Labyrinth: Maze of the Goblin King (FC)

Labyrinth: Devil's Labyrinth

Platform: Famicom Year: 1987 Developer: Atlus Co., Ltd.

Labyrinth: Maze of the Goblin King (ラビリンス 魔王の迷宮, Rabirinsu: Maou no Meikyuu) is a fantasy action game similar to Gauntlet (NES), but with a more specific goal. In the opening scene you learn that Jareth, the Goblin King, has kidnapped your baby brother, Toby, and taken him to his castle beyond the Goblin City. You are given 13 hours to guide Sarah through the huge labyrinth consisting of 12 sections including the exterior, the unending passage, the stone maze, the hedge maze, the underground, the forest, the Bog of Eternal Stench, the Goblin City, and more.

Sarah is armed only with a rock, and she must throw it at various enemies from the movie including fairies, goblins, and fireys. Each time an enemy hits you you lose precious seconds in your quest to find your brother. As you journey you'll also find hearts which you can use to call your friends Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus to help you (though they mostly get in your way). You will also receive help from the worm who sells you items, and the old man with the bird hat, who grants you more time and teleports you to different parts of he labyrinth.

While the game does have some annoying control issues, it's vastly superior to most movie conversions, and it's really a shame that it wasn't localized for English play. This version is very different from the game that was released on the MSX, Commodore 64, and Apple II.

Screenshots

The title screen, modeled after the movie. Jareth has taken Toby away! At least, I think that's what he's saying. Allo! This talking worm will show me the way. Hoggle protects me through the hedge maze. The inventory screen. The enemies in the underground are especially tough.

Music

Most of the game's soundtrack is taken directly from the movie and arranged for 8-bit audio. While they lack the refinement of an orchestra and the vibrancy of David Bowie's voice, they capture the music quite well. You will also hear a couple new themes created by Tsukasa Masuko, though they act mostly as filler. Tsukasa Masuko, having programmed his own sound driver, probably also wrote the audio engine.

Recording

VGMPF Album Art

#	Title	Composer	Arranger	Length	Listen	Download
01	Opening Titles	Trevor Jones	Tsukasa Masuko	0:54		Download
02	Introduction	David Bowie	Tsukasa Masuko	0:22		Download
03	Fairies	Tsukasa Masuko	Tsukasa Masuko	0:48		Download
04	Into the Labyrinth	Trevor Jones	Tsukasa Masuko	0:48		Download
05	The Labyrinth	Tsukasa Masuko	Tsukasa Masuko	1:09		Download
06	Oubliette	Tsukasa Masuko	Tsukasa Masuko	0:35		Download
07	Magic Dance	David Bowie	Tsukasa Masuko	1:46		Download
08	Chilly Down	David Bowie	Tsukasa Masuko	1:01		Download
09	The Goblin Battle	Trevor Jones	Tsukasa Masuko	0:48		Download
10	Ballroom	Tsukasa Masuko	Tsukasa Masuko	1:26		Download
11	Music Box	Tsukasa Masuko	Tsukasa Masuko	0:03		Download
12	Got Item	Tsukasa Masuko	Tsukasa Masuko	0:03		Download
13	Rescured Toby	Trevor Jones	Tsukasa Masuko	0:47		Download
14	As the World Falls Down	David Bowie	Tsukasa Masuko	1:20		Download
15	Unused	Trevor Jones	Tsukasa Masuko	0:18		Download

Credits

• Ripper: Gil_Galad
• Recorder: TheAlmightyGuru
• Game Credits:
  • Sound Create [sic]: Tsukasa Masuko
  • Not Credited Composer: David Bowie
  • Not Credited Composer: Trevor Jones

(Source)

Game Rip

Formats	Download	Size
	Download	19 KB

Ripping NES music is a very arduous process that is beyond the scope of this site.

Releases

Japan Title: ラビリンス 魔王の迷宮 (Labyrinth: Maze of the Goblin King) Platform: Famicom Released: 1987-01-07 Publisher: Tokuma Shoten Publishing Co., Ltd.

Links

• mobygames.com/game/nes/labyrinth__ - Moby Games.
• gamefaqs.com/nes/578368-labyrinth-maou-no-meikyuu - GameFAQs.