Today we have received huge Crystal Maze news...(again). Nearly thirty years after its inception, The Crystal Maze will finally be exported transatlantic to the United States. Rightly it deserves so, credited as one of the original forerunners of the Escape Room phenomenon we are witnessing today. It is such an exciting time to be a Crystal Maze fan at the moment. A new Zone, (Eastern), and now fittingly at the same time, the show goes West. Finally it earns an International Version.
Designing games for the Crystal Maze must be a very rewarding process, and while Anna Kidd designs fantastic games for the new TV Series, today we interview Charlie Wheeler, who is only 22 years old and was not even born when the Crystal Maze originally aired. Yet the Maze still captivated him enough to design all 32 games in the brand new West End London Live Experience maze.
When did you start coming up with ideas for the West End Maze games? Did you design games for the previous experiences? How many have you devised?
I guess "to devise" is not really a singular task as so many elements make a Crystal Maze game a reality. The whole design and development process is quite huge and involves loads of people! The rough process of getting a game from start to finish began with the Crystal Maze directors, we would talk (about a year ago now) about ideas, often having an old favourite from the TV show or maybe someone might have seen something out and about and thought ‘that would make a cracking game!’, and from this the directors’ treatments would be created. Each treatment would be totally different: some just a sting of an idea or a sketch or for others much more of a solid vision for a game. This is where I joined the ‘production line’ as it were, attaching this idea to reality (and the space it would soon inhabit) and turning an idea or a brief into a full size digital 3D representation of how the game and room would turn out like, fully dressed and decorated and lit as it would turn out in the end. This - I guess fairly unique - prototyping method really helped everyone get a feel for just how immersive each idea could become. From me the designs were passed onto the production team or the games manufacturers to make the physical products. In terms of numbers, there were 32 games used but almost double that number designed.
Q: So what made you decide to apply for Crystal Maze? Did you watch it when it originally ran in the 90's?
Mike: "I simply heard about the interviews, and I thought why not. I've done plenty of interviews so I had an idea what may be required, so I wrangled my friends together and the rest is history. The original run of the show was a huge part of my childhood. All the way to the modern version of the show. I don't want to miss an episode." Q: Who was your favourite presenter and Zone? M: "With regards to the presenters, I love them all for different reasons. But I can say that Richard Ayoade is doing a smashing job, and I'd be happy to see him do this for many more series. Industrial Zone is my personal favourite, the aesthetic is something I've always liked."
Q: What was Richard Ayoade like in real life on set, on and off camera? M: "Ayoade was a great host. There were a few great jokes that were cut for obvious reasons, others due to time., including an argument with the dragon in Aztec. I do hope they eventually release some unaired material, like the outtake videos we eventually found on YouTube of the original series. He was a good laugh." Q: Were any games or situations pre-selected, prior to filming? M: "All of the games were pre-selected, I suppose to give a good mix on each show. We did not know these beforehand, so we couldn't really plan tactically if that makes sense. However, we all happened to get the game types we wanted in advance." Q: Were there any re-takes? M: "Yes, after the game was completed, some extra shots were required for the camera. Mainly closeups, picking things up, putting them down etc. My first game was interrupted by a fire alarm, and Jen's second game had a few issues." Q. Most embarrassing moment for you? M: "I would say for me it would either be during the interview, doing a very high pitched yay! Or getting told off by another crew in another studio after the fire alarm, as I was singing loudly outside."
Q. How did you feel about your teammate Rob's embarrassing moment, when he was stuck spinning on the Planet in the Futuristic Zone? That's had 350k views on YouTube! M: "He was also a disappointment! But its part of the games. Maybe I could have done that game, maybe not." Q. Favourite Crystal Maze game from your episode? M: "Personally out of the games we played, I liked the Futuristic cube game. I was just a little slow realising my mistake. However I think that one, in particular, was very well designed. I just wish I had taken my time in reading the clues." Q. Preferred type of game - Skill, Mystery, Physical or Mental? M: "Normally I prefer mystery games and mental. However if I were to get back on the show, I would be happy to give the physical and skill games a good go." Q. If a new Zone was introduced into the Crystal Maze again, what would it be and why? M: "Well I recently did a poll on Twitter. I do like the idea of an 'Apocalyptic Zone' or a 'Wild West' zone. But we shall see what the future has. Apocalyptic was my poll winner." Q. As an Escape Room Manager / Puzzle designer yourself, do you think The Crystal Maze has a lot to give for the success and rise of Escape Rooms all around the world today? M: "The Maze helps me to easily describe what an Escape room is, as I hear a lot of my customers say 'It's like a one hour long Crystal Maze game'. Escape rooms may have happened naturally on their own, but I like to think the show has helped with their success." Q: Do you get noticed in the street for your appearance on Crystal Maze? M: "It has happened a good few times. It happens a lot at work when people come in, or when out and about. Seems like the show is as popular as ever. Here is to many more Crystal Maze series in the future!".
