MAZEMAN

I really liked the game for the first 86 floors. Beyond that, things fell apart to the extent that the game would be better if they declared floor 94 the end, added a bit of text to wrap it up, and completely deleted the final six floors. 94 floors or even 86 is plenty enough content to justify the $5 price tag--and $5 really does get you everything in the game, as there are no microtransactions or other such monetization junk later. There are 24 playable characters, or 22 if we ignore floors 95+, each of which has exactly one skill. The characters split into eight groups of three, with the three in each group having similar skills. But trying to clear a given level with a very different skill makes for a significantly different challenge, which offers quite a bit of replay value. Every floor up through 86 can be beaten with any character and while collecting all gems, with only the possible exception of floor 58. The game is difficult in the sense that you should expect to die a lot more often than you complete a level. Even so, when you die, you just restart the level, and losing 10 or 30 seconds of progress isn't a big deal. The floors tend to get longer as they go along, but even near the end of the game, it's only a few minutes per floor at a leisurely pace. That said, you're not likely to get completely stuck until very late in the game, as it's common to die the first 10 or so times that you try a floor as you figure it out, then beat it and move on. There is an online leaderboard to compare your fastest time for each floor to that of others. Speed running the game is optional, however, and there's no time limit that stops you from taking 5 minutes on a floor if you want to. With only one skill plus four directions, the game is very controller friendly when inside of a level. The menus to either check leaderboards or abandon an attempt at completing a floor largely demand that you use a mouse, however. There are two notable drawbacks that you should be aware of. One is that the game is rendered at a resolution of approximately 384x216, and then upscaled to fill your monitor, which makes it look very pixellated. It must be run maximized and cannot be run windowed. You can alt+tab in and out of the game, which largely works as you'd hope, other than that the game completely stops when you tab out. I don't just mean that it pauses. If you tell the game to shut down, then alt+tab out, it stops the shutdown procedure until you tab back to the game to finish it and close. The other drawback is that the controls are a little wonky. You have to get the hang of tapping in the direction that you want to go and then letting go. You'll keep traveling in that direction until you press a different direction or hit something that stops you. If you hold down the key for the direction you want to travel, then pressing a different direction won't take effect as quickly as you'd hope. Apart from that, when you nick the corner of a wall, the game feels inconsistent on when it has you stick to the wall versus sliding a bit to the side to keep going. The game is pretty polished with very few outright bugs. The boss of floor 55 occasionally stays invulnerable for a lot longer than it should, certain methods of killing monsters will get double-counted or worse in the tracker of how many monsters you've killed, and that's about it.

I plan to either update this review or post another review once I've played a bit more of this game, but so far I'm loving it. I admittedly bought this game since I love the Monster Prom games and wanted to support Beautiful Glitch. When watching the trailers for this game I initially thought it looked somewhat uninteresting. I am happy to report its actually quite fun. The different characters make for fun different playstyles, and the difference in levels and enemies add a rewarding challenge. The boss stages in particular are amazing, offering unique fights. Given that this game is only $5 with 98 levels and a ton of characters to play, and a free demo, I'd say you should definitely at least try this game, and then buy it once you do.

Short version: The game has some merits to it, and comes with some fun moments, but overall your time might be better spent elsewhere due to repetitiveness, a lot of content padding and generally feeling unpolished. Kinda fun for a while, but the game's really padded out. Asset re-use is super apparent and overused, not a lot of content is actually unique. It tends to be the case that some characters, enemies and stage aesthetics are just minor reskins with minimal changes. This isn't inherently a bad thing, but it starts to get old when the whole game's doing it. There are some interesting ideas, like the central mechanic where you're always moving, and all of the bosses I saw were relatively interesting and fun to fight against, but stages get very very samey (in fact, I'm not even 1/3 through all stages and I counted 3 separate pairs of back to back copy+paste stage layouts, with the second being slightly extended somehow) and most characters just aren't great to play as or don't do anything interesting, since a lot of them just boil down to 'use this powerup, but as an ability'. Characters without offensive abilities are objectively worse since you need to kill all enemies to 100% a level, something which isn't physically possible if they don't give you any powerups to do so. Speaking of, between the clunky controls and limited-use character abilities, killing all enemies in some stages feels more frustrating, rather than a fun challenge. At least the music is nice, and didn't really get old for me.

