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Faceball 2000

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Faceball 2000 is a first-person shooter. You control a H.A.P.P.Y.F.A.C.E., or Holographically Assisted Physical Pattern Yielded For Active Computerized Embarkation. The graphics consist of flat shaded corridors. Enemies are all simple geometric shapes with smiley faces on them. Although the graph...

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Developer
Xanth Software F/X

Released on
1993

Size
1–2 Players

Version
Game Gear

Requirements
Sega Game Gear

Downloads
Shooter

Publisher
Riverhill Soft

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

Faceball 2000 is a first-person shooter. You control a H.A.P.P.Y.F.A.C.E., or Holographically Assisted Physical Pattern Yielded For Active Computerized Embarkation. The graphics consist of flat shaded corridors. Enemies are all simple geometric shapes with smiley faces on them. Although the graphics are simple, they allow for full freedom of movement, not unlike Wolfenstein 3-D.

There are two modes of play. First there is a single player mode in which your goal is to find the exit to each level. There are 70 mazes in this mode. The second mode is the multiplayer arena. The Game Gear version of the game was only released in Japan and supports 2 players via Gear-to-Gear Cable.

Faceball 2000

Overview & History

Developed by Xanth Software FX and published by Bulletproof Software, Faceball 2000 for the Sega Game Gear (1992) represents a miraculous technical achievement—bringing the first-person arena shooter genre to handheld hardware long before it was commonplace. Originally spun off from the MIDI Maze Atari ST game, this surreal sci-fi diversion abandons traditional narrative stakes, dropping players into abstract, grid-based cybernetic mazes populated by hostile, photorealistic smiling yellow spheres known simply as "faces." The Game Gear conversion successfully captures the frantic, wireframe aesthetics of its 16-bit predecessors while squeezing the stereoscopic thrills of pseudo-3D raycasting onto a tiny, backlit portable screen.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Unlike standard shooters, Faceball 2000 challenges players to navigate maze-like levels viewed entirely from a first-person perspective, hunting down roving enemy faces before time expires or your health is depleted. The game features diverse arena themes, ranging from subterranean caverns to futuristic neon grids, complete with hazard tiles, teleportation pads, and labyrinthine dead ends. You defend yourself by firing rapid-fire energy balls that bounce off walls, introducing an element of ricochet-based tactical geometry to gunfights. Power-ups scattered across the arenas grant temporary speed boosts, increased firepower, and temporary invincibility, turning the relentless hunt into a high-speed arcade survival test.