Twisty Little Paths: Creating New Types of Experimental Mazes

May 2, 2023

I spent an entire month making Experimental Mazes were I came up with 11 different types of mazes. Each type had at least one daily maze posted on the site and some of these experiments had up to 5 different versions. Today I want to pull each of these new maze creations together and review them, see how I did, what worked and get some feedback from you.

Part 1 - Perspective Arrow Maze

This idea is pretty simple: Arrow Maze + a change in perspective. I did 5 different versions and below is my favorite example. A typical Arrow Maze is flat and I thought adding some perspective would be interesting. I enjoyed making this and getting the maze aligned as I made it in sections.

Part 2 - Multi Arrow Maze

This idea is connected Arrow Mazes. Day 1 is Arrow Maze 1 you solve normally. Day 2 adds Maze 2 (the upper left corner). The solver starts in the same place, but tries to reach the Day 2 Goal in Maze 2. This continues each day. Day 3 adds Maze 3 and a new GOAL. By day 5 you have 5 Arrow Mazes combined into one. Can you solve each maze in order ? Good Luck. To clarify, landing on a corner of the center arrow maze opens up the new maze section to you.

Multi connected Arrow Maze — Multi Arrow Maze

Part 3 - Color Grid and Grid Maze Combo

Another combination maze, this one featuring a color grid maze and a grid maze. Since the Color Grid is already “gridded” this made it easy to create a 2-in-1 maze. Solve the 2 mazes in any order. In this case the start and goal is the same for each maze type.

Part 4 - Folded Grid Maze

A Grid Maze that has the appearance of being a folded piece of paper based on changing the perspectives on a few sections. I did 2 versions. Easy to make. Looks more interesting than a regular grid maze, but is nothing earth shattering.

Part 5 - Layered Grid Maze

A Grid Maze that uses multiple layers to give the maze a more interesting look. Honestly, this is not very experimental in hindsight. It looks marginally more interesting, but at the end of the day is still just a grid maze.

Part 6 - Arrow and Grid Maze Combo

Another 2-in-1 maze experiment. This one combines the Arrow and Grid Mazes. I made it to be solved Arrow Maze first, then Grid Maze after, returning to the original start, but you can technically solve in either order. I like the idea of the start of one is the goal of the other. I did 4 different mazes of this type.

Part 7 - The Sectional Maze

A Sectional Maze uses lightly connected sections and weaving pathways to travel throughout the maze. Nothing too crazy, but a new type of maze for me. Maybe the newest portion is the one way pathways between sections. I feel like this is a small version of something much larger and more interesting.

Part 8 - Standard Perspective Maze

A standard maze where I have played with the perspective. I think this is the least appealing maze I made playing with perspective. Boring in this example and possibly boring in most examples. When I originally thought of it I was thinking it would look like a folded piece of paper. This particular example is also a Kids maze.

Part 9 - Stacked Grid Maze

A Grid Maze (blue) inside a grid maze (black). Day 1 included only the black walls, while Day 2 uses both black and blue to create the walls. I stopped after 2 days as the solution stays generally the same on day 2 in this version.

Part 10 - Pipes and Arrow Maze Combo

Another 2-in-1 maze that combines Pipe Mazes and Arrow Mazes. These can be solved in any order. I looks a bit odd but these are 2 of my favorite maze types. I will say as a designer this maze type takes a long time to make. If I could make this faster I would make more.

Part 11 - Stacked Standard Maze

5 Mazes in 1. Each Day for 5 days I added a new layer to solve. Each smaller arrow adds a new layer of walls to impede you. So the maze starts with black walls only. The next maze on day 2 uses black and grey walls. Then + Blue, + Red, and finally + Green. I thought this was a fun idea. But the actual execution is tough on the eyes and not as enjoyable to solve as I thought. I wonder if wider spacing for all maze pathways would improve it.

The odd sizes mean I did not make these mazes into a traditional free downloadable book, but I did gather them into a 31 page booklet. It is not recommended for printing. The download is 392Kb and is best used on screen.

download the booklet

Are there some mazes you like that should be continued and explored ? Send me a request.

How to Create Maze Art in 6 Easy Steps + CASE STUDY

November 16, 2022

Have you ever wanted to create a maze ? What about a maze that has enough detail and complexity that it could be considered art ? I love creating maze art and I want to share with you my process. Let’s start with a definition of what exactly I mean by maze art. OK maybe a few possible definitions.

