''Snail Maze'' is a 1986 video game by Sega for the

Master System The is an 8-bit History of video game consoles (third generation), third-generation home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series of ...

. Instead of being released on a cartridge, it was built into the system's

BIOS In computing, BIOS (, ; Basic Input/Output System, also known as the System BIOS, ROM BIOS, BIOS ROM or PC BIOS) is firmware used to provide runtime services for operating systems and programs and to perform hardware initialization during the ...

and could be played by starting the system without a game cartridge inserted and holding Up and buttons 1 and 2 simultaneously. Some later console models included a minimal BIOS because of memory constraints, and ''Snail Maze'' had to be removed. These systems instead included a built-in ''

Alex Kidd in Miracle World is a platform game for the Master System. It was released in Japan on November 1, 1986, followed by the United States in December 1986, with Europe in September 1987, plus South Korea in October 1988, and Brazil in 1989. It was later built into ...

'' or ''Sonic the Hedgehog''. ''Snail Maze'' was never released in cartridge or card format.

Gameplay

A very simple game, ''Snail Maze'' involves navigating a small orange

snail A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class G ...

with a yellow shell through a blue maze. A goal area is clearly marked, which players must attempt to reach within a time limit. Despite its relative simplicity compared to other games of its era, Snail Maze could be quite challenging. Subsequent levels reduce the time available, giving a progressively lower margin for error.

Legacy

In 2004 an unofficial port of ''Snail Maze'' was made for the Japanese MSX computer platform with enhanced graphics and a new title screen. A version of ''Snail Maze'' was included on the Coleco Sonic handheld system, created in 2006. An unofficial port of ''Snail Maze'' was released in December 2015 for the

TI-84 Plus CE The TI-84 Plus is a graphing calculator made by Texas Instruments which was released in early 2004. There is no original TI-84, only the TI-84 Plus, the TI-84 Plus Silver Edition models, and the TI-84 Plus CE. The TI-84 Plus is an enhanced ve ...

graphing calculator, written in

eZ80 The Zilog eZ80 is an 8-bit microprocessor from Zilog, introduced in 2001. eZ80 is an updated version of the company's first product, the Z80 microprocessor. Design The eZ80 (like the Z380) is binary compatible with the Z80 and Z180, but ...

assembly language. An emulated version of ''Snail Maze'' can be played on the in-game Master System in the 2021 game '' Lost Judgment'' by using the system without selecting a game.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Master System screenshots
1986 video games Master System games Master System-only games Maze games MSX games Sega video games Video games developed in Japan