The Crystal Maze Board game is finally out! Only a limited first initial production run has been released, I was able to find my copy on WH Smith Website to Click and Collect in store. The developer at Rascals emailed me and said this is one of the first sets to go on sale. So I have been lucky. The packaging is excellent, the box is heavy as it's so jam packed with Crystal Maze goodness, including awesome minature Crystals!. It is very well put together. I haven't played it yet and I am already impressed with the contents. Buzzing! Upon first inspection it looks as if all the games instructions are given to the Maze Master in the Maze Master booklet. All games are thoroughly explained. The Mystery, Mental, Physical and Skill games look fantastic. (I don't want to give too much away yet, that will ruin the surprise). Richard Ayoade's hand features suckers which pick up the large silver and gold tokens at the dome finale. They are also used in some of the games themselves. This is definitely a vast improvement from the original Maze game. It is multi-layered and multi-faceted, just like a Crystal itself. The mini-game cards are also reversible, and a pen is included, as well as traditional dice, beaker, and balls.
Front of the Box
The large board itself is reversible with Zone map/Crystal Dome. There is an app you can download for your phone for sound effects and game timer which is also very good. This can now be found for free on the app store, The Crystal Maze: Game Timer. I absolutely love it. Mumsie would be proud. Of course, if you remember I have the original Futuristic Timer Clock from the 1990's set itself, so that will be fun to use as well, maybe i'll throw some real Crystals into the mix. ;) Coupled with the app sound effects plugged into a big speaker. That's the Crystal Maze geek inside me! Anyhow, this is certainly one of the most innovative board games I have seen. This is sure to be a Christmas hit. Keep an eye out at WH Smith, John Lewis and Debenhams, more are being distributed soon. The game has just gone live on Debenhams and John Lewis websites today, but at the full price of £35. I got it at WH Smith on their website at a special discounted price of £27.99, but the RRP is £35. I will post a review in a few weeks after a few plays of the various fiendish and devious games. Here is my box opening.
Reverse Game Synopsis, Richard O'Brien's voice echoes from it!
Zone Map Main Board Game Play Area for Decks
A Word game
Futuristic, Medieval, Aztec, Industrial game Cards
Richard's hand with suckers, for the dome, and also for games
Minature plastic Crystals, great detail to them
Rule books (theres two, one for Maze Master, one general one)
Crystal Dome finale board to lay tokens to pick up
Video of a quick go at the Dome Round on my own to try it
Various riddle type games for each Zone, some offer lock ins!
A Social Media post by the official Crystal Maze TV group posted the exciting news today that The Crystal Maze returns back on our screens on 15th April on Channel 4. These portion of episodes were filmed in 2017 and held back for 2018, so some viewers may feel a bit confused when they see similar games from before. This is due to the broadcast lag time. However, filming for Series 2 is shortly to begin - this comprises of 12 episodes, 6 Civilian and 6 Celebrity episodes. We are unsure when Series 2 will air yet, but an easy guess would be later towards the end of 2018. We look forward to watching the rest of the episodes from Series 1, and in particular, look forward to watching Series 2. I can't reveal why yet until probably later on in the year once Series 2 has aired. I won't be revealing any specifics, but we've been given an awesome and incredible opportunity here at the Maze Fan Blog - it's not quite what we initially expected or planned, but we aren't complaining at all and very much look forward to what lies and waits for us. With our deep love and obsession for the Maze, we're not going the full whole hog yet (tragic because we love to fly the flag for our favourite show). We won't be giving up - but we've been gifted the next best thing to achieving our dream. That's all I can say, and we are really honoured.
