About the game

The Maze is a short, mini adventure game in which you slip into Bella's shoes to explore the absurd world of online dating.

The game is an interactive story: you make decisions, head off in different directions, and every choice leads to another weird, familiar, or completely unexpected situation.

It's not a "winnable" game in the classical sense. It's more of a small adventure that holds up a funhouse mirror to the world of online dating.

What's the point of the game?

Honestly? Nothing. 😄

The goal isn't to "complete" the game. It's much more about heading off in as many directions as possible, discovering the different storylines, and having a laugh along the way at some of the often utterly cringeworthy moments of online dating.

It's perfect for a short bus ride, a boring wait, or sharing with friends over a drink.

You probably have your own weird, funny, or completely baffling online dating stories. The point of the game is to take a moment and laugh together at these situations.

Why Bella?

Because "Ciao, bella."

When someone doesn't know your name or can't be bothered to remember it, they just call you "beautiful". The name Bella is a little nod to that phenomenon.

In the vast ocean of online dating, it's easy to feel like just another face in the crowd.

So Bella is a little bit everyone. A character in whom we can recognize many of our own — or familiar — stories.

The story behind the game

The original version of the game was made roughly seven years ago.

I wrote a little choose-your-own-adventure novel for my sister's birthday — she was going through a rough breakup at the time. I wanted to cheer her up with something, and that's how this story was born.

The current version is a digitized take on that original game. A hobby project where I tried to bring the original idea into an interactive form.

More versions and your story

In the future, I'd like to make more versions, with more stories, more characters, and new features.

The goal is a game with even more freedom in how the stories unfold, where the player's decisions can take the story in completely unexpected directions.

If you enjoyed the game, share your own funny, weird, or memorable online dating story. It might just show up as inspiration in a future version.