Amazed is a Windows Phone game for those who like a little action in their games - action in the literal sense of the word.
Amazed is a virtual maze that requires you to physically walk your way out of it. The game uses your Windows Phone GPS to plot your location in the maze and you walk around as needed to escape the maze and avoid various pitfalls. As you would guess, this isn't a game to be played from the couch or the living room for that matter. You'll need a large space to accommodate all the twists and turns the maze will present. There is a time element involved so don't be surprised if you work up a sweat while escaping the maze.
While not available for low-memory Windows Phones, Amazed has the potential to be an entertaining fitness game for your Windows Phone. The game reminds me of Zombies Run! but without story line. I like the concept but there is a few performance issues present that need to be ironed out to let the game shine brighter.
Getting you up off the couch
Once you get past the warning message (appears every time you launch Amazed) the game will walk you through a series of tutorial screens (again, launches every time you run the game).
You can skip through all this fairly quickly but you need to endure the tutorial at least once. After which, you will be whisked away to Amazed's main menu with options to choose your gaming level (easy, medium and hard), access the game's settings, view the About screen, rate the game and send feedback to the developer.
Amazed's settings cover turning on/off your location services, sound effects or background music. Amazed offers twenty options for the game's background music that ranges from tranquil water to mystery bass to oriental palace. The background music gives the game a bit of a relaxation feel to it.
Each difficulty has 100 mazes to escape from with each having an assortment of dangers, badges and trinkets to avoid or help you escape the maze.
Prior to game play, your Windows Phone will have to acquire a solid GPS signal. Once your GPS is locked in, you may have to wave your Windows Phone around to calibrate the compass.
Game Play
To make the most of things, you really need a wide-open space to play Amazed. It works best in a park, the beach, a football field, open pasture, etc. where you can walk all over the place without much restriction. It's not a game for sidewalk walking or you may drift off into traffic and even when played in a park or beach, you'll need to be careful and not walk into a tree or the ocean.
The game screen will display your maze with your position marked with the green arrow. A timer is at the bottom of the screen along with a wall guide and access to Amazed's Store. At the top of the screen, you will find your gaming lives, a status indicator and your distance walked.
The center indicator at the top of the screen will show a maze when everything is in order and warns you when you have drifted off the maze's grid. The game's store has options to buy extra lives, bomb disarming credits and a key finder (helps you find hidden keys used to open walls.
Speaking of which, there are two types of walls with Amazed. You have the traditional maze walls and you have walls that block your path or access to the home icon. You will need to find keys that are hidden throughout the maze to unlock or remove these type walls.
As you would guess, you need to walk around to move your green arrow and navigate through the maze to get to the exit or 'home' icon. You'll need to avoid mines and find keys to unlock the walls that are blocking your way. Hit a mine and you lose a life and without a key, the walls won't come down.
Overall Impression
Amazed is an interesting Windows Phone game. The Windows Phone 8 game should be an attractive option for those looking for a more active gaming experience. While I liked the game's concept, there were a few issues with its performance.
Most of the issues surrounded GPS issues. For example, I had mixed reactions with the GPS performance. My Lumia 1020 locked in on a signal quickly while the Lumia 925 struggled. While I could get a GPS lock with the Lumia 1020, I would lose it with regularity during game play.
I don't know if this could be considered a performance issue or just something to keep in mind but you really need a wide-open area to play Amazed. Parks are a good option but they could be a challenge because of the trees, water fountains, jungle gyms and other structures that can get in your way. I played Amazed in my neighborhood, kept wandering out in the street. The best place I could find was the neighborhood soccer field.
Overall, Amazed is an interesting game and can double as a fitness app. You can end up walking a good bit as you complete the mazes. For that reason we'll add Amazed to our list of MobileFit apps. Just keep in mind that you may get odd looks though from the casual observer as you running around with no apparent rhyme or reason.
Amazed is not supported by low-memory devices.
- Amazed - Windows Phone 8 - Free - Store Link
