Zone

A **zone** is a section or "stage" that makes up the entire Arcade Mode of Tomb of the Mask. Once the player starts Arcade, the game generates an infinite number of sequential zones which are characterized by a unique wall color and block type.

## Appearance

Zones are 11 blocks wide and appear in different colors, excluding the first zone where the player will always start in a purple setting similar to that of Stages 1–5 in the Map. They are typically bordered by walls on both sides, preventing the player from running out of the play zone unless an entrance to a bonus level emerges.

Each zone has a certain number of procedurally generated segments that increases by two as the player progresses. At some point, a final segment with three boxes appears, signifying the end of the zone. Zones are separated by a long, empty area which is where the game transitions to the next zone. This area also gives the player a brief pause before the lava catches back up almost immediately. A row of blocks that behave similarly to boxes will then appear at the bottom of the screen once the player touches the next zone. These blocks prevent the player from returning to the first zone, prompting the player to resume going upwards. The cycle continues until the player loses the game.

## Segments

Zones are made up of **segments**, which are procedurally generated to create intricate and original labyrinths. The game begins with a total of 11 segments in the first zone, then increases by two as the player progresses. Contrary to popular belief, there is only a finite amount of segments in the game.

Each segment has an open bottommost row—typically occupied by dots—and at least one of the sides on the second from the bottom row free. This is a shared characteristic among all segments in order to prevent dead ends where the player can no longer advance. For this reason, not all dots are physically obtainable, and some would end up in tight spaces as segments are merely placed on top of each other to create one whole, functioning zone.

Segments can also contain hazards and elements available in Arcade. Usually, these objects are all gradually established in the first three zones. While this may not always be the case especially for more complex enemies, specific segments have restrictions on which zone can it first appear in a single round. For example, segments containing snakes may not always be encountered as early as the third zone, but since the earliest possible appearance of such segments is in the third zone, snakes would never show up in the first or second zones.

* Transition
* Zone 1
* Zone 2
* Zone 3

There are three different segments which can be generated at the start of every zone and only one at the end. All of these segments are seven blocks in height.

The first zone consists of exactly 11 segments, 2 of which are at the entrance and at the end that shortly leads to the next zone. This is also the only zone where the entrance can be found at the beginning. The majority of segments in this zone are 7 blocks tall, but may also be 4, 9, or 13 blocks in height. The only hazards present in this zone aside from lava are spikes, while elements are only limited to boxes and springs, albeit very rarely. For this reason, almost all segments in the game consisting of only either of these objects can appear specifically in this zone.

So far, a total of 82 segments have been identified. Here is a list of segments arranged by block area and total number of dots.

### 13 Blocks

After a short interval, the player is then transported to the second zone, consisting of 13 segments. Hazards such as spike traps, bats, dart traps, and pufferfish, along with springs are known to have their earliest appearance in Arcade in this zone.

The third zone is the latest zone where segments can initially appear. This zone marks the earliest appearances of the remaining enemies and elements in the game which include: monkeys, snakes, teleporters, and moving blocks.[verify] Special segments leading to bonus levels with star boxes begin to appear in the third zone, which also contain the buzzsaw and chomper hazards.
## Trivia

* The most convenient way to identify a segment is by looking at the dots. While all dots from the same segment flash simultaneously, dots from unlike segments do not flash at exactly the same time. This is because generation of segments does not occur at exactly the same time as the player progresses.
	+ This is most noticeable in earlier versions of the game.