(back to project page)

Deathmaze 5000 Walkthrough

I used the solution in Magic Chris' "run through" to create a detailed step-by-step walkthrough.

If you're stuck and just want some hints, see the hints page.

---

Walkthrough

There are 5 levels, each roughly 10x10. The maps were generated from the disassembled code and data for the Apple II version. It's possible that the TRS-80 version behaves differently.

In this walkthrough, movement and direction changes are represented by a single letter:

• Z - forward
• L - turn left (left arrow)
• R - turn right (right arrow)
• X - turn around

You will run out of food and torchlight after a certain number of forward moves (170 for food, 150 for torches). Eating food and lighting torches is shown in the walkthrough, but if you make some mis-steps you may have to do these things sooner. (Sometimes there's no free space in the inventory, so food is eaten as soon as its encountered. There's no cap on satiation, so this works fine. Torches don't take up an inventory slot, so those are lit as needed.)

Level 1

ZZZ L Z L ZZ R ZZ L ZZZZ L ZZ R Z R ZZ Get Sneaker

X ZZ L Z L ZZZZ L ZZ R ZZZZ R Z R Z L Z Get Ring

X Z R Z R ZZ R ZZ L Z Get Ball

ZZ R ZZ R ZZ R Z R Z Get Dagger

X Z L Z R Z R Z L ZZ R Z R Z Get Calculator

(wait a second for text to go back to "there is a season")

LLLLL RRRR LLL

(if you mess up, hit 'Z' to reset)

Z L Z L ZZ R Z L ZZZ L ZZ L ZZZ R ZZ R Z R Z L ZZZ R ZZ L ZZ L Z L Z R Z R ZZ L Z Get Hat

Wear Hat

R Charge (into the north wall)

(fall into pit)

Level 2

Drop Hat (no longer needed)

ZZZ R ZZZ L ZZ L Z L Z R ZZZZ L Z L Z Get Food

X Z R Z R ZZZZ L Z L Z R Z R Z L Z L ZZ L Z Eat Food

(you don't need to eat the food until it tells you to do so, but your inventory is full, so just eat it now to free up a slot)

Get Box

X Z R ZZ R Z R Z L Z L ZZZZZZ
R Z R Z L Z L Z R Z R Z L Z L Z R Z R Z L Z L Z R Z R ZZ R Z Get Torch

X Z L ZZ

(a dog will attack you after 60 forward moves on this floor; if you've been following along exactly, that should happen about now)

"a vicious dog attacks you!": Throw Sneaker (dog is eaten by monster)

(it will soon say "your torch is dying!": Light Torch)

L Z L Z R Z R Z L Z L Z R Z R Z L Z L Z R Z R Z L Z L ZZZZ
L ZZ R ZZ L ZZZ L ZZ R Z R Z L Z R Z R Z L Z L Z R Z R Z L Z L Z Get Jar

X Z R Z R Z L Z L Z R Z R Z L ZZZ L ZZ R Z L Z Z

(fall into pit)

Level 3

Z R Z R Z L Z L Z R Z R ZZ R ZZZZ R Z L Z L ZZ R Z R Z L (wall says "the perfect square"; you can walk through it)

Z L ZZZ L Z R ZZ L Z L Z R Z R Z Get Torch

X Z L Z L Z R Z R ZZ L Z L Z R Z R ZZZ Get Wool

X ZZZ L Z R ZZ L ZZZZ L ZZZZ L Drop Jar (make room for food)

Z Get Food

Eat Food

X Z Get Jar

R ZZZZ R ZZZZ R ZZZZZZ R Z R Z L ZZZZ
R Z L Z L Z R Z R ZZ L Z R Z R Z L Z L Z R Z R ZZZ
R Z R Z L ZZ L Z L Open Door

Z (enter elevator)

(elevator is moving; you are deposited at the next level)

Level 4

(you will need to Light Torch very soon)

X Z L Z R ZZZZ R Z L ZZ L Z R Z R Z L Z L Drop Ring (need to free up an inventory slot)

ZZZZZZ L ZZZZZ L Z L Z R Z R Z Get Flute

X Z L Z L Z R Z R ZZZZZ R ZZZZZZ
R Z R Z L Z L Z R ZZ R Z L ZZ R Z L ZZ R Z R Z L Z L ZZ R Z R ZZZ L Z L ZZZ

(You're standing under a hole in the ceiling, but we need to deal with the monster before we continue. The monster appears after 80 forward steps on level 4, and at this point you've made about 70. Run back and forth a few times with X ZZZ until you see a message that says, "the ground beneath your feet begins to shake!")

