Marchen Maze (Japan)

Step into a whimsical world inspired by Alice in Wonderland in Namco’s Marchen Maze, released in Japan in 1988. Players take control of Alice as she navigates nine distinct, isometric environments across scrolling platforms. Using a bubble-blowing mechanic, players must strategically knock enemies off the screen while collecting power-ups to aid her journey. Holding down the fire button creates larger bubbles for more impactful pushes. Gameplay involves dodging projectiles fired by the on-screen enemies; these can cause Alice to fall and lose progress if not avoided or jumped over. The game utilizes a vibrant 24-bit color palette and features a dynamic soundtrack, including a limited edition album released shortly after the game's debut. Two players can join forces for cooperative gameplay as they explore this unique maze shooter. Marchen Maze runs on Namco System 1 hardware and was ported to other platforms like the NEC PC-Engine and Sharp X68000. The game’s design team included Nak & Take, alongside programmers and sound designers who brought Alice's world to life.