A maze game that’s vaguely styled after old wooden puzzles appeared on WiiWare. The Incredible Maze may not win any beauty contests, however it plays nicely. I also found while reviewing this game, others were drawn in by the simple mechanic and Wii Balance Board control option.
The goal is simple in the game, guide the ball to the goal by using the Wii Remote to tilt the on-screen board. Sounds simple and at first it is, but as the levels progress it gets a bit more complicated. In higher levels, gone are the walls that provide safety when you don’t react fast enough and pull back from a tilt. There are also holes in the floor to avoid which can take a bit of patience to get around. If you make a mistake and fall off or through, the game puts you a short distance away form where you fell. This is good because the controls can get a bit twitchy.
While playing I noticed that if you need to sneeze or do anything but focus on your hand and the position at which you’re holding the Wii Remote, it can spell disaster. When you do fall off, it’s hard at times to find where the centering for the controller is which leads to falling off once again. This isn’t too much of an issue with the Wii Remote as it is with the Wii Balance Board. It’s not to say that play with the Board isn’t fun, it is, but you’ll be in for a workout.
While playing the review my father specifically wanted to try out the Wii Balance Board with the game. We had a mini competition to see who could get to the end in less moves on a level than the other person. During this time when both attempted the level, falling off the board was happening due to not knowing the center, but mostly laughing. Yes, don’t laugh while you’re playing or you’ll be adding another "stroke" to your score. Still, at the end, my father wanted to know when we’d do this again since he had an enjoyable time.
Although it doesn’t push the Wii to the limits, The Incredible Maze is an enjoyable game. The production values were low and do ultimately hurt your eyeballs after awhile due to dull colors and lack of variety in the levels. That aside, the gameplay is suitable, basic and to the point. This is cheap fun on WiiWare, if your expectations aren’t stellar.
