, such as killing stuff.
115	** A rather sadistic example of this occurs after the shaman sends you off to the series of mazes leading to the River of Flame. When you finally return to the shaman, you are given the choice to Go North, or Go East (Towards Temple). If you accidentally select the former option, you must ''run the series of mazes to the River of Flame all over again''.
116	* SnakeOilSalesman: Friendly Achmed's Caravan of Fabulous Goods at Low, Low Prices. In a subversion, the only item you need to progress (or rather, the password necessary to activate it) is legitimate.
117	* TalkingAnimal: The Questing Beast, the Sabertooth Tiger, the Lyon, several Dragons, among others.
118	* TalkToEveryone: If you want to complete the game without a guide, you must seek out every NPC hiding in the maze, solve every problem, and accept every quest.
119	* TermsOfEndangerment: The Crone Matilda is awfully fond of these.
120	* UnintentionallyUnwinnable: If you decide to play the game honestly and abstain from guessing or looking up the answers elsewhere, a single missed password will leave you unable to progress.
121	* UnwinnableByDesign: Of the Tough to Nasty variety. There are a few choices you can make which will leave you in situations where all you can do is choose how to die. After which, you'll have to load up your last save, and hope it wasn't too far back.
122	** If you enter Ogrok's pit in Castle Perilous before you get the Sword Valterre, you'll be left only with the choice to die bravely or die screaming.
123	** If you demand that the lyon tell you the necessary words to pass through the ruins of Al-Mugabi, he'll give them to you, but you won't survive long enough to use them.
124	** If you see a lake in a desert, and decide to head towards it to restore your water supply, you will be doomed to die of heat stroke.
125	** If you encounter the Vizier Aboud in the Garden of Earthly Delights, your fate as a troll slave is sealed.
126	** In the Canyon Maze, if you climb down a cliff and remove your armor to lessen your weight, you'll have to choose between falling to your death and being eaten.
127	** If you summon a roc on the plain of Ferit, take the ShmuckBait that yes, you're sure you want to summon it, and wait for it to fully appear, then it won't matter whether you stand your ground or flee. [[YetAnotherStupidDeath Either way, you're roc food.]]
128	** Encountering the Vizier Aboud in Osmet Kahn's palace is a partial example. You'll be given the option to fight or surrender. But if you surrender, you'll find your sword Valterre won't let you surrender, and you'll be forced to fight Aboud, whom you simply can't beat. Most of the time, however, Aboud will just banish you to the start of the [=PoP=]. But if you meet Aboud after fighting Hassan (and not just a sparring match, but an earnest "actively-trying-to-kill-each-other" fight), then this is played fully straight. If Hassan's still alive, Aboud helps him kill you. If you managed to kill Hassan and run into Aboud, he'll simply kill you himself.
129	** If you try to attack the Dream Serpent with your sword while your eyes are closed, or try to flee with your eyes closed, your fate of death by snake bite is sealed.
130	** If you sneak past the guard of the city Caeseransauris by using the talisman to disguise yourself as a lizardman and then try to meet the city's council of wizards using the same disguise, it won't work. The wizards will see right through your disguise and think you're an enemy spy. The game will then give you some options, but none of them matter. At that point, you're dead no matter what you do.
131	** In the Seat of Madness, if you enter the Yellow area, you'll start feeling sick and be given a set of options, including [[SchmuckBait Onward!]] If you [[TooDumbToLive choose Onward!]] you'll get sicker and get the same set of options, only this time they all have the same result: [[YetAnotherStupidDeath you die of plague]].
132	** In the final [=PoP=], if you give the message to the Archpriest, your only options are to either get instantly killed by him or suffer the [[MultipleEndings bad ending]].
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134	** The most egregious example of this is when the maze forks into two paths past a desert. One path leads to the Twisted Temple, while the other leads to the River of Flame. If you choose to go to the Twisted Temple, you'll find a password-protected door to the next maze. A shaman living nearby will offer to give you the password in exchange for traveling to the River of Flame and bringing back some firewater. Taking him up on his offer takes you to the start of the series of mazes that will eventually let you reach the River of Flame. He also gives you a password to warp you back to his yurt once you've done so.\
135	\
136	Now, here's the thing: at the desert, if you choose to go to the River of Flame, you'll be taken to exactly the same place as if you'd taken up the shaman's offer. Except, if you haven't visited the shaman yet (and if this is your first time through, you haven't), then you have no idea that you're supposed to collect some firewater or return to his yurt with it. Even if you manage to collect some firewater, no one except for the Shaman himself gives you the necessary password to return to him. And there are no exits from the maze where you find the River of Flame, so you will be trapped unless you guess the password. \
137	\
138	So basically, save yourself the trouble, and take the Northeast path to the Temple every time. Otherwise, you'll take the longer path (the Temple path has 5 mazes, compared to the River's 6), and be forced to miss an entire section of the game.
139	** See also the GameBreakingBug above.
140	* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: You'll know you're there when you reach the first section of maze that ''isn't'' outdoors.
141	* VideogameCrueltyPotential
142	** Once you have the Sword Valterre, you can try to kill most anyone you meet, even after they help you.
143	** A particularly nasty opportunity comes up when you encounter a wizard with knowledge about a magic lamp. After he divulges the password to the lamp, you can thank him by setting his beard on fire and laughing at him. ([[VideogameCrueltyPunishment Although it doesn't end too well for you.]])
144	* ViolationOfCommonSense: When you reach the Edge of the World for the second time, you can climb the cliffs to reach the next section. [[spoiler:If you jump off, you get there much quicker. This despite the fact that the first time you find the Edge of the World, jumping off will result in you falling for eternity, and eventually dying of dehydration.]]
145	* WeirdMoon: [[spoiler:The final sections of the maze.]]
146	* WhatTheHellPlayer:
147	** If you reach the River of Flame and, before collecting some firewater, chant the spell to transport yourself back to the shaman, prepare to get an earful.
148	** When you encounter a large green dragon blocking your path, he'll force you to play a game with him. If you stall for time, eventually the dragon will lose his temper and tell you to just "shut up and play."
149	* WritersCannotDoMath: One clue we're given is to "Pull the primes". This refers to a structure of 9 rods. Pull the right rods, and it opens a secret door. Pull the wrong ones, the structure collapses on you and you die. You're supposed to pull the rods with a prime number to succeed. Goldberg evidently forgot that 2 is a prime number. Pull on the 2 rod, you die. The rods you're supposed to pull are [[spoiler:3, 5, and 7]].
150	* YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe: This is the pet peeve of the blacksmith in the first level.
151	* YetAnotherStupidDeath
152	** In retrospect, trying to kill the tall, scary elf with a dagger so you can steal his magic sword probably wasn't a good idea.
153	** Yeah! Let's charge right into the throne room and kill Timozel! Oh wait, his right-hand man just cast an instant-death spell on you. Never mind.
154	** Argue with a green dragon that was about to eat you moments ago that the help he gave you for your quest wasn't very helpful.
155	*** Especially stupid because if you've done everything right up to this point, you should already know that the info he gave is actually helpful.
156	** Forget to avert your gaze before interacting with the Dream Serpent.
157

Context VideoGame / MadMaze