Puzzle guide
Maze Game Tips: Forty Levels, Three Star Limits
Key takeaways
- All 40 levels we checked, in a wide and in a tall layout, could be solved: every square was reachable from the start.
- Mazes grow from 8 by 5 squares to 36 by 20 by level 10, and the shortest route grows from 22 to 197 moves.
- A script that followed the shortest route earned three stars on all 10 levels it played.
- Extra moves cost stars at 25 and 80 percent above the shortest route; the hint caps the result at two stars.
The first maze game tip is to count moves, not seconds: in Pathloom stars depend only on how close your route is to the shortest one. We solved 40 levels with a script, played ten of them through the real game, and measured where the star limits fall.
How the game works
Pathloom is a maze game on a canvas. Each level is a fixed maze made from a seed, so the same level looks the same every time. You move a glowing orb with the arrow keys, WASD, or a swipe, and the top bar shows the level, the running time and your moves next to the length of the shortest route. The result card gives one to three stars and saves your fastest time.
What we measured
We drove the game in a test browser at 1280 by 800 pixels, using a script that reads the maze from the page, finds its own shortest route and presses the arrow keys. First we checked that mazes can be solved: for levels 1 to 40, in the wide layout and in the tall phone layout, every square could be reached from the start, and the length of the shortest route matched the number the game shows.
Then the script played levels 1 to 10 along the shortest route. With a key held down, the orb covered a square in about 117 milliseconds of game time (measured over a straight run of 5 squares), roughly 9 squares per second.
| Level | Size | Squares | Shortest route | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 by 5 | 40 | 22 | 3 |
| 2 | 10 by 6 | 60 | 37 | 3 |
| 3 | 12 by 7 | 84 | 64 | 3 |
| 4 | 14 by 8 | 112 | 77 | 3 |
| 5 | 16 by 10 | 160 | 104 | 3 |
| 6 | 20 by 12 | 240 | 143 | 3 |
| 7 | 24 by 14 | 336 | 137 | 3 |
| 8 | 28 by 16 | 448 | 156 | 3 |
| 9 | 32 by 18 | 576 | 175 | 3 |
| 10 | 36 by 20 | 720 | 197 | 3 |
One run per level in one test browser, so treat the counts as one sample. The sizes are the wide layout; a phone held upright gets a narrower, taller grid. The levels are fixed, so you will see the same mazes.
Where the star limits fall
On level 3 (a shortest route of 64 moves) the script added back-and-forth steps before finishing, and in one run pressed the hint first. One more run on level 1, whose shortest route is 22 moves, added 20 extra moves to reach the lowest rating.
| Run | Moves | Hints | Moves / shortest | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shortest route | 64 | 0 | 1.0 | 3 |
| 10 extra moves | 74 | 0 | 1.16 | 3 |
| 16 extra moves | 80 | 0 | 1.25 | 3 |
| 26 extra moves | 90 | 0 | 1.41 | 2 |
| 36 extra moves | 100 | 0 | 1.56 | 2 |
| 50 extra moves | 114 | 0 | 1.78 | 2 |
| Shortest route, hint used | 64 | 1 | 1.0 | 2 |
| Level 1 (shortest 22), 20 extra moves | 42 | 0 | 1.91 | 1 |
Single runs. Because we wrote Pathloom ourselves, we also know the rule behind the table: up to 1.25 times the shortest route is three stars, up to 1.8 times is two, and the hint limits the result to two.
4 tips that follow from the numbers
- Plan before the first move. The whole maze is visible, and the timer does not start until you move.
- Allow about a quarter extra. On level 3 that is 16 spare moves for three stars.
- Treat dead ends as expensive. Walking into one and back costs two moves.
- Save the hint for later levels. It always limits the result to two stars.
Where to try it
Try it yourself in Pathloom. For another quick puzzle, Gridglow is a neon noughts and crosses game, and Pixelcoil is a pixel snake game.
Frequently asked questions
How are stars decided in Pathloom?
By moves: within 25 percent of the shortest route is three stars, within 80 percent two, more is one.
Does time affect stars?
No. Time is shown and saved as your fastest, but stars use moves only.
What does the hint do?
It draws the shortest route from your position for three seconds and limits the result to two stars.
Can every maze be solved?
Yes. In our check of 40 levels in two layouts, every square was reachable.
How big do the mazes get?
From 8 by 5 squares on level 1 to 36 by 20 on level 10, which is also the size of later levels.
Can I play on a phone?
Yes. Drag or swipe and the orb follows the corridor to the next junction.