1982 · Sirius Software · Maze · Puzzle

Wayout

A 3-D action game in which the player has to find a way out of 26 different mazes.

Released: 1982
Platforms: Apple II Atari 8-bit Commodore C64/128/MAX
Genres: Maze Puzzle
Developers: Sirius Software
Publishers: Sirius Software
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: First person
Themes: Action
Country: United States
Languages: English

About

Wayout is a 3D first-person perspective video game programmed by Paul Allen Edelstein and published for the Atari 8-bit computers in 1982. It was released for the Apple II and Commodore 64 in 1983. Wayout is among the first maze games to offer full 360 degree 3D perspective and movement, and its graphics were considered state-of-the-art upon its release. There were many pseudo-3D maze games at the time (such as 3D Monster Maze, Phantom Slayer, and 3-Demon), but they used a fixed perspective and limited the player to four orientations.

Capture the Flag was published as a follow-up in 1983. It allows two players to compete at once with a split-screen view and adds dynamic music.

Keywords

maze
8-bit

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The game can be played with either a joystick, paddles or the keyboard, allowing the player to move forward and turn left or right (but not backwards).

The player is trapped inside one of 26 mazes and must find the exit with the use of a compass and a map-making kit. The game automatically maps the areas that the player explores and records how many movement units the player uses up, saving the best scores to the game disk.

Reception

Creative Computing in 1983 described Wayout as "deliciously addictive"; reviewer Chris Vogeli admitted to being frustrated until he realised the exit could be anywhere on the map, and not just at the edge. Antic's David Duberman wrote, "The graphics that appear before you as you move through the maze are more life-like and dramatic than I have ever seen. The 3-D animation... makes this game the last word in alternate-reality simulation".

Softline stated that Wayout "features smooth-scrolling, truly three-dimensional mazes ... to torture your mind", and was "not recommended for vertigo sufferers". In a review for ANALOG Computing, Brian Moriarty concluded, "Paul Edelstein deserves stardom for his masterful programming effort. When I'm showing off my ATARI to friends, I don't automatically reach for Star Raiders any more".