1

🗺️

The Maze Grid

A 2D list of numbers becomes a maze on screen

Active

🎯

Goal for this step

Draw a full maze from a list-of-lists, 0 floor, 1 wall.

1The maze is a list of lists of ints. Each tile is 40 px; a 20×12 grid fills 800×480.
2Write the maze BY HAND, every row a list. You are drawing with numbers.
3Nested loops convert grid → pixels: x = col*40, y = row*40.
4Walls slate-grey, floor near-black. Run it and admire your maze.

game.py

TILE = 40
maze = [
    [1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1],
    [1,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,1],
    [1,0,1,0,1,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,1,0,1,1,1,0,1],
    [1,0,1,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,1],
    [1,0,1,1,1,1,1,0,1,1,0,1,1,1,1,1,0,1,1,1],
    [1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1],
    # ... 12 rows total, design your own!
    [1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1],
]

for row in range(len(maze)):
    for col in range(len(maze[0])):
        if maze[row][col] == 1:
            pygame.draw.rect(screen, (90, 90, 100),
                (col*TILE, row*TILE, TILE, TILE))

✏️

Fill in the Blanks

+15 XP

maze[row][col] reads the tile at that grid position, first, then col. Pixel x comes from col × .

🧠

Knowledge Check

+15 XP

Why store the maze as numbers instead of drawing rectangles by hand?

ANumbers draw faster

BThe SAME data drives drawing, collision, items and AI, one source of truth

CPygame requires lists

2

🚶

Tile-by-Tile Movement

Step one tile per key press, blocked by walls

Locked

🎯

Goal for this step

Move the player around the grid with walls that actually block.

1The player’s position is now p_row, p_col, grid coordinates, not pixels.
2Use KEYDOWN events (one step per press), compute the target tile, move only if it is 0.
3Draw the player at (p_col*TILE+5, p_row*TILE+5), slightly inset.
4Try to walk through a wall. You cannot. That is 4 lines of collision, grid games are elegant!

game.py

p_row, p_col = 1, 1

# in the event loop:
if event.type == pygame.KEYDOWN:
    r, c = p_row, p_col
    if event.key == pygame.K_UP:    r -= 1
    if event.key == pygame.K_DOWN:  r += 1
    if event.key == pygame.K_LEFT:  c -= 1
    if event.key == pygame.K_RIGHT: c += 1
    if maze[r][c] == 0:
        p_row, p_col = r, c

⌨️

Code Challenge

+20 XP

Only step onto floor tiles:

game.py

if maze]] == :
    p_row, p_col = r, c

💡 Hint: Look up the TARGET tile (row first) and check it is floor before committing the move.

🧠

Knowledge Check

+15 XP

Compared to pixel collision (colliderect), grid collision is…

ALess accurate but simpler

BOne array lookup, perfectly accurate for tile worlds and far simpler

COnly for 3D games

3

🗝️

Keys & Doors

Tile 2 is a key, tile 3 is a locked door

Locked

🎯

Goal for this step

Collect keys to pass doors, inventory logic on a grid.

1Extend the tile language: 2 = key (gold square), 3 = door (brown).
2Add keys_held = 0. Stepping on a key tile: keys_held += 1, tile becomes 0.
3A door tile is walkable only if keys_held > 0, walking through consumes a key and clears the tile.
4Place 2 keys and 2 doors so the player must explore. Order matters, that is puzzle design.

game.py

keys_held = 0

# replace the move check:
target = maze[r][c]
if target == 0 or target == 2 or (target == 3 and keys_held > 0):
    p_row, p_col = r, c
    if target == 2:
        keys_held += 1
        maze[r][c] = 0
    elif target == 3:
        keys_held -= 1
        maze[r][c] = 0

✏️

Fill in the Blanks

+15 XP

Stepping on tile 2 raises and sets the tile to . Doors need keys_held > to pass.

🧠

Knowledge Check

+15 XP

The door consumes a key (keys_held -= 1). What design does this create?

ADoors are decoration

BResource management, two doors and one key means a real choice about which route to open

CKeys respawn

4

👻

The Ghost

A hunter that steps toward you on a timer

Locked

🎯

Goal for this step

Add a ghost that chases the player through the maze.

