Doctor Who: The Mazes of Time
Encyclopedia
Doctor Who: The Mazes of Time is a video game for the Apple IOS platform based on the BBC
TV series Doctor Who
.
It is the first official Doctor Who game to be released through the App Store and was released on the Android platform in August 2011.
and Amy
arriving on a spaceship broadcasting a distress signal. From there they travel through time and space to save the Jones family from a variety of Doctor Who enemies, including Dalek
s, Cybermen and Silurians
. The Daleks are searching for a Time Engine. The Doctor and Amy reach the Time Engine, find a Dalek Scientist and there is an explosion. From here the player has to stop the Daleks from completing their mission.
, although sound samples from the show of the enemies are used. Instead all character dialogue is provided with on screen captions. Music was written by Murray Gold
.
based developer, Tag games.
Announcing the game in Nov 2010, head of games technology Robert Henning for Tag said
"Doctor Who is the UK's number one science fiction property, and I think it is in the BBC's top three for worldwide sales, so it is great to bring it to Dundee — especially in light of what happened at Realtime Worlds and the effect it had on Dundee. It shows there is still something positive we can bring to the sector."
It is the first official Doctor Who game to be released for the IOS platform. The game was written by Oli Smith, who also wrote the Wii and DS games, Return to Earth
and Evacuation Earth
, which were also released in 2010.
gave it 3 out 5 stars saying the game "is an enjoyable romp for fans, but at the end of the day, there is simply too much frustration to be had with the controls to give this a solid recommendation."
By lunchtime on the day of its release the game was at number 50 on the app store chart, despite minimal advertising.
Doctor Who TV rated the game 4/5, commenting "Overall, The Mazes of Time is a solid and enjoyable puzzler that we can recommend to all Doctor Who fans.
What's on iPhone gave 4.5/5
Also the game was made 'Game of the Week' for the iPad HD version.
The Android version is reported to run on only a few handsets, with most users reporting that the game crashed (Force closes) as soon as it is launched)
Mazes of time entry in the Appstore http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/doctor-who-the-mazes-of-time/id404556035?mt=8
Mazes of time on Android market https://market.android.com/details?id=com.taggames.doctorwho.androidnonuk&feature=search_result
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
.
It is the first official Doctor Who game to be released through the App Store and was released on the Android platform in August 2011.
Plot
The story features the Eleventh DoctorEleventh Doctor
The Eleventh Doctor is the eleventh incarnation of the protagonist of the BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. Matt Smith plays this incarnation, replacing David Tennant's Tenth Doctor in the 2010 episode "The End of Time, Part Two"...
and Amy
Amy Pond
Amelia Jessica 'Amy' Pond is a fictional character portrayed by Karen Gillan in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
arriving on a spaceship broadcasting a distress signal. From there they travel through time and space to save the Jones family from a variety of Doctor Who enemies, including Dalek
Dalek
The Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
s, Cybermen and Silurians
Silurian (Doctor Who)
The Silurians are a fictional race of reptile-like humanoids in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The species first appeared in Doctor Who in the 1970 serial Doctor Who and the Silurians...
. The Daleks are searching for a Time Engine. The Doctor and Amy reach the Time Engine, find a Dalek Scientist and there is an explosion. From here the player has to stop the Daleks from completing their mission.
Gameplay
The game is played in third person 3D from a high angle view, and features the Doctor and Amy moving around rooms and mazes solving puzzles. Control is via an on-screeen joystick on the touchscreen. The player controls both Amy and the Doctor, who have different capabilities within the game, and can be swaped between at will to assist in solving particular puzzles.Extra Levels
- The Christmas Trap (featuring the AutonsAutonThe Autons are an artificial life form from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and adversaries of the Doctor. First appearing in Jon Pertwee's first serial as the Doctor, Spearhead from Space in 1970, they were the first monsters on the show to be presented in colour.Autons...
) - Released 14/01/11 - Angels in the Shadows (featuring the Weeping AngelsWeeping AngelsThe Weeping Angels are a fictional ancient race of aliens from the Doctor Who television series, featured in the Tenth Doctor episode "Blink", and the Eleventh Doctor episodes "The Time of Angels", "Flesh and Stone" and in a cameo appearance in Series 6's "The God Complex"...
) - Released 06/05/11
Audio
The game does not feature any voice acting from Matt Smith or Karen GillanKaren Gillan
Karen Sheila Gillan is a Scottish actress and former model who is best known for her current portrayal of Amy Pond in the British science fiction series Doctor Who.-Early life:...
, although sound samples from the show of the enemies are used. Instead all character dialogue is provided with on screen captions. Music was written by Murray Gold
Murray Gold
Murray Gold is an English composer for stage, film, and television and a dramatist for both theatre and radio.-Television:Gold has been nominated for a BAFTA four times in the category Best Original Television Music, for Vanity Fair , Queer as Folk , Casanova and Doctor Who...
.
Development
The game was developed by DundeeDundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
based developer, Tag games.
Announcing the game in Nov 2010, head of games technology Robert Henning for Tag said
"Doctor Who is the UK's number one science fiction property, and I think it is in the BBC's top three for worldwide sales, so it is great to bring it to Dundee — especially in light of what happened at Realtime Worlds and the effect it had on Dundee. It shows there is still something positive we can bring to the sector."
It is the first official Doctor Who game to be released for the IOS platform. The game was written by Oli Smith, who also wrote the Wii and DS games, Return to Earth
Doctor Who: Return to Earth
The game was panned by critics. Official Nintendo Magazine, scoring only 19% and branded 'an insult to Doctor Who fans'.However it ranked at 11 on the UK Wii sales charts for the week....
and Evacuation Earth
Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth
Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth is a video game for the Nintendo DS based on the BBC TV series Doctor Who.The game is written by Doctor Who writer Oli Smith and features Matt Smith and Karen Gillan providing voices for their characters....
, which were also released in 2010.
Reception
GamezeboGamezebo
Gamezebo is a website that focuses on editorial coverage of the casual games industry, offering interviews, features, reviews, previews, strategy guides, news and podcasts....
gave it 3 out 5 stars saying the game "is an enjoyable romp for fans, but at the end of the day, there is simply too much frustration to be had with the controls to give this a solid recommendation."
By lunchtime on the day of its release the game was at number 50 on the app store chart, despite minimal advertising.
Doctor Who TV rated the game 4/5, commenting "Overall, The Mazes of Time is a solid and enjoyable puzzler that we can recommend to all Doctor Who fans.
What's on iPhone gave 4.5/5
Also the game was made 'Game of the Week' for the iPad HD version.
The Android version is reported to run on only a few handsets, with most users reporting that the game crashed (Force closes) as soon as it is launched)
External links
Tag Games site for Mazes of Time http://www.tag-games.com/portfolio/doctor-who-iphoneipad/Mazes of time entry in the Appstore http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/doctor-who-the-mazes-of-time/id404556035?mt=8
Mazes of time on Android market https://market.android.com/details?id=com.taggames.doctorwho.androidnonuk&feature=search_result