Mazescape: Labyrinthos

• Designer: Pablo Cespedes and Victor Hugo Cisternas
• Publisher: Devir
• Players: 1
• Age: 8+
• Time: >5 minutes
• played with review copy provided by publisher

Mazescape is a fascinating and intriguing game of labyrinths for one player that guarantees intense brain racking moments as you search for the exit. It is a game you can take anywhere and play time and time again to discover all the different nooks and crannies of the seven maps included.

It is a completely unique concept that promises to equally surprise and create headaches in equal measure. In this original game from Devir, you will unfold a map on the table, where you will start at the compass rose with the pointer you will find in the box, moving it along the labyrinth paths marked in white without ever lifting it from the map. You will have to open and close different parts of the map in search of the Impossible Triangle that will allow you to escape the maze. You can go under bridges, climb up ladders and run around in circles in the maze and in your own head until the exit finally leads you to… the next map!

This was the perfect diversion on my plane ride home for Spiel as it all fits in a small space such as my tray table.  It was also great as I could start and stop it as needed; though some care had to be taken to remember what parts of the map were folded/unfolded at the time – it was easiest for me to simply take a picture with my phone and then I can easily resume my game once my oh-so-not-yummy meal was finished and my tray table cleared off again…

In Mazescape: Labýrinthos you will go through three well defined territories: the docks, the graveyard, and the mountain. The first of the maps will help you to understand the most essential concepts of the game. Then. from there, they will become progressively more complicated until reaching the final challenge.  You’ll find things like locked doors – which require a specific key to unlock or even some teleporters (though they only work if you can see two portals in your current view).  

Trust me, even from the start – the maps can be difficult, and until you get the hang of it, be prepared to restart your quest a few times!  There is a QR code on each map that you can use to get some clues to get you on the right track!  I will admit that there were a few times where I wasn’t quite sure whether or not I was allowed to fold/unfold the map in a certain way, but I figured it out – namely, could I fold a crease in the opposite direction of how it comes packaged, and it certainly appears that you can do so!  (The EN translation is not necessarily clear on that).

They also have a bunch of secondary objectives that you can explore to get the very most out of the game.  You might have to find certain things such as treasure chests or switches.  Sometimes, you have essentially a second puzzle of find thing A and then figure out how to bring it to Place B – which when you think about it is exactly what you’re doing as the main goal!

Anyways, once you get to the Forbidden Triangle on the map, you dig through the box, find the next map and do it again!  Or if you are a completist, you stay on the current map, start over, and now start working on the side quests and whatnot.  There is a chart on the back of the rules which lists all of the things that you can accomplish on each of the seven maps.

There are a number of different games in the series, and each has its own story told over the course of the maps.  Mazescape has been a nice solitary pursuit for me, something that can be picked up, studied for a bit, and if I need a break, it’s easy to repack in its small box waiting for the next opportunity to work on it.  It also was great for my plane ride home.

Ratings from the Opinionated Gamers

• I love it!
• I like it. Dale Y, Steph H
• Neutral
• Not for me