A Java maze game built with Swing/AWT where you guide Wesley the dog through procedurally generated mazes, collecting keys to unlock the exit before time runs out.
▶ Play in Browser — no download or Java install required (powered by CheerpJ)
- Arrow keys or WASD to move (N/E/S/W)
- Collect all keys to unlock the exit door
- Keys disappear over time — if too many are lost, the level fails
- 30 progressively larger levels with best-time tracking
- Press Space to continue, Esc to pause/return to menu
- While paused: R to restart, Space/Esc to resume
650×650 window with a top-down maze, animated dog sprite, and key collectibles.
- Java 21+ — if not installed locally, Gradle will auto-download it via the Foojay toolchain resolver
- No Gradle installation needed (the included Gradle Wrapper handles it)
cd MazeGame
# Build & test
./gradlew build # Linux/macOS
.\gradlew.bat build # Windows
# Run the game
./gradlew run # Linux/macOS
.\gradlew.bat run # Windows| Command | Description |
|---|---|
gradlew build |
Compile, test, and package into a JAR |
gradlew run |
Launch the game |
gradlew test |
Run JUnit 5 tests only |
gradlew jar |
Build the JAR (output: build/libs/MazeGame-<version>.jar) |
gradlew browserJar |
Build Java-8 JAR for CheerpJ browser play |
gradlew runBrowser |
Build browser JAR, copy to docs/, and start local HTTP server |
gradlew jpackage |
Create a native app image with bundled JRE (no Java needed to run) |
gradlew clean |
Delete all build artifacts |
java -jar MazeGame/build/libs/MazeGame-<version>.jarMazeGame/
├── build.gradle # Gradle build config (Java 21, JUnit 5)
├── settings.gradle # Project name + Foojay toolchain resolver
├── gradlew / gradlew.bat # Gradle wrapper scripts
├── src/
│ ├── main/java/mazegame/
│ │ ├── Start.java # Entry point
│ │ ├── MazeGame.java # JFrame owner, pause screen
│ │ ├── GameLoop.java # Fixed-timestep game loop
│ │ ├── GamePanel.java # Canvas JPanel for rendering
│ │ ├── InputHandler.java # Keyboard & mouse input
│ │ ├── Renderer.java # Maze/player rendering, HUD, collision
│ │ ├── Player.java # Player position & movement state
│ │ ├── RecursiveBacktracker.java # Maze generation algorithm
│ │ ├── Tilemap.java # Grid data structure
│ │ ├── Tile.java # Tile interface
│ │ ├── TileWall.java # Impassable wall tile
│ │ ├── TilePassage.java # Passable tile (can hold key items)
│ │ ├── TileExit.java # Exit tile (lockable/unlockable)
│ │ ├── AssetManager.java # Image loading & level data I/O
│ │ ├── AudioManager.java # Synthesised sound effects
│ │ ├── GameSettings.java # User preferences (skin, mute)
│ │ ├── MenuManager.java # Screen navigation (menu/results)
│ │ ├── MainMenuPanel.java # Custom-painted main menu
│ │ ├── LevelSelectionPanel.java # Level selection grid
│ │ ├── SettingsPanel.java # Skin & audio settings
│ │ ├── ResultOverlayPanel.java # Game-over / level-complete overlay
│ │ └── UI.java # Swing component factory
│ ├── main/resources/mazegame/Assets/
│ │ ├── data/ # LevelData.txt, ResetData.txt
│ │ ├── items/keys/ # Key animation frames (20 PNGs)
│ │ ├── skins/wesley/ # Wesley sprite frames
│ │ ├── skins/sasso/ # Sasso sprite frames
│ │ ├── tiles/walls/ # 16 wall variants (NESW combos)
│ │ ├── tiles/passages/ # 4 grass passage variants
│ │ ├── tiles/exits/ # Locked & unlocked exit sprites
│ │ └── ui/ # wesley-pixel.png (menu decoration)
│ └── test/java/mazegame/
│ ├── AssetManagerTest.java
│ ├── MazeGameStateTest.java
│ ├── PlayerTest.java
│ ├── RecursiveBacktrackerTest.java
│ ├── TileTest.java
│ └── TilemapTest.java
docs/ # GitHub Pages (CheerpJ browser player)
The maze is generated using a recursive backtracker algorithm:
- Start at a random odd-coordinate cell
- Randomly choose an unvisited neighbour, carve a passage to it
- Recurse from the new cell; backtrack when stuck
- The exit is placed at the furthest reachable point from the start
- Keys are scattered randomly across passage tiles
Each level increases the grid size by 2 (starting at 11×11), making mazes progressively harder.
- Java 21 (LTS)
- Swing / AWT — windowing, rendering, input
- Gradle 9.3.1 — build system
- JUnit 5 — testing
The repo includes a .vscode/ workspace configuration. Open the MazeGame/ folder (or the repo root) in VS Code with the Extension Pack for Java and Gradle for Java extensions installed. Recommended extensions are listed in .vscode/extensions.json.
An .editorconfig file enforces consistent formatting (4-space indent for Java, 2-space for JSON/YAML/HTML, UTF-8, LF line endings, trim trailing whitespace).
cd MazeGame
# Full build (compile + test + JAR)
./gradlew build
# Run tests only
./gradlew test
# Launch the desktop game
./gradlew runCreate a standalone desktop app that bundles a private JRE — recipients don't need Java installed.
# Build an app image (folder with .exe / .app)
./gradlew jpackage
# Output: build/installers/WesleysWayOut/
# Build a Windows MSI installer (requires WiX Toolset 3.x)
./gradlew jpackage -PinstallerType=msiThe task recompiles sources automatically, so the output always reflects the latest code.
The game runs in the browser via CheerpJ 3.0, which requires Java 8 bytecode.
# Build the Java-8-compatible JAR for CheerpJ
./gradlew browserJar
# Output: build/libs/MazeGame-browser-<version>.jar
# One-step local testing: builds JAR, copies to docs/, starts HTTP server
./gradlew runBrowser
# Open http://localhost:8080 in your browser (Ctrl+C to stop)Releases are automated via GitHub Actions. Push a version tag to trigger the workflow:
git tag v1.2.0
git push origin v1.2.0The workflow (.github/workflows/release.yml) will:
- Run all tests (
./gradlew test) - Build the desktop JAR and browser JAR
- Update the GitHub Pages JAR in
docs/ - Create a GitHub Release with both JARs attached
| Path | Content |
|---|---|
MazeGame/src/main/java/mazegame/ |
Java sources |
MazeGame/src/main/resources/mazegame/Assets/ |
Sprites, animation frames, level data (loaded via classpath) |
MazeGame/src/test/java/mazegame/ |
JUnit 5 tests |
docs/ |
GitHub Pages site (CheerpJ browser player) |
All Rights Reserved. See LICENSE for details.