Maze Art - A solvable maze of a subject that is good enough that someone would consider hanging it on the wall as an art piece.

Maze Art - A piece of art that just so happens to contain a solvable maze.

Maze Art - A solvable maze made to look like something that is not a maze, like an object/thing/person/place/landscape.

Maze Art - A solvable maze made to look aesthetically pleasing or interesting and not just to be solved.

All of my definitions includes solvability. I do not include pictures that have design elements of mazes and labyrinths in them but are not solvable. Also, I think when you look at maze art you see the picture first and the maze is secondary (when looking at it, certainly this is not the case when designing it !!!).

One place you will not find help on defining this is in the Image Search section of your favorite browser. The majority of what you will get back a variety of renderings of boring maze clipart. Well unless you are looking for maze clip art - then you have a very efficient search !!! Every time I do the search I am disappointed with very few exceptions. For awhile I thought AI hasn’t been trained on what is considered art yet (Maybe that’s a good thing?), but we all have seen the new AI art tools by now, so that is not it. Here is what I found from 3 different searches:

Bing: About half of the results are of basic clip art. Nothing I would consider putting on my wall except result #2 and the skateboarder in row #2. You also get some cool 3D renderings of mazes but none of them are solvable since they include no start/goal and are not fully viewable.

Google: Much better results. A few clip art images are mixed in. This also includes a mix of art pieces that include maze and labyrinth elements but they are not solvable. But this is closer to what I would hope for from the search at least.

DuckDuckGo: More majority clip art of basic mazes. Generally a very similar look to the Bing results in a different order.

Here are some examples that I have made that I believe would be considered maze art. They are examples that I think should show up in the searches above. If you are interested in solving them, downloads of all of these mazes can be found on this site.

Building Maze art:

And here are 2 Sign maze art examples:

You can also find on the site examples of landscape maze art, scene maze art, animal maze art and monument maze art. Take some time to look around !

So that is what I think maze art is, with many other examples and styles possible.

Today is first in a series of posts that will take you through how to make maze art step by step. Now this could mean converting a picture, or drawing something you think of free hand. One thing I can’t help you with is your drawing skills. If I say “Draw me a picture of Abraham Lincoln”, some of you have the skills to do that and some of you don’t, and even those with the skills will have different levels of detail and realism to their finished product. I can’t teach the skill of drawing. Sorry. But, regardless of your skill level, I hope you enjoy the process and consider trying to make some art yourself. Let’s get started.

How to create maze art in 6 “easy” steps:

Step 1 - Choose your maze subject

Seems easy right ? If you are going to make a maze you need to pick what the subject of the maze is first. But I don’t suggest you grab the first photograph you have. Here are some things to consider when making a maze:

Objects with right angles are a natural thing to make into mazes. Think about architecture. Buildings are a natural subject to make a maze of. They are made of geometric shapes and are filled with right angles whether it is a house or a skyscraper.
Consumer goods make good subject matter also, but chances are you won’t want to invest time in making them. A Bike, lamp, radio, television, desk, and chair could all become maze art. I’m not sure anyone gets very excited about them, but they are possible.
Faces are possible, but very difficult for most people (If they are easy for you congratulations !). Any maze art includes a drawing of the subject matter first and foremost, so doing a maze of a friend means you have the ability to draw your friend and it to be recognizable as them. This can be easier if your friend has an extremely recognizable look, say someone like Abraham Lincoln - a large beard and hat with a gaunt face gets you relatively close.
Ideally, the picture you choose should not be too busy. Too much detail can be difficult to make into a maze. You do have the option to ignore the detail. But think about a picture of 4 faces vs a picture of 1 face. 4 faces in a picture with all of their individual detail will be very difficult. 1 face is enough.

Step 2 - Take a photograph of the subject (OPTIONAL)

If you don’t already have a photograph of your subject matter, take one. Remember from step 1 to make the picture as minimalistic as you can.
Taking the photograph also means prepping it as a “before” photo if you are doing a before and after version of the subject. Crop as needed, adjust the brightness, etc.
If you are doing something from memory or doing fictional subject matter, no photo is needed obviously.
And finally, you can find a photograph to base your maze off of if taking a photo yourself is not feasible. For presentation purposes, having the rights to a photograph will help you to display it in the future.

