Amidar (1982)
Amidar is a classic early-’80s maze game from Konami/Stern where you “claim” territory by tracing lines on a grid. Complete rectangles to fill them in for points—while enemies patrol in deterministic “Amidar movement” patterns, forcing you to plan routes instead of just reacting.
Game Data
| Release Year | 1982 |
| Developer | Konami |
| Publisher | Konami (JP) / Stern (NA) |
| Platform | Arcade |
| Genre | Maze / Grid Capture |
| Players | 1–2 |
| Original Media | Arcade Cabinet |
Gameplay:
Move along a fixed lattice, paint lines, and complete rectangles to “fill” them. Timing matters: enemies
patrol predictable paths, so smart routing and safe corners win more than pure speed.
Story:
Minimal arcade framing—two alternating themes (gorilla/roller levels) and a simple “claim the grid” objective
that ramps up via faster enemies and tighter windows.
Trivia:
Amidar is often cited as an early “grid capture” blueprint and was heavily cloned on arcades and home systems.
Amidar’s big hook is its “draw the box under pressure” loop: every rectangle you complete is progress you can see—until enemy routes cut you off. It’s a deceptively simple idea that later puzzle-action hybrids kept revisiting.
Screenshots / Media
Timeline / Versions
Why Amidar Was Historically Important
Amidar helped define the “grid capture” idea: instead of only chasing or shooting, you permanently change the playfield by enclosing space. That simple concept created a strategy-forward maze formula and inspired a long tail of territory-claiming arcade and puzzle-action games.
