minute

an entry into itch.io's Composing Jam #6

Time is short. You have mere minutes to make your way through a collection of mazes that take the form of the inner mechanisms of a clock.

To make matters worse, you have been reduced to a fraction of your usual size and the mazes are constantly increasing in their level of difficulty.

 You must reach the centre of the maze - known as the 'Watchtower' - to have any chance of returning to your normal size and escape this nightmarish labyrinth. 

Time keeps ticking ...not that you needed reminding that these moments may well be your last. 

Description of tracks:

1. Your Time Starts Now

This short track sets the tone for the game, and carries sense of urgency as well as danger being present. It plays as the player is told that they need to navigate the mazes before completing the puzzle in the centre in order to escape.

2. Minute Details

This track accompanies the first number of mazes which are adorned with intricate golden cogs and wheels that represent the inner mechanisms of a clock, with the mazes becoming progressively more confounding with every advancement made. The player will get a sense that the world they are have come to inhabit is incredibly large relative to their own size.

3. Second Chance

When the player reaches the end of the first series of mazes, their progress is blocked and they are taken to lower level of mazes which carry a darker tone and are clearly more of a threat with dangerous obstacles and dead ends.

4. The Watchtower

After overcoming the first two levels of mazes, the player arrives at the centrepiece of the maze – a looming tower that is known as the ‘Watchtower’. The player must complete a puzzle with a number of linked mazes situated on the outer wall of the tower, while the Clockwork Guards regularly patrol and must be avoided by the player.

5. Out of Time

After completing the Watchtower puzzle, the player must navigate one last maze – this time with a time limit of one minute that ticks down - in order to finally escape the clock maze. 

All tracks were recorded live (ie not programmed aside from the drums) with guitar, bass and keyboards. 

credit: images generated by NightCafe Studio