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Lizely

Maze Game

Guide the marker through a compact winding maze using only the arrow keys, with blocked moves ignored and a score that rewards the shortest route.

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How to use

  1. 1.Use the arrow keys to move the player dot through open corridor cells; blocked wall and edge moves are ignored.
  2. 2.Follow the winding path to the star while watching the valid-step count and score.
  3. 3.Reach the goal to finish, then select Restart to replay or press Escape twice to toggle the boss screen.

About Maze Game

Maze Game is a compact route-finding puzzle designed for quick keyboard play. The board contains a start marker, solid walls, open corridor cells, and a star-shaped goal. Move with the arrow keys and find the continuous path from the upper-left corridor to the goal near the lower-right corner. A move into a wall or beyond the board is ignored, so an accidental key press does not add a step. Every successful move advances the step counter and reduces the score by ten points from a starting value of 1,000. Reach the star to finish the round and save the score locally as your best result.

The layout is intentionally deterministic rather than randomly generated. Every restart restores the same 9 by 9 board, which makes the game useful as a short spatial-memory challenge: the first run is about discovering the route, while later runs are about recalling it cleanly. The shortest valid solution takes 24 moves. Because blocked inputs do not count, the displayed step total measures actual movement through corridor cells rather than every key pressed. The score cannot drop below zero, and the board freezes after completion so the finished result remains visible until Restart is selected.

The maze is a product-defined puzzle, not a representation of a standard maze specification. Its corridor shape, score formula, start point, goal point, and 24-step route are original mechanics for this page. Before a round begins, the game logic runs a breadth-first reachability check from the start to the goal. If a future layout were malformed or the goal became unreachable, the interface would report a deadlocked maze rather than invite play on an impossible board. The same reachability rule and a complete keyboard-equivalent solution are exercised by automated tests.

Keyboard play is the primary interaction. Arrow Up, Arrow Down, Arrow Left, and Arrow Right move one orthogonal cell when that destination is open. Diagonal movement, wrapping from one edge to another, and jumping across walls are not allowed. The current position is announced as Player to assistive technology, the goal is announced separately, and each board cell exposes whether it is a wall or path. The high-contrast selection uses the site's theme variables, so the board follows light and dark appearance settings without a separate color palette.

The score is a lightweight challenge, not a global ranking. A completed 24-step route earns 760 points. Taking a longer route would reduce the result, although this single-corridor board mainly tests whether you can avoid wasted backtracking. Best score is stored in browser localStorage under a game-specific key. It is not uploaded, shared with other visitors, or tied to an account. Private browsing, cleared site data, disabled storage, or another browser profile can remove or isolate the saved value without affecting the game itself.

Restart is always available below the board and resets the player, steps, score, completion state, and deadlock check. The shared game shell also includes the Lizely boss key: press Escape twice within 400 milliseconds to cover the puzzle with a simulated operations spreadsheet, then press Escape twice again to return. Boss mode is only a visual cover and does not send data, open another site, or change the maze state.

Use this game for a short break, keyboard practice, route recall, or a repeatable micro-challenge. It does not generate printable mazes, measure clinical memory or attention, or estimate navigation ability outside the page. For another fixed spatial puzzle, try 15 Puzzle; for an open-ended number-merging challenge, try 2048. All movement and scoring happen in the current browser tab, and no login, network game service, or uploaded file is required.

Methodology & sources

The browser stores a fixed 9×9 character grid. Each arrow input proposes one orthogonal neighbor; wall and out-of-range destinations are rejected without consuming a step. Accepted moves add one step and set score to max(0, 1000 − 10×steps). A breadth-first search checks that the goal is reachable, and arriving at the goal freezes the completed state.

Frequently asked questions

What is the shortest route?
The fixed maze can be completed in 24 valid moves. A clean solution finishes with 760 points.
Do wall collisions lower the score?
No. A blocked direction is ignored and does not increase the step count or reduce the score.
Is the maze randomly generated?
No. Every restart uses the same disclosed 9 by 9 layout so you can learn and improve the route.
Where is my best score saved?
It is stored only in this browser's localStorage. It is not uploaded or attached to an account.

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