Mazes of Fate

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Mazes of Fate is a first‑person, real‑time role‑playing game created by Argentine studio Sabarasa. It was published in North America for the Game Boy Advance by O~3 Entertainment and for the Nintendo DS by Graffiti Entertainment, with European publication by Neko Entertainment. The GBA version released in North America on December 12, 2006. A DS version, Mazes of Fate DS, followed in Europe on July 25, 2008 and in North America on September 9, 2008. The DS remake fixed many bugs, added a true 3D dungeon engine, secret dungeon areas, and new maps, but it also had a major bug that made combat too easy because most enemies could be killed before they could attack.

The game takes place in a dark fantasy world threatened by the gods, who want to wipe out humanity and replace it with a goatmen race. One group of adventurers fights back to save humanity. Your party can include up to six allies who may join the quest.

Gameplay is a real-time, first‑person RPG where you control up to three characters. You start with three pre‑generated classes—Warrior, Rogue, and Mage—or you can create a custom character. In the Nintendo DS version, you can also play as Priest, Assassin, Valkyrie, or a two‑handed Warrior. The world has three kinds of areas: dungeons (where most battles happen), the overworld (a hub to travel to locations), and towns or villages (for story progression and trading). The DS version adds extra dungeon areas, secret rooms, and maps.

Development was led by Sabarasa, directed by Javier Otaegui, with about 15 people on the team and some external help. Work began in 2003 and took about two and a half years. The GBA was chosen because it was easier to develop for at the time. Otaegui drew inspiration from games like Chrono Trigger, Fallout, and Eye of the Beholder, and blended Japanese anime and South American art styles. Graffiti Entertainment aided the project as the publisher.

Reception varied. The Game Boy Advance version got mixed to positive reviews, while the DS remake was viewed less favorably. Metacritic scores were around 65/100 for the GBA and 49/100 for the DS. IGN praised the GBA version as old‑school and content‑rich but criticized its dated visuals and sound, giving it 6.5/10. The DS version was criticized for weaker AI, updated graphics that didn’t fit well, and was given about 4/10.