Step 3 - Draw the Main outline of the subject

Determine how you will deal with an object’s perspective. By this I mean if you are making a maze of an object that is square or rectangle in real life it is likely the photograph will not be perfectly square/rectangular. Do you want to represent a building as it is (perfect angles), or how you see it (your perspective - the building is slightly smaller at the top). Maze lines are easier to make without perspective, but either can be done.
Use the photograph to draw the major outline of the maze. If you are doing this digitally (As I assume you are) you do not need to leave openings for the paths/entrance/exit.
The outer walls of the maze should be done with a thicker maze line to give the picture definition. Inner walls that define the picture should be a smaller thickness (with some exceptions based on the subject).

Step 4 - Begin the design of the maze

If you aren’t sure what maze construction you are going to do, check out this section for some ideas. I will say with maze art you will find it looks best when done with free drawn or standard pathways. I also like to use the natural features of the subject as the maze walls where possible - see the Alamo Mission maze above - the bricks naturally became the walls; and the Museum of the North Maze above where the metal panels naturally created a grid maze format.
Choose the start and goal, ideally on opposite sides of the picture.
Choose the wall design you will use to make the maze walls. Regardless of the design you choose the walls will need to be a smaller width than the previous outer and inner walls. There are many types of pathways you can use from a standard pathway to hand drawn, vertical, horizontal and many more.
Consider how difficult you want to make the maze for the solver. For most mazes you don’t want to discourage the solver by making it too difficult.

Step 5 - Draw the maze

It took 5 steps to get here, now do the actual work. Funny this is the shortest step to write but typically the longest to complete !

Step 6 - Make any aesthetic changes to complete the maze - Color, Size, Border, Title

Black and white is the standard coloring of most mazes, but some mazes will look even better if they are in color. Consider coloring your maze to enhance the way it looks.
Some mazes work best in larger/smaller scales. Consider changing the size of your maze to fit the desired presentation you are looking for. This is the advantage of digital mazes vs hand drawn mazes.
Consider adding a title and border depending on how your maze will be presented.

Congratulations on creating a piece of maze art !!

Making Maze Art - Case Study #1 - The Largest FREE Stamp in the World

Now I’m going to take you behind the scenes in my making of some Maze Art. Here is a real life example from a maze I made for the site, of the sculpture that is The Largest FREE Stamp in the World. Using the steps I outlined before here is how the Maze got made !!

Step 1 - Choose your maze subject

While previously living in Cleveland, Ohio I found my inspiration in the park. If you walk to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (and if you are ever in Cleveland that is probably why you are here) you will pass the FREE Stamp on your walk. The stamp is located in Willard Park on the northwest corner of East 9th Street and Lakeside Avenue, having been installed there in 1991. It has an interesting history that involves Standard Oil (Sohio) and their purchase by BP.

Step 2 - Take a photograph of the subject

I took many photos of the stamp from different angles so I would be able to narrow them down later.

Eventually, I chose photograph #3, which I cropped and adjusted the color on to account for the overcast day. Here is the final version I used to make the Maze art:

Step 3 - Draw the Main outline of the subject

Using the photograph in the background I made the maze outline. Here are some points in time during that outline process. You will notice that because this is a digital drawing so I can fix the FREE overlap you see later using layers.

Step 4 - Begin the design of the maze

I did not want much difficultly in this maze so I intended to make the dead ends obvious more quickly and have the maze spacing be wide. It seemed natural to make the internal maze lines somewhat match the shape of the sculpture. A typical left to right maze start to finish seems to fit the sculpture. So a relatively simple maze design. I used essentially a free drawn maze construction.

Step 5 - Draw the maze

Below are a few of the points in time in making the stamp maze. Notice that I sometimes rotate the maze in order to make the lines easier to draw at the correct angle. Also notice that the goal of the maze changes late in the process (panel 4) as I have a better idea of how I want the maze solver to maneuver through the maze as I make the internal maze lines. Also in Panel 4 I add a layer to raise the FREE part of the maze above the remaining drawing (most easily seen at the bottom of the last E which no longer has a line thru it).

Step 6 - Complete the Maze

Here is the final black and white version of the FREE Stamp maze.

I like how it came out, but I think this particular subject matter deserves to be tried in color, to see if it will enhance the maze.

