Imagine a twisted game show in which contestants have to navigate their way through a maze full of hazards in order to earn some potential big bucks. Possibly even their freedom. Okay, not that game. What I’m talking about is Chillingo’s Man in a Maze. It’s a bit less bleak.

For starters, the Man (pictured) is always grinning like a goof. That’s pretty much the tone to expect from Man in a Maze: goofy and lighthearted. In between levels players can potentially spin a large, Price is Right-style wheel for bonuses or even use gems nabbed within a stage to purchase upgrades. Of course the stages themselves can be a bit more punishing than the bright and colorful themes might make them appear.

In my brief time spent with the game I saw a number of variations to the maps, which required completely different strategies. At it’s core, Man in a Maze functions much like a fairly typical maze chase game. Players guide the hapless grinning fool around with a finger drag and attempt to snag gems, avoid enemies, and possibly nail them with a fancy ball or two.

All the family friendly (and universal!) game show of death shenanigans will be coming to the App Store this winter.

New to the App Store comes Dédale, a puzzle game all about mazes.

The name stems from the French word for maze and it’s that attention to detail that is evident throughout Dédale.

The aim of the game is to guide a butterfly around the maze without stepping on a space more than once. 100 handcrafted levels are included so there’s a steady learning curve ensuring that things become gradually more difficult rather than overwhelmingly so. Alongside that is a calming soundtrack that enhances the tranquil feeling of the game.

It all fits the meditative focus perfectly and creates a game that lends itself to relaxing gaming sessions perfectly. There’s no sign of leaderboards or stars to represent success, it’s just about enjoying the experience.

While some might crave a bit more action to their puzzle games, those after a serene experience will no doubt adore Dédale.

It’s out now, priced at $0.99 and is an Universal app.

$0.99

Dédale

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-07-05 :: Category: Games

Scientists seem to love locking up tiny animals and experimenting on them. At least in video game fiction. The fortunate thing about this is that it makes for plenty of opportunities to create a game based around escaping the evil scientific facility. In this particular instance it’s the driving factor behind Chillingo and Kiz Studios’ new maze chase iOS title, Critter Escape!.

As is to be expected, players will have to guide a “so ugly it’s cute” critter through level after level of increasingly perplexing mazes full of enemies, obstacles, power-ups, and challenges. Simply completing a stage should be simple enough no matter the player’s gaming prowess, but getting the coveted three star rating will require some fairly significant skills. Especially in the latter half of the game’s 120 levels. This requires not only making it to the exit, but also grabbing the crystal hidden somewhere in the maze, as well as completing a specific challenge such as finishing without being seen or under a certain time limit.

Critter Escape! isn’t just “another” maze chase game, however. While it defaults to a line-drawing control scheme (other options are available, including a virtual stick), it’s a very smart line-drawing controls scheme that automatically finds its way around obstacles. It also features a wealth of customization options that can be cosmetic (i.e. a funny hat) or both cosmetic and game-changing (i.e. a ninja suit that makes it easier to avoid guards). There’s also plenty of hidden content (bonus levels, etc) to encourage repeat play.

Keep an eye out for on-the-lamb potato monsters at the end of the summer, when Critter Escape! will be available to the masses for $0.99.

A new maze game has been released by bladibladibla.com (an interesting and humorous name) called Draw Maze. In addition to working through mazes, players can also use this app to create their own mazes.

Players will challenge themselves in this difficult maze game to work their way through a series of complex mazes. After finishing these mazes that come with the app, players can then go on to create their own mazes and challenge their friends to overcome their self-drawn madness. Not only can players send mazes to their friends to play against one another, they can also compete for the high score on the mazes that come with the app and become the “World Record” holder. The developer is even adding the trickiest designed mazes sent in as featured new levels.

While the game is universal and can be played on any iOS device, the developer’s preferred platform is the iPad. Considering the significant increase in screen real estate on the iPad compared to the iPhone, this is no surprise. Draw Maze is a free app. So grab it and start trying to stump your friends.

FREE!

Draw Maze

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-06-15 :: Category: Games