The game
Minotaur is a turn-based console game with ASCII graphics. The player goes through seven mazes in a row: in each one they must find the key, reach the exit and avoid the monsters. It can be played alone or by two people over the network.
The mazes are new every time, and each one is bigger than the last. At first the player sees only the cells around them, and the rest of the map opens up as they explore.
How to play
The game is turn-based: the player makes a move, then all the monsters move. Nothing happens until the player moves, so there is no need to hurry.
On the map
| Symbol | Object | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| P | Player | Moves one cell per turn or skips the turn |
| P | Teammate | Only in a network game; the same letter, another colour |
| + - | | Wall | Cannot be passed |
| . | Passage | Can be walked on |
| K | Key | Needed to open the exit |
| E | Exit | Opens only once the key has been found |
| H | Hunter | Moves every turn and takes the shortest way to the player. Until the key is found, it tries to cut the player off on the way to the key |
| W | Wanderer | Moves every turn and roams the maze. When it spots the player nearby it gives chase, and when it loses sight of them it goes to where it last saw them |
| M | Minotaur | The final boss of level 7: jumps over walls and rests after each jump |
| ! | Jump mark | Where the Minotaur will land on the next turn |
| * | Freeze | Monsters stand still for 3 turns |
| ^ | Torch | The player sees further until the end of the level |
| ? | Compass | Shows the next 8 cells of the way to the key, and after the key, to the exit |
Controls
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| W A S D | Step up, left, down, right |
| Space | Skip the turn |
| H | Help |
| P | Pause: resume, save, quit to the menu |
Rules
- Walking into a wall does not use up a turn: the player stays put and sees a hint.
- The exit opens only after the key has been found.
- A level is complete when the player with the key reaches the exit. Completing the seventh level wins the game.
- The player loses if they end up in the same cell as a monster or they swap cells in one turn.
- Bonuses are picked up when the player steps onto their cell.
- In a two-player game, a caught player is out until the end of the level and comes back on the next one. A level is complete when every remaining player reaches the exit; the game is lost only when both are caught.
What the player sees
- Light
- Cells near the player: the map, the monsters and the items are all visible.
- Half-light
- Cells a little further away: only the map is visible, the monsters are not.
- Shadow
- Everything else: nothing is visible.
The part of the map the player has already seen stays on the screen in grey. The torch widens the lit area until the end of the level.
Levels
Seven levels, each bigger and more dangerous than the last. Every level has a key and an exit; the number of monsters and bonuses is:
| Level | Size | Hunters | Wanderers | Minotaur | Bonuses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 × 9 | 0 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 2 | 9 × 11 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 3 | 11 × 13 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 |
| 4 | 13 × 15 | 1 | 2 | — | 2 |
| 5 | 15 × 17 | 2 | 1 | — | 3 |
| 6 | 19 × 21 | 2 | 2 | — | 3 |
| 7 | 21 × 23 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
Instead of generating a level, it can be loaded from a file. The game checks the file and reports if the level is wrong: for example, the exit is walled in or two items are in the same cell.
Final boss
On the seventh level the Minotaur replaces one of the hunters. It does not walk the corridors but jumps over walls, repeating three phases:
- 01AimThe Minotaur picks the nearest player and marks a 3 × 3 area around them with !. The mark is visible even in shadow, and the player gets a warning. They have one turn to leave the area.
- 02JumpThe Minotaur flies over the walls to the centre of the area, but no further than 6 cells. Anyone still in the area is caught.
- 03RestFor 3 turns the Minotaur stands still. This is the window to slip past it to the key or the exit. A freeze makes the rest longer.
Score and records
The score is counted in turns: the faster a level is completed, the more points it gives. Each bonus picked up adds 20 more.
\text{score} = 100 + \max(0,\, 300 - \text{turns}) + 20 \cdot \text{bonuses}The high score table keeps the 10 best results: name, score, level reached and date.
Screens and saves
- Main menu: new game, continue, network game, high scores, help, quit.
- Help: what the symbols mean and how to play.
- Pause: resume, save, quit to the menu.
- Game over and victory screens with the final score.
- A game can be saved in the middle of a level and resumed later from the same point.
Network game
Two players connect to a shared server and go through the mazes together. The server runs all the time, and the players do not need to set anything up apart from the server address.
- Lobby: after connecting, a player sees who else is online, can write in the shared chat and start a game with another player.
- Turns in order: first the first player moves, then the second, then the monsters.
- In-game chat: players can message each other during a game.
- It is enough for one player to find the key. A caught player is out until the end of the level and comes back on the next one; the level is complete when every remaining player reaches the exit. The game goes on until both are caught. The score is shared.
- If one player disconnects, the other sees a message about it, and the game is not lost.
Launch
The game is started from the console. At launch you can set:
- the folder where saves are kept;
- the high score file;
- a level file, to play it instead of a random one;
- a generation seed, to get the same mazes;
- the server address for network play.
If nothing is set, folders and files next to the game are used.
Requirements
- Runs on Windows and Linux with Python 3.10 or newer.
- All third-party libraries install with one command from requirements.txt.
- Any error — a bad file, a dropped connection, wrong input — is shown as a clear message, and the game does not crash.
- The code is covered by automated tests and documentation, and the game comes with a user guide.