Color the Maze (Optional)

Initially I did a basic 2 color approach. Sometimes less is more. Here is the simple red and white version of the maze:

Not bad. But I thought I could do better with a more detailed coloring similar to what you would see in Willard Park. Here is my preferred and final version in full color:

I do need to mention that the inclusion of the black pathways changes the way you see the colors you select. If you were to try and color match the photo using the tools in your drawing program the result would look off (usually darker). Better to select the colors and adjust them on your own. Also, in order to see the pathways well, it is important to not make the shadowy underbelly of the stamp too dark !!

All three maze versions work, which do you prefer ? Would you have added the ground underneath, or some background ?

If you like this Making Maze Art Case Study, I will be doing more in the future !

Some other interesting post you may like:

Comparison of the even MORE online maze generation websites

May 21, 2022

Previously I have reviewed and compared the top 12 maze generation websites. And that blog post gets updated often as new websites are created and replace some of the original sites. It seems to be a common logic and programming puzzle to create a website that can create a digital maze. And so, today, I am going to take the time to go through 7 MORE maze generation websites. Why ? Well I like to keep up to date on what content is out there and share it with you.

So today I will look at 7 online maze generation websites, compare them, and let you know what each is capable of. This maze generator comparison includes the (1) shape of the overall mazes, (2) the cell types or shape of the cells that create the internal paths/walls, (3/4) the width and height sizes you can generate, (5/6) how the start/end are shown, (7) are the solutions given, and (8) how can you download the maze you have generated.

To give them a good comparison I decided to generate a 20x20 maze with each to compare how each generated (when possible). I also tried to give and example of some of the advanced features if the maze generator site has them.

In no particular order:

1. all kids network

Shapes: 5 : Square

Cell types: Square

Width / Height: 9 pre-selected sizes available, smallest 5 x 5, largest 120 x 120

Start/End: Entrance and exit are labeled.

Advanced options: You can choose one of 2 styles: Simple or Artistic

Solution generated: Yes

Downloads available: Yes. Pdfs available.

This site also allows you to select your difficulty level (Easy, Medium, Hard), and to select between 11 different page sizes.

Examples: You must register and login to download mazes. Registration is free.

2. PUZZLE GeneratoRS

This site has 6 different inputs that must be filled in to make a maze. There is no information to explain how they work (Information icons did not work for me). Those inputs are labeled: Width, Height, North, East, West, and South. This site also allows you to make crossword puzzles, sudoku and word searches !

Shapes: 2 : Square, Rectangle

Cell types: 1: Square

Width: 2 - 50

Height: 2 - 50

Start: Entrance and exit are not specified, 1 of each at the top and bottom of the generation.

End: 1

Solution generated: Yes

Downloads available: Yes

Examples: Both are 20x20 squares. The left was generated using 1111 for NSEW, while the right was generated using 2222.

3. JAMISBUCK

This maze generator is built to generate mazes for Minecraft. This includes mazes with up to 10 layers (Think of a 3D maze with each layer being a floor to a building).

Shapes: 1 : Square

Cell types: 1: Square

Width / Height: Comes in 4 selectable sizes: Small Medium Large and Huge

Start: Entrance on the left hand side.

End: Exit in the right hand side.

Advanced options: The levels I mentioned before add layers to the maze, allowing the solver to travel in a third direction. Note that this generates as a separate picture for each level with blocks colored to indicate where you may move up or down.

Solution generated: No

Downloads available: No

Examples: First example is Medium sized with 1 Level. The next set of 3 show a Small sized 3 level maze where yellow and blue denote the ability to move up and down.

4. Dcode Maze Generator

Shapes: 1 : Rectangle

Cell types: 1: Square

Width: 2 - 50

Height: 2 - 50

Start: Entrance and exit are not specified, 1 of each at the top and bottom of the generation.

End: 1

Advanced options: You can change the walls of your maze to be made by any character. The default maze walls are made from solid black blocks.

Solution generated: No

Downloads available: Yes

Examples: Left with the default black walls. Right with * as walls. I tried a few different symbols and find non-black walls very difficult to follow what the pathways are.

5. delorie

Shapes: 1 : Rectangle

Cell types: 1: Square, Rectangle

Width: 1 - 100

Height: 1 - 100

Start: Entrance and exit are not specified, 1 of each at the top and bottom of the generation.

