Zardy's Maze

'' “Don't get lost... Or worse...” ''

- Zardy's Maze trailer

''This article is about the game itself. For information about the wiki, go to the main page. If you're looking for the maze itself, click here.''

Zardy's Maze is an indie horror game developed by SwankyBox and a team of developers and published by SwankyBox LLC. Zardy's Maze is available for free on Steam and itch.io and can be played on Windows and Mac OS X.

Zardy's Maze has been worked on by SwankyBox and his team of developers since 2018, but was planned as early as 2017.

Premise and Gameplay
The player is trying to weed down strange weeds that have infested their corn maze. This task is easier said than done, because the weeds weren't the only things to break into the maze - in fact, several Scary Scarecrows are roaming the maze with the only goal of offing the player on sight. Armed with just a hoe and a flashlight, they must destroy the weeds and get out of the maze alive.

Controls
The player must use WASD to move and the mouse to look.

The shift key is used to sprint.

The E key is used to interact.

The spacebar is used to jump

The escape key is used to pause the game.

Left click is used to swing the axe.

Right click is used to toggle the flashlight on and off, holding right click also recharges the flashlight.

Of note, the game has no stamina meter, meaning the player can sprint for as long as they like. The player also cannot be sprinting if they are to recharge their flashlight.

The Maze
The maze in each run is a randomly generated corn maze featuring unique areas for vines and poles for the Cable Crow to use. In the challenge mode screen, the player can choose if they want to use a set seed or not.

Tools
The player only has two tools at their disposal when braving the maze, an axe and a rechargable flashlight. The axe is used to break vines, smash Pumpkin Crawlers, and destroy Cornstalkers. The axe is necessary in that the player cannot enter the maze without using it, as a vine blocks a gate that leads to the entrance to the maze. The flashlight is an incredibly useful tool, being able to stun a multitude of enemies and provide a constant light source in the dark maze. The flashlight has limited battery life, though, and the player must stop sprinting in order to recharge it. The flashlight can be recharged an infinite number of times, though when recharging the flashlight the player's movement speed is crippled, making them vulnerable to nearby enemies.

Vines
The player has the objective of destroying all of the large vines in the maze, though this task is easier said than done. With the destruction of a vine, multiple large non-interactable vines sprout from the ground and the maze begins to get darker with a greenish fog covering the map and an extra Pumpkin Jack will spawn. The player can exit the maze to reverse this effect, but the exit they use will be blocked by a vine that cannot be destroyed. If the player waits too long and the effects complete, then all of the exits are blocked off and the player is forced to stay within the maze. Once all of the vines are in the maze, an exit taking the form of a glowing blue circle is opened within the maze and the player must get to it before they are killed. In a regular run, there are only three vines, though this varies with each challenge run.

Antagonists
A cast of eight unique antagonists try to kill or otherwise stop the player on their mission. While each of these antagonists vary in their unique behaviors, a general rule of thumb is that making physical contact with them will kill you. For a more in depth overview of each antagonist, check the antagonists category. When killed by an antagonist, a unique jump scare plays before the player is killed and sent to the game over screen.

Game Over Screen
If the player is killed at any point during their journey, they are sent to the game over screen where it shows which enemy they were killed by and gives the player the option to restart their run or go back to the main menu screen.

Regular Mode
"Regular Mode" is the default mode played when the player clicks start on the menu. Regular mode features a maze with three vines and features all eight antagonists at their default difficulty levels.[citation needed]

Challenge Mode
Challenge mode is a special mode featuring seven premade challenges that alter the game in different ways, also changing the number of each enemy and their difficulty level. Their also exists an option for a custom challenge where the player can tweak the enemies to their liking. For a more in depth overview of the seven premade challenges, click here.

Knot Cannon Graveyard
In the back of the maze, there is an extra forested area with a sign that reads "Knot Cannon Graveyard" (a play on "not-cannon"), referencing the names of several video game characters and other YouTubers.

YouTuber Easter Eggs
(TBW)