Simple 1500 Series Vol. 57 – The Maze (SIMPLE1500シリーズ Vol.57 THE 迷路)
Developer: Mint / Plophet
Release Date: 2001
Platforms: PlayStation
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As the name implies, the 57th volume of the Simple 1500 Series is an original game that takes place entirely within randomized mazes. Consisting entirely of 1v1 battles, each player is tasked with grabbing three keys and making it to the exit before their opponent can. The keys are color-coded and players need to grab the ones that correspond to their color in order to unlock their respective exit. However, one of the keys a player needs is always held by the opposite player at the start, forcing them to interact in every match. To aid in their mission, each player has melee attacks, a bazooka for slow ranged attacks, and an item menu that lets them place traps and use/drop items they’ve found. It’s possible to knock out the other player, especially if you can lure them into an explosive trap, but doing so is only a minor setback, so traps that waste their time like sticky slime puddles generally have more impact.
Each of the four playable characters has different stats in one of four categories. The girl has the best trap stat, letting her set traps faster than anyone else, whereas the office lady is equally balanced in all stats. The salaryman is mostly weak, but has by far the best stamina, which means he can run for longer and do more melee attacks before getting tired. The burly “Macho” is the strongest when it comes to melee attacks, which are useful for knocking keys out of the opposition. There’s a fifth character, a dominatrix-looking woman, but she only appears as the final boss and isn’t playable.
The Maze is lacking in modes, only offering battles against the CPU or another player, but enough thought was put into the concept to make it engaging to play. Having to balance making progress with fighting off the other player (who is always visible on-screen thanks to the forced split screen view) can be quite the challenge and the momentum of a match can shift dramatically with proper item usage. Learning how to efficiently navigate randomized mazes and make use of traps is a rewarding process and the enemy AI is generally competent enough to keeps things exciting. Since Spy vs. Spy isn’t a concept that gets iterated upon often, The Maze is a potential option for those hungry for anything in this particular niche. This game also received a PS2 sequel called Simple 2000 Ultimate Vol. 8: Gekitou! Meiro King, which was released in European countries as Maze King.