End: Entrance and exit are not specified, 1 of each at the top and bottom of the generation.

Advanced options: You can generate a maze in Gif format (Though I could not get this to display) or using text (which uses the “+” and “-” characters). You can choose the width and height of each cell. I found if you use the default of 1 it is difficult to understand the walls of the maze.

Solution generated: Yes

Downloads available: No

Examples: Left uses a width and height of 2 per cell and is difficult to follow. The right maze is much easier to follow by changing the width per cell to 6. This generates a more square maze.

6. the teachers corner

Shapes: 1 : Rectangle

Cell types: 1: Square

Width: 10 - 50

Height: 10 - 75

Start: Entrance and exit arrows are chosen with 6 color options. Entrance generates in the top left corner.

End: Entrance and exit arrows are chosen with 6 color options. Exit generates in the bottom right corner.

Advanced options: You can add a Title and directions/instructions for the maze. Default directions are “Can you find your way through the crazy maze below?”. You can change the width of lanes, there are 5 options that vary the display size.

Solution generated: No

Downloads available: Only by right clicking to download directly from the browser. Note that the download will NOT include the start and ending arrows you see on the screen.

Other: This maze generator is part of a larger website dedicated to resources for teachers like lesson plans, activity sets and teacher resources. Great for teachers !

Examples: Each is 20 x 20.

7. Xefer Maze Generator

Shapes: 1 : Rectangle

Cell types: 1: Square

Width: 2 - 1000 ? At 1,000 the maze still generates.

Height: 2 - 1000 ? At 1,000 the maze still generates.

Start: Entrance and exit are not specified, 1 of each at the top and bottom of the generation.

End: 1

Advanced options: You can choose the size of the cells. You can choose the anfractuosity - roughly how much channels are important in the maze. Most mazes have high anfractuosity.

Solution generated: Yes

Downloads available: No

Examples: Left 20 x 20 has low anfractuosity. Right 20 x 20 has high anfractuosity.

Have a site that you want me to review ? Send me a note !

Other popular posts you may like:

The 18 Best Maze Movies

What I use to make my mazes

How to make a digital maze (40 different types)

How to make a labyrinth (classical, square, circular)

A Comparison of the Top 12 online maze generation websites

May 19, 2022

Today I will take you thru the top results for online maze generation, compare them, and let you know what each is capable of. I used a few different search engines to find the top sites, then pared them down to the very best. This maze generator comparison includes the (1) shape of the overall mazes, (2) the cell types or shape of the cells that create the internal paths/walls, (3/4) the width and height sizes you can generate, (5/6) how the start/end are shown, (7) are the solutions given, and (8) how can you download the maze you have generated. I try to note what a website does best if something stands out.

To give them a good comparison I decided to generate a 20x20 maze with each website to compare how each generated the maze (where possible). I also tried to give an example of some of the advanced features if the maze generator website has them.

I have included a “best of” section at the end of the post if you are looking for a specific functionality from the website, like: Best Pre-Made Shapes, Best Custom Shapes and Best On-Screen Solving to name a few of the categories. These are not in order:

mazegenerator
Shapes: 4 : Rectangle, Circle, Triangular, Hexagonal
Cell types: 3: Square, Hexagons, Triangles
Width: 2 - 200 for rectangles, Diameter of 5 - 200 for Circles, Side length of 3 - 200 for Triangles , Sides 2 - 120 for Hexagonals
Height: 2 - 200 for rectangles
Start: 2 choices: Top, Bottom/Inner Room
End: Same choices as start.
Solution generated: Yes
Downloads available: Yes, PDF in 6 different sizes, SVG, PNG
What this site does best: Of all the sites I reviewed this is one of the few sites with hexagon maze generation and triangular maze generation. It also wins for the best download options once you have generated a maze with the site. The site allows you to create a large maze of 200x200, the second largest size of all the sites I have reviewed.
Examples: On the Left is a 20 x 20 square maze and on the right is a 20 x 5 triangular maze. Left Below is a hexagonal sigma cell maze. Right below is an example of a circular maze with the solution.

2. CODEBOX

Shapes: 4+ (infinite) : Square, Circle, Triangular Grid, Hexagonal Grid. While there are 4 main types you can also create an infinite number of shapes using the mask feature !!

