Fascinating takes on existing, even flourishing genres, are to be treasured, and this definitely applies to Loop Hero. As a rogue-like, it puts a new spin on every mechanic from the environment to getting rid of items for profit.
Not every element is readily apparent in Loop Hero, and several things need to be unlocked. Even more than that, many elements need to be explored before their use becomes known. One of these is the Maze of Memories, a particularly strange card that presents no clues whatsoever as to how it should be used. But even though the game itself says Maze of Memories has no use, rest assured this is not true.
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Maze of Memories is a Field Card, a mechanic unique to Loop Hero. These cards are used to create new environmental features around or in the loop the hero walks. Most of these either spawn new monsters to fight or provide bonuses to the hero. Many of these tiles can be combined for even more bonuses, but not Maze of Memories. In fact, all Maze of Memories does is create a lot of tiles with no effect, taking up potentially useful space with no bonuses for the hero.
To understand what Maze of Memories is best used for, it's important to remember another feature of tile placement: filling the boss meter. This meter is filled as tiles are placed, and once it's filled, a boss appears at the camp for players to challenge. These bosses are the gatekeepers of powerful items like the five Orbs, the only exception being the Orb of Expansion. The bosses also grow stronger the longer the player goes without fighting them once they spawn. It's a tricky thing to fight the boss at the right time.
This only gets trickier in Loop Hero's later chapters, where the enemies get stronger, including the bosses. Fighting a boss at the wrong time in these Chapters can result in a devastating death, and since placing tiles is necessary, it's hard to time the boss' spawning properly.
This is where Maze of Memories comes in. With so many tiles spawning all at once, the boss can be spawned way, way early. This way, the player can take on the boss before it can build up its power, and even take out a boss before the first loop is complete. With the boss gone, the player can more easily focus on tasks like obtaining the Astral Orb and other late-game goodies.
Loop Hero is available exclusively on PC.