Entombed is an Atari 2600 game developed by Tom Sloper and programmed by Steven Sidley. The game features an intriguing maze-generating algorithm that, even after research in the 2010s, has remained a mystery to experts. According to the original coder, he obtained the algorithm from another programmer who wrote it while intoxicated.
In Entombed, players navigate through a continuously vertically-scrolling maze with vertical symmetry. The objective is to advance as far as possible while avoiding enemies that move across the screen. If the player comes into contact with a monster, they lose a life, and the game ends. As the maze constantly scrolls upwards, the player can move in any direction, but the scrolling action may eventually leave the player trapped in a dead-end. If the player’s position scrolls off-screen, the game ends as well.
To escape dead-ends, players can collect “make-break” items, represented by large dots. These items enable the player to remove a wall space and proceed further into the maze. In the two-player mode, both players navigate the maze simultaneously, adding a competitive element to the game.