56) Maize (2016)

Released in 2016, Maize is an absurdist comedy take on the point and click adventure genre that draws heavy inspiration from Monty Python and X-Files. We start the game waking up in a corn field where we're gently guided toward an abandoned farmhouse. After a bit of exploration and light puzzle solving, we then come face to ear with sentient stalks of corn who, using some baffling logic, allow us to enter a secret facility beneath the small farm. We spend the majority of the rest of the game in the secret facility piecing together what tomfoolery has transpired here.

As we delve deeper, we solve fairly rudimentary puzzles, eventually cobbling together a friend in the form of a sassy Russian teddy bear. While the majority of the sentient corn stalks are delightfully stupid and non threatening, we come to observe the two exceptions. There's a larger, more brooding, and somewhat intimidating stalk known as the Cornacabra. Most of the interactions with him show his nefarious nature as well as his penchant for destruction, as he willfully and recklessly will knock over small objects and write on whiteboards. The other is a well spoken lady corn known as the Ruby Queen, who the Cornacabra is holding prisoner. Thus it is up to us to rescue her, defeat the Cornacabra, and lead the corn to the promised land.

As absurd as it is, the plot works fairly well as we find notes from the scientists who once worked in the facility. Despite some very obvious friction between them, and an insanely stupid misunderstanding about their goals, there's no denying the results of their work. The facility itself is proof enough, but creating sentient corn is a testament that, while absolutely misguided, they were at the very least able to produce results. There's also a mostly functional nuclear reactor within the facility, which is only mildly horrifying.

The game is a pretty simple first person point and click adventure game where we collect items in order to solve puzzles. While some of the puzzles themselves are pretty ridiculous, and the logic behind the solutions can be a bit lacking, the game never punishes the player for not following its absurd logic. Instead, the puzzles are surprisingly straightforward, and if you ever find yourself stuck, the descriptions for the various items tend to be both humorous and pretty on the nose concerning what you need to do with them. Rarely, if ever, did I find myself completely lost.

Maize is a surprisingly charming and beginner friendly take on the adventure game genre. It's biggest drawbacks are its short run time, being easily beaten in a lazy afternoon, and its somewhat hit or miss humor. While not every joke lands, enough do to keep the player invested, and the game is wise enough to not overstay its welcome. While veteran players may find it a bit too simple, I think it would serve well as an introduction to a genre that can otherwise be a tough sell. While I can't see myself going back to it any time soon, I can't deny the chuckles and smile the title was able to elicit.