Shifting locale

Locations theme

Includes a locale, usually a dungeon or a labyrinth or such, that changes shape occasionally.

12
games
8
platforms

Alternate names: Reconfiguring locale, Re-arranging locale

Variations:
* Location maintains shape for extended periods of time, but is known to alter shape occasionally. (likely same as below, but alters shape less often than with each visit, allowing same configuration to be visited more than once)
* Location changes shape on each visit. (e.g. the place is re-generated with each visit)
* Location alters itself even while being visited (e.g. a constantly re-arranging maze).

The changes can cover the entire locale or only parts of it, such as a ravine changing its place from front of a castle to behind it, a kitchen changing from near a mess hall to next to the secret vault.

Note that this does not really require a map generator to be used, but it's likely the most common instance of it.

See also: changing environment (more subtle or realistic changes)

For non-video game examples, see:
* Labyrinth, a board game

Popular tags

britain city dungeon earth hell hellscape library lootemup mine postapocalypse roguelike ruinedworld ruins sewers subterranean subterraneanforest temple

Games by year

818385878991939597990103050709 41230

The first Shifting locale video game was released in 1981.

Platforms

Windows 4
Linux 2
Odyssey2 1
MS-DOS 1
Mac OS X 1
OS/2 1
BeOS 1
BSD 1