MAZEMAN is a retro-inspired arcade action game developed and published by Beautiful Glitch that embraces the spirit of classic maze-chasing titles while adding modern progression systems and a unique science-fiction atmosphere. Rather than simply recreating the formula of older arcade games, it introduces its own identity through procedural challenges, unlockable content, and an increasingly complex set of mechanics that encourage both quick reflexes and strategic planning. The result is a game that feels familiar to veterans of the genre while remaining engaging for players looking for something more contemporary. The core gameplay revolves around navigating dangerous mazes, collecting items, avoiding enemies, and surviving increasingly difficult stages. What initially appears to be a straightforward arcade experience gradually reveals a surprising amount of depth. Each maze becomes a test of movement efficiency, risk management, and situational awareness. Players must constantly balance aggressive exploration with self-preservation, especially as enemy patterns become more threatening and environmental hazards begin to play a larger role. This evolving challenge keeps the gameplay loop fresh and prevents the experience from becoming repetitive despite its relatively simple premise. One of the game's strongest features is the way it expands on classic arcade design through progression systems. Unlockable characters, upgrades, and additional gameplay elements create a sense of long-term advancement that older maze games often lacked. Instead of chasing a high score alone, players are given meaningful incentives to continue playing and experimenting with different strategies. These progression mechanics help maintain engagement while providing a satisfying reward structure that complements the arcade foundation. Visually, MAZEMAN adopts a colorful pixel-art style that perfectly suits its retro inspirations. The graphics are intentionally simple but packed with personality, featuring vibrant environments, expressive enemy designs, and clear visual communication that helps players quickly understand threats and opportunities. The presentation strikes a balance between nostalgia and modern polish, avoiding the pitfalls of feeling either outdated or overly reliant on retro aesthetics. The visual clarity is particularly important during intense moments when quick reactions are essential. The game's science-fiction narrative adds an extra layer of intrigue to the experience. While story is not the primary focus, the mysterious setting and unfolding details provide context for the player's journey through increasingly dangerous labyrinths. This narrative framework gives purpose to the action and helps distinguish MAZEMAN from more traditional arcade titles that rely solely on gameplay. The story elements remain subtle enough not to interrupt the fast-paced action while still contributing to the game's overall atmosphere. Sound design also contributes significantly to the experience. The energetic soundtrack complements the arcade gameplay, creating tension during dangerous encounters and maintaining momentum throughout each run. Sound effects provide useful feedback for movement, item collection, and enemy interactions, helping players stay immersed while also serving practical gameplay purposes. Together, the audio and visual presentation create a cohesive package that feels polished and carefully crafted. Where MAZEMAN excels most is in its ability to transform a seemingly simple concept into something surprisingly addictive. The combination of skill-based gameplay, progression systems, replayability, and escalating difficulty creates a compelling loop that encourages repeated attempts. Success feels earned, and each run offers opportunities to improve performance, unlock new content, or discover better strategies. Players who enjoy arcade-style challenges and score-driven gameplay will likely find themselves returning for "just one more run" on a regular basis. The game is not without limitations. Players seeking a heavily story-driven adventure or extensive content variety may find the experience somewhat focused on its central gameplay concept. The difficulty curve can also become demanding, particularly for newcomers unfamiliar with fast-paced arcade mechanics. However, these aspects are largely consistent with the genre's design philosophy and are unlikely to be major drawbacks for the intended audience. Overall, MAZEMAN is a well-executed blend of classic arcade action and modern game design. Beautiful Glitch successfully takes the familiar maze-chasing formula and enriches it with progression systems, replayability, and a distinctive science-fiction theme. Its accessible controls, challenging gameplay, appealing pixel-art presentation, and rewarding sense of progression make it an enjoyable experience for fans of retro-inspired action games. While it remains focused on a relatively specific gameplay style, it delivers that experience with confidence and polish. Rating: 7/10

muchos personajes ,varias habilidades, muchos niveles, para el que le guste este tipo de juegos esta bastante bien.

It's quirky and fun; the controls take some getting used to but it's a great arcade throwback

mixels and inconsistent art style abound. reeks of something unfinished.

oui

Fun game, good time killer.

Me está gustando! Un buen juego con muchos niveles y personajes diferentes. Es un juego para echarle runs a gas. Los niveles suben a una dificultad razonable y hay mucha variedad de enemigos. Lo recomiendo mucho si lo que te gusta es un juego de echarle runs con mucha variedad de todo!