Throw Wool (entangles monster)

Kill Monster (dagger disappears; monster is dead much blood is spilt)

Fill Jar (collects blood)

(move so you're under the opening in the ceiling)

Drop Box

Play Flute (snake extends upward)

Climb Snake

Z (snake vanishes)

Get Sword

X Z

(fall into pit)

Drop Flute (no longer needed)

ZZZ R Z R ZZZ L Z L ZZ R Z R Z L Z L ZZ R ZZ L Z R Z R Z L Z L Z R Z L Z L Z R Z Get Food

X Z L Z R Z R Z L Z R Z R ZZZZ R ZZ R Z Get Horn

X Z L ZZ R Z R ZZ L Z L ZZZ Get Ring

Press Two

(calculator teleports you, and vanishes)

Level 5

Raise Ring (your torch blew out, use this to create light)

X Z L Z Throw Jar (kills Vampire Bat)

L ZZZ R ZZZZ R Z R Z L Z L Z R Z L Z R Z R Z L Z L Z R ZZZ
R Z R ZZ L Z L ZZ R ZZZ R ZZ L Z L ZZ R Z R ZZ Get Key

(you will need to Eat Food around this time)

X ZZ L Z L ZZ R Z R ZZ L ZZZ L ZZ

(the second monster shows up after 50 forward steps on the current level, which should happen about now... do the following as soon as you're told that the ground has begun to shake)

Play Horn (monster's mother is seduced)

Kill Mother

R Z R ZZ L Z R Z L Z L

(looking down hallway with keyholes)

ZZZZZ R Unlock Door (key begins to tick)

R ZZZZZ L Z L Unlock Door (keyhole wasn't there before)

(at this point you must follow a strict series of moves, as noted by the message: "don't make unnecessary turns")

ZZ R Open Door

Throw Ball

ZZ Grendel

(congratulations, you have escaped!)

Notes

Four objects (staff, brush, frisbee, yoyo) serve no useful purpose.

There are two dogs on level 2. One attacks you after taking a certain number of steps, the other blocks your path to the Staff and a rather nasty elevator. In addition to the usual sneaker-throwing approach, you can Kill Dog while holding the dagger, but if you do that the dagger disappears and you won't be able to kill the monster later on. You can kill the dogs with the sword without losing it, though by the time you have the sword there's little reason to be on the second floor.

Most verbs have a purpose (though "fart" is dubious at best). The verb "stri" (presumably "strike") is only used with the (useless) Staff. Perhaps a LotR Moria reference? Painting ("pain") is only possible while holding the (useless) Brush.

The end-game sequence does not take place on a map. The layout is hard-coded into the instructions. Similarly, the pit you allegedly fall through after charging the wall on level 1 doesn't exist anywhere. Climbing the snake to get the sword does actually put you back on level 3 though.

The calculator puzzle requires 5 turns one way, 4 turns the other way, then 3 turns the first way. It doesn't matter if you start by turning left or right.

The calculator buttons start to work after you kill the monster on level four, and only work if there's nothing special going on (e.g. your torch hasn't gone out). Each of the 10 buttons takes you to a different location; the table is at $2e02. Only the '2' button takes you to the 5th floor, and there's no other way to get to that floor.

There is no way to get to (1,6) on the first floor.

Bugs & Quirks

On level 2, if you type "examine dog" when attacked by the dog, the message "it displays 317.2" will flash briefly on the screen.

On level 4, the monster appears after 80 forward moves, but special handling for the ball of wool starts at 41 moves. If you Throw Wool between move 41 and 79, it will tangle up the monster, which then instantly kills you.

After climbing the snake, when you step forward to the sword, the snake vanishes (which makes sense), and the ball of wool vanishes (which makes no sense). So if you don't kill the monster before grabbing the sword, you won't be able to. When the monster eventually kills you, you get a "hint" about never, ever raiding a monster's lair.

Using "Break <item>" displays a slightly malformed message, and doesn't refresh the inventory list on screen. The handling of food and torches is slightly broken as well.

Sometimes, notably when the player does something fatal, the code jumps to the death handler and restarts the game without removing the calling function's address from the stack. The 6502's stack will eventually wrap around.

In most of the maze, your food and torches only diminish when making forward steps. In the calculator puzzle room and part of the endgame, all moves cost you. The calculator puzzle is the only place in the maze where you can starve to death by spinning in place.

If you try to save the game by typing SAVE while in a "special" zone (calculator puzzle, total darkness, fighting a dog, etc.), the game will refuse to do so. In some cases, such as the calculator puzzle, you can QUIT and save the game before exiting.