MazezaM (Apple 2)

MazezaM is a puzzle game based on idea from the Oric-1 type-in game "Fall Guy" later extended by Malcolm Tyrrell. In 2002 the Sinclair ZX Spectrum version was released on which I based the Amiga version. The Amiga code done in C programming language, later was the foundation for the Apple 2 port. Even if easier to be programmed in C, the game for Apple 2 was developed entirely in assembler and deeply optimized for speed and size. The resulted 4 kilobytes game competed in the Minigame Compo 2004 where it finished 23rd out of 42 entries for many different platforms (Best Apple 2 entry). The high optimizations for size and speed did not affect the game principle which is to pass through the MazezaM from the corridor on the left to the corridor on the right by sliding the walls horizontally. The task sounds easy but once the player passes several levels, he finds himself in much harder MazezaM, but the motivation to solve the puzzle and advance to the next level is not lost.

The game uses the high resolution mode of the Apple 2, with a special routine to mimic the pseudo graphics of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and the Oric. The 6 colors of the high resolution Apple 2 palette are used and mixtures to show imitation of more. Music and sound effects are also present in the game. The character can be controlled either with keyboard or with Joystick. The game have 10 levels and escape screen. It works on all the Apple 2 8-bit models and on Apple IIGS too. The small size makes it very fast to load from floppy, and only small delay at the beginning is noticed, which is for decompression of the game into the memory from the loaded file. The same game but done in the text mode of Apple 2 is also available, which have 13 levels and is a straight port from the CP/M version of the game:

The MazezaM (Text Mode) lacks many of the features of the Apple 2 native version, as a result of direct conversion from CP/M. It has no animations, graphics, music, sound effect or Joystick control, but is playable. MazezaM have versions for other platforms with wide range of features on every platform. Currently it is available as Java applet and versions for Sinclair, Amiga, Apple Mac OS X, Windows, Oric, Commodore 64, Super Nintendo, Nintendo Gameboy, Coleco Vision and Coleco ADAM, CP/M and Rockbox. True multiplatform game with peculiarities on every different platform on which is available for, starting from computers from 1970s through consoles and computers of the 1980s and 1990s to the most recent computers and electronic devices.

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