Maze of Space

In this prototype, the player controls a spaceman wandering the blocky confines of a randomly-generated space-maze (space station? planetary colony? generation ship?) filled with nasty monsters -- some guarding whimsical treasures and power-ups. The player moves with the arrow keys and shoots his bottomless firearm (optionally strafing) while exploring the gridly confines of the maze and dispersing its fog of war while trying to avoid being shot by opponents not-yet-seen, off-screen. The view is very close-up so as to better implement the game's experimental concept, rendering simple pixel-art sprites and scenery in organically-patterned textures, furthering creative visual ideas explored earlier in the author's Sticky Notes Shooter.

Players gain levels after slaying enough enemies, and gain abilities from new equipment they find -- from the more-damaging banana gun to the dodge-enhancing propeller hat. Successful players will not only accumulate money (score) and XP (and hence, levels) but will also literally ascend through different (randomly-generated, again) levels of the cosmic labyrinth upon locating staircases.