I think the easiest solution would be to have one monster which inhabits one of the mazes. When you are in his mass he pursues you, but when you are in the other maze he prowls 'randomly', as in, just goes aimlessly wandering.

This would create a huge amount of tension, flipping between a 'safe space' and forcing yourself to dive into the dangerous maze. This would also give the player a little time to relax and collect their thoughts.

This is one of the avenues I have been thinking about. The difficulty was that you had the rest and recuperation in the safe side I had been thinking possibly a mechanical aspect to the safe side such poison gas (it will not be poison gas) to limit the time that would be spent on that side.

PM sent regarding this project.

Why not think of the maze itself as being the Monster. Where as if you fail to escape in time it, the maze, consumes you. The simplest effect of being consumed would be to have a hole open up under the player's feet and have him or her sucked into the darkness.

Why not think of the maze itself as being the Monster.

Nice idea - reminds me of the houses that sucker people in, only turn out to be something that is not a house and the suckers are the new meal.

I had a board game as a kid about a wizard maze that consisted of different passageway tiles and players took turns pushing tiles into the board to reshape the maze, with the goal of moving the wizard to collect the most token pieces.

What about something a long those lines?

You have two simple mazes with a number of survivors and monsters. Monster and survivors can move any distance in a turn. If a monster can reach a survivor it eats them. The player's goal is to save as many of the survivors as they can by manipulating the two mazes.

You have two simple mazes with a number of survivors and monsters. Monster and survivors can move any distance in a turn. If a monster can reach a survivor it eats them. The player's goal is to save as many of the survivors as they can by manipulating the two mazes.

It's a nice idea unfortunately the constraints mentioned earlier means there is only one survivor available as a food source.

I had a board game as a kid about a wizard maze that consisted of different passageway tiles and players took turns pushing tiles into the board to reshape the maze, with the goal of moving the wizard to collect the most token pieces.

Sounds like Master Labyrinth from memory

Maybe instead of a monster make a classic timer? The two mazes start as far apart, they are slowly coming closer and closer and when they meet the player is crushed.

G

The two mazes start as far apart, they are slowly coming closer and closer and when they meet the player is crushed.

Nice mechanic have something similar developed in another area but in this case it is water filling in at the bottom while poison gas pumps in at the top and you need to solve the puzzle before you get floated into death

Unfortunately though one of the constraints of this particular location is that both mazes are basically static and your only real freedom beyond walking each maze is to port from one maze to the other and vice versa at a number of different locations. At the moment I am leaning to the idea of a monster on one maze's side which hunts for you when you traverse that maze and on the other maze a toxic environment which limits the amount of time you can spend up there and depending on how much time you spend there defines how much minimal recovery time you need on the monster's maze.

But I am very much open to suggestions improvements or more ideas :)

Unfortunately though one of the constraints of this particular location is that both mazes are basically static

No, no, I mean only a graphical effect. The first picture you posted, simply decrease the space between these mazes over time (with a nasty heavy metallic/rocky sound). It would not change the gameplay at all, these two mazes are still static, this "movement" does not change the shape of these mazes at all. It would be merely an aestetic thing.

No, no, I mean only a graphical effect. The first picture you posted, simply decrease the space between these mazes over time (with a nasty heavy metallic/rocky sound). It would not change the gameplay at all, these two mazes are still static, this "movement" does not change the shape of these mazes at all. It would be merely an aestetic thing.

Ah I see what you mean - to be honest not sure if good for here though I can see an aspect in which it might work -- mostly I think it would come down to the technical side saying whether it was possible or not....(mental note: organise a technical side sometime!)