In the first survival horror player hunted Tyrannosaurus rex -apkrig
Many titles, or rather their fans, compete for various championships in the world of video games. 3D Monster Maze is one of the first horror games ever. I do not intentionally say that this is the first game of this genre. That is certainly not the case. But it would be much fairer to give her the title for the first survival horror. It fulfills the definition of this genre well, even though the phrase itself did not begin to be used until the mid-1990s.
3D Monster Maze is a 1982 game for the Sinclair ZX81. At the time, the title was groundbreaking in many ways, and its title actually sums up the essentials well. It is one of the first early 3D games in which we move in a maze where we are haunted by a monster. In this case, Tyrannosaurus rex, which is not exactly a typical enemy in the world of horror games. On the other hand, the Dino Crisis series many years later also terrified players with prehistoric lizards, so even in this act it was a bit ahead of its time.
Tyrannosaurus rex is a tireless enemy who chases you like Tyrant in Resident Evil 2 or the already mentioned intruder.
We watch the game from the perspective of our own eyes and, as in modern first person horror movies, we have to do without a weapon. We are completely defenseless and can’t fight, which is reminiscent of titles like Outlast, Layers of Fear, Amnesia, Soma, PT and partly Alien: Isolation. It is not for nothing that the vulnerability of the protagonist in these cases contributes to the overall atmosphere and the unsettling distress.
Tyrannosaurus rex is a tireless enemy who chases you like Tyrant in Resident Evil 2 or the already mentioned intruder. It represents the ultimate danger and a constant threat. Your task is to naturally find the exit from the labyrinth of corridors and escape from the maze. There is always only one escape route and, in addition, the map is always generated randomly, so you can’t remember the right solution. If you succeed, you can start again.
The labyrinth has an area of 18 × 16 cells and although you can try to draw a map, it is not very effective, because the pace of the game is variable. And therein lies the magic. Although the game looks like a stepping look, it does not take place on moves, but everything happens in real time. At the bottom of the screen, you can still see what the T-Rex is doing. Because the game does not build tension through music and sounds, the text informs you about the state of the environment.
These messages will tell you if the dinosaur is resting, looking for you, hearing your footsteps, seeing you, or chasing you and being in your immediate vicinity. Because the player moves faster than the predator, your revelation does not automatically mean the end. You can lose sight of the enemy again, and if you are far enough away from him, he goes back to rest. But as you approach in an effort to find an exit, the hunt begins again.
Other interesting things
For some bizarre reason, you will be greeted by a clown in the game.
Malcolm Evans originally added text messages about T-Rex’s condition because he feared that his sudden arrival would shock the player too much and could cause them health problems.
Malcolm Evans himself created several variations on his popular hit.
The news itself adds tension, and I was surprised that, given the age of the game and the technical limitations, the basic idea still works very well. This is despite the fact that I am convinced that horror movies age faster than any other game, depending on the graphics. After all, you can try 3D Monster Maze at 6 fps yourself and you can also play it in the browser. For each step you get points and an extra portion for finding an escape point.
The game was created by Brit Malcolm Evans, although JK Gray came up with the idea for T-Rex and gameplay. Malcolm Evans created 3D Monster Maze in 7 months and he was not a game developer. He worked as a scientist in the field of microprocessors and received the ZX81 from his wife as a gift for his 37th birthday. Malcolm wanted to know what he could do, and that was the result. His friends eventually convinced him that the 3D Monster Maze was so good that he should sell it, and so it happened through JK Gray.
Period magazines called it one of the best games for the system and did not spare terms as “brilliant”.
3D Monster Maze was the first game Malcolm Evans ever created, but not the last. He later founded his own company, New Generation Software, and created other titles that often bet on 3D. He did games not only for the ZX81, but also the ZX Spectrum, and the company operated until 1986. Games such as the 3D Tunnel and Trashman also received responses. In general, however, Evans faced criticism for his great titles looking great, but lagging behind in gameplay.
But back to the horror 3D Monster Maze. He was very well received by critics and customers alike. Period magazines called it one of the best games for the system and did not spare terms as “brilliant”. Nevertheless, paradoxically, today his fame is far from what the title probably deserves. Among experts, however, this is clearly a valued piece of history, to which the community of retro players likes to return and was supposed to be the driving force behind the first emulators of the ZX81 computer. I don’t know of a better way to appreciate it today than to recommend that you try it for yourself. I don’t think he can ever fall into oblivion.
3D Monster Maze dnes
In addition to the 3D Monster Maze conversion for ZX Spectrum, the feat is surprisingly alive today. People quite often shoot, stream and port it to other platforms. Alternatively, they learn to program on it. There are attempts at remasters, remakes and various modern variations. As already mentioned, you can also play 3D Monster Maze in a web browser. There are versions for Windows, Mac or multiplayer editions.
