Maze Machina Review

Truth be told, Maze Machina is likely the least board game-like title we’ve reviewed on this site. Miracle Merchant very much borrowed from the board game world, but Maze Machina really doesn’t owe much to any cardboard inspiration, at least that we can see. So, why are we reviewing it? Well, it’s really great, and that’s a good enough reason for us.

You, a mouse, are plopped down into a 4x4 grid to start the game. One tile is the covered exit while each of the other tiles has some item symbol showing. A few Machina are placed on various tiles, these are the enemies who take the form of adorable tiny robots. Finally, a key is placed on one of the tiles. You must grab the key to uncover the exit, then make it to that exit tile to escape to the next level. This repeats for 15 levels, the only real differences being that every third level a bit of food shows up to replenish your stamina, should you grab it before it is destroyed and more Machina will show up later in the game.

To play, you simply swipe the screen in one of the four cardinal directions and your mouse, along with everything else on the board, attempts to move one space in that direction. “Attempts” is the key term here, as Machina will get in the way and item abilities will be used.

The items on the tiles play a central role. Each tile contains three items, flipping to the next one after the previous is used. The items are wide ranging. A dagger will instantly attack an adjacent enemy in the direction you move, compared to a sword which will only attack if you are forced onto the same tile through movement. Mines blow up anybody who is forced to move onto that tile. Ice blocks are thrown a couple of spaces to temporarily freeze you or a Machina. A bow and arrow will attack two or more spaces away. There are also a handful of movement-modifying items. The map is crucial as it will transport the exit tile to the space on which the map was played, which changes the entire board in an instant. You can also toss Machina around, jump multiple spaces yourself, or do other things. All of these items are used by anybody standing on the tile, be it you or Machina.

The movement/item/Machina/escape portion of the game is a pure puzzler and it is difficult in its own right. The key feature of Maze Machina that I believe will make or break the game for you is the stamina aspect. Stamina turns an already difficult puzzle into an excruciating one by making it an optimization problem as well. Not only do you need to escape successfully, you must be careful not to waste movements. That that darn food, the literal cheese dangling in front of you. It only shows up every third floor, but it becomes increasingly difficult to actually grab it as the board gets more crowded with Machina. And if you don’t grab it, well, good luck making it three more levels.

Expanding on the movement front, one of the most important decisions you can make in this game is not moving. That is, moving to an item which acts and keeps you in place rather than moving you with the entire Machina herd. “Staying behind” a space often opens up the board, allowing you an escape from a potentially ugly trap. These kinds of strategies weren’t obvious to me the first twenty times I played the game, but revealed themselves with more play. That kind of depth in such a simple game is impressive.