In Greek mythology, the labyrinth (Greek: λαβύρινθος labyrinthos) was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur eventually killed by the hero Theseus. Daedalus had so cunningly made the Labyrinth that he could barely escape it after he built it.

Although early Cretan coins occasionally exhibit branching (multicursal) patterns, the single-path (unicursal) seven-course "Classical" design without branching or dead ends became associated with the Labyrinth on coins as early as 430 BC, and similar non-branching patterns became widely used as visual representations of the Labyrinth – even though both logic and literary descriptions make it clear that the Minotaur was trapped in a complex branching maze. Even as the designs became more elaborate, visual depictions of the mythological Labyrinth from Roman times until the Renaissance are almost invariably unicursal. Branching mazes were reintroduced only when garden mazes became popular during the Renaissance.

In English, the term labyrinth is generally synonymous with maze. As a result of the long history of unicursal representation of the mythological Labyrinth, however, many contemporary scholars and enthusiasts observe a distinction between the two. In this specialized usage maze refers to a complex branching multicursal puzzle with choices of path and direction, while a unicursal labyrinth has only a single path to the center. A labyrinth in this sense has an unambiguous route to the center and back and is not difficult to navigate.

Unicursal labyrinths appeared as designs on pottery or basketry, as body art, and in etchings on walls of caves or churches. The Romans created many primarily decorative unicursal designs on walls and floors in tile or mosaic. Many labyrinths set in floors or on the ground are large enough that the path can be walked. Unicursal patterns have been used historically both in group ritual and for private meditation, and are increasingly found for therapeutic use in hospitals and hospices.

Romancia (ロマンシア), also known as Dragon Slayer Jr., is an action-adventure game developed by Nihon Falcom in 1986 for the PC-8801, PC-9801, MSX, and Sharp X1 computers. A later Famicom version was developed by Compile and published by Tokyo Shoseki. An enhanced remake was released for Windows in 1999 by Unbalance. It is the third in the Dragon Slayer series, preceded by Xanadu and followed by Dragon Slayer IV. Romancia is a simpler and brightly colored game in comparison to the other Dragon Slayer titles, hence the name "Dragon Slayer Jr."

Xevious (ゼビウス, Zebiusu) is a vertical scrolling shooter arcade game that was released by Namco in December 1982. It runs on Namco Galaga hardware, and was designed by Masanobu Endō (who later created The Tower of Druaga). In North America, the game was manufactured and distributed by Atari, Inc..

Maou Golvellius (魔王ゴルベリアス, lit. "Devil Golvellius") is an action adventure video game for the Japanese MSX home computer system. It was developed by Compile and released in 1987.

Sega licensed the franchise in 1988 and released their own remake of the game for the Sega Master System (the Mark III in Japan), featuring enhanced graphics and entirely different overworld and dungeon layouts. This version was released worldwide under the name Golvellius: Valley of Doom.

Later that year (1988), Compile released yet another remake for the MSX2 system, titled Shin Maou Golvellius (真・魔王ゴルベリアス, lit. "True Devil Golvellius"). This game featured mostly the same graphics as the ones in the Sega Master System version, but the overworld and dungeon layouts are entirely different.

In 2009 it was announced by DotEmu/D4 Entreprise that Golvellius was to be re-released for the iPhone OS platform.

The scenario is the same in all the three different versions of Golvellius. The ending promised a sequel, which was never developed/released. However, there is a spin-off game titled Super Cooks that came included in the 1989 release of the Disc Station Special Shoka Gou.

An ogre (feminine ogress) is a legendary monster usually depicted as a large, hideous, manlike being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the world. They appear in many classic works of literature, and are most often associated in fairy tales and legend with a taste for infants.

In mythology, ogres are often depicted as inhumanly large and tall and having a disproportionately large head, abundant hair, unusually colored skin, a voracious appetite, and a strong body. Ogres are closely linked with giants and with human cannibals in mythology. In both folklore and fiction, giants are often given ogrish traits (such as the giants in "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Jack the Giant Killer", the Giant Despair in The Pilgrim's Progress, and the jötnar of Norse mythology); while ogres may be given giantish traits.

Famous examples of ogres in folklore include the ogre in Puss and Boots and the ogre in "Hop-o'-My-Thumb"; and in fiction, Shrek and Fiona from Shrek. Other characters sometimes described as ogres include the title character from "Bluebeard", the Beast from "Beauty and the Beast", Grendel from "Beowulf", Polyphemus the Cyclops from Homer's Odyssey, the cyclops in "Sinbad the Sailor", and the oni of Japanese folklore.