1Ghost position: g_row, g_col, starting far from the player.
2Every 30 frames the ghost takes ONE step: compare positions and move the direction that closes the bigger gap, if that tile is floor.
3The ghost obeys walls too, so you can juke it around corners!
4If the ghost reaches your tile → game over (next step). Draw it white-ish.

game.py

g_row, g_col = 10, 18
ghost_timer = 0

ghost_timer += 1
if ghost_timer >= 30:
    ghost_timer = 0
    dr = p_row - g_row
    dc = p_col - g_col
    if abs(dr) > abs(dc):
        step_r, step_c = (1 if dr > 0 else -1), 0
    else:
        step_r, step_c = 0, (1 if dc > 0 else -1)
    if maze[g_row + step_r][g_col + step_c] == 0:
        g_row += step_r
        g_col += step_c

⌨️

Code Challenge

+20 XP

Make the ghost chase along the bigger gap:

game.py

dr = p_row - g_row
dc = p_col - g_col
if (dr) > abs(dc):
    step_r = 1 if dr >  else -1

💡 Hint: Compare absolute distances to pick an axis; the sign of the difference picks the direction.

🧠

Knowledge Check

+15 XP

The ghost moves every 30 frames but you move per key press. Who is faster?

AAlways the ghost

BA player pressing quickly outruns it, but corridors and doors slow YOU down. That tension is the game

CThey are identical

5

🏆

Exit, Win & Lose

Reach tile 4 to escape, before the ghost reaches you

Locked

🎯

Goal for this step

Complete the game loop: an exit to win, a ghost-touch to lose, R to retry.

1Tile 4 = exit (green), placed far from the start, ideally behind a door.
2Stepping on it → state "WIN". Ghost on your tile → state "LOSE".
3Freeze movement in either state; show the message; R resets everything (positions, keys, maze copy).
4Resetting the maze needs a DEEP copy of the original: [row[:] for row in start_maze], lists of lists need copying row by row!

game.py

state = "PLAY"

if (g_row, g_col) == (p_row, p_col):
    state = "LOSE"
if maze[p_row][p_col] == 4:
    state = "WIN"

# reset on R:
maze = [row[:] for row in start_maze]
p_row, p_col, g_row, g_col = 1, 1, 10, 18
keys_held = 0
state = "PLAY"

⚠️

maze = start_maze would NOT reset, both names would point at the same list. The row-by-row copy makes a true fresh maze.

✏️

Fill in the Blanks

+15 XP

Copying a 2D list needs a copy of each , the one-liner is [row[:] for row in start_maze]. Just assigning with = only copies the .

🧠

Knowledge Check

+15 XP

Why place the exit behind a door?

ADoors look nice

BIt forces the key hunt to matter, the maze becomes a puzzle with steps, not a sprint

CTile 4 needs tile 3

6

🎨

Design Your Own Levels

Multiple mazes, a level counter and design rules

Locked

🎯

Goal for this step

Chain several mazes together and learn what makes a maze FUN.

1Put your mazes in a list: levels = [maze1, maze2, maze3] with a current = 0 index.
2Winning now advances: current += 1, load the next maze, finishing the last one shows the grand YOU ESCAPED banner.
3Design rules the pros use: multiple routes (dead ends frustrate), keys visible before their doors, the ghost start far from spawn, exit NOT next to spawn.
4Test each maze yourself, if you get bored walking it, redesign it. You are the level designer now.

game.py

levels = [maze1, maze2, maze3]
current = 0

def load_level(i):
    global maze, p_row, p_col, g_row, g_col, keys_held
    maze = [row[:] for row in levels[i]]
    p_row, p_col = 1, 1
    g_row, g_col = 10, 18
    keys_held = 0

# on reaching the exit:
current += 1
if current < len(levels):
    load_level(current)
else:
    state = "ESCAPED"

⌨️

Code Challenge

+20 XP

Advance to the next level, or finish the game:

game.py

current += 1
if current < (levels):
    (current)
else:
    state = "ESCAPED"

💡 Hint: Compare against how many levels exist; the helper function does all the resetting.

🧠

Knowledge Check

+15 XP

Which is the strongest maze-design rule?

AMake every corridor one tile wide

BGive players multiple routes and visible goals, frustration is not difficulty

CHide the exit next to the spawn

Find the Way!Maze Explorer

Find the Way!
Maze Explorer