| Escape From the Mindmaster | |
| Developer: | Starpath |
| Publisher: | Starpath |
| Designer: | Dennis Caswell |
| Genre: | First-person maze adventure |
| Modes: | Single-player |
| Platforms: | Atari 2600 |
Escape from the MindMaster was a video game for the Starpath Supercharger addon for the Atari 2600 published in 1982 by Starpath.
Escape from the MindMaster utilizes a tape cassette through the Starpath Supercharger. This is used to bypass the 2K limitation of available memory in the Atari 2600. Each game has 6 levels, 2 levels per load, giving an effective total of 6K for each game, which allows for better graphics and more complicated gameplay than the average 2K cartridge. A prototype version of the game was created, but these plans were shelved after Starpath merged with Epyx in 1984.[1] A prototype for the ColecoVision was also produced.[2] [3]
The player's goal is to solve a maze consisting of a series of hallways and rooms. The rooms either are empty, contain puzzle pegs, or have a bonus game that allows the user to collect more points. Each level has its own individual bonus game.[4]
To solve the maze, players have to collect keys called "puzzle pegs"[5] that are designed as shapes to find their corresponding sockets. Only one peg can be held on to one at a time.[6] After placing all the pegs correctly, the player is able to go on to the next level through a now unlocked door. As the levels advance, the pegs begin to appear more similar to confuse the player. The pegs are placed randomly each time the game is re-booted. There is a time limit in which to finish the maze. Although players are not penalized for exceeding the time, they receive bonus points for each second under the time.
This must be done all the while avoiding the Alien stalker which roams the maze. If it gets too close to the player character, the player has to start again. There are two parts to each maze, a safe part, and the part where the creature is, separated by doors. The creature's proximity is indicated is by the beeping he makes. The louder and faster, the closer it is. In the more advanced mazes, there are also large squares that slide out of a wall into the adjacent wall which must be avoided in order for the player to progress. The third maze introduces one-way doors, which disappear once the player character goes through them.
In 1995, Flux magazine ranked Mindmaster 77th on their Top 100 Video Games. They described the game as "A creepy and claustrophobic classic."[7]