Cell types: 3: Square, Hexagons, Triangles

Width and Height: 2 - 50 for squares and hexagons, Triangles from 4-85 width to 2-50 height, and circles can have 30 layers

Start/end: 4 choices: None, Top to Bottom, Left to Right, Hardest entrance/exit

Solution generated: Yes

Downloads available: Yes, as an SVG file.

What this site does best: Of all the sites I reviewed this is one of only 2 sites with Circular maze generation. It is also the site with the most flexibility in creating shapes. You can create a distance map that shows how far the point is from the entrance. The generator offers a choice of 10 different algorithms to generate the maze. You can also solve these mazes on screen using your mouse and keyboard. You can also choose to watch the maze generate !

Examples: Starting in the top left corner a simple 20x20 maze, a hexagonal grid maze, a circular maze, and a shape I made myself using the mask feature. I also suggest you check out the examples given on the site.

3. Discovery Education Puzzlemaker

Shapes: 5 : Rectangle, Circle/Oval, Wheel, Escape from middle, Cut Out

Cell types: Square

Width: 2 - 100

Height: 2 - 100

Start: Entrance and exit are not specified, 1 of each. If internal option is not used they will be on the left and right.

End: 1

Advanced options: You can name your maze. It’s actually their step #1. You can chose the direction of the internal pathways (6 options, including random, mostly horizontal and mostly vertical).

Solution generated: Yes

Downloads available: Yes. They have added buttons to make Copying the Maze to your clipboard simple. Also includes a Print button directly on the page.

What this site does best: Allows the creation of a large size 100 x 100 maze.

Examples: On the left is a 20 x 20 square maze. On the right is a ‘circular’ maze that is made using a square grid system (For a true circular maze see above). Bottom left is an example of a 20 x20 cutout and bottom right is the wheel version.

Additional Information: This is part of the Discovery Education Puzzlemaker page. You can generate 10 different puzzle types : Word Search, Criss Cross, Double Puzzles, Fallen Phrase, Math Squares, Mazes, Letter Tiles, Cryptograms, Number Blocks and Hidden Message puzzles. It is easy to see why this site is popular with such great content !

4. ANGELIKA TYBORSKA

You can learn about Angelika and her projects here, including this maze generator she made ”just for fun”.

Shapes: 5+ : Square, Hexagon, Triangle, Circle, Star - which allows you to upload a mask to create your own shape

Cell types: Automatic based on shape of maze. Square, hexagonal, and triangular.

Width: 2 - 50

Height: 2 - 50

Note that for the circle and hexagon shapes you choose the radius (up to 30) and the triangle the side length (up to 30)

Start/Goal: Entrance and exit are not specified, but each is signified by internal dots.

Advanced options: You can choose the algorithm used to generate the pathways, of which there are 6 different options. You can generate a solution “heat map” showing the distance from the entrance of the maze.

Solution generated: Yes

Downloads available: Yes, in SVG format

What this site does best: It does a great job with custom shapes (you can upload your own mask), and with common shapes like the circle, hexagon, and triangle.

Examples: 20x20 Square using Recursive backtracker algorithm, 10 radius hexagonal with solution and “heat map”.

5. Mazesforfun

Shapes: 9 selectable shapes: including Square, Triangle and Round

Cell types: Automatic based on selected shape

Width: 10 - 40

Height: 10 - 40

Start: Unmarked but always the top left of the shape

End: Unmarked but always the bottom right of the maze

Advanced options: There are 4 levels of difficulty. You can also choose the size the maze generates in (3 possible).

Solution generated: Yes

Downloads available: Yes, in PDF, PNG, and SVG formats

What this site does best: The ability to mix and match internal shapes and external shapes. It also has 9 selectable pre-made shape templates.

Examples: First is a standard 20 x 20 square (difficulty hard); next is what generates for triangles - not the external shape but the CELL shape. The final 2 examples show a shape called Cairo and on called Squaretriangles.

6. billsgames.com

Shapes: 1 : Rectangle

Cell types: 1: Square

Width: 21 - 301

Height: 21 - 201

Start: Entrance and exit are not specified, and placement varies by maze.

End: 1. I think I have generated mazes with no exit !!! I could be wrong but it was difficult to find if it was there !

Advanced options: There are 3 options for mazes generation: Simplistic, Harder and Chaotic. Pictures are sometimes randomly inserted on the mazes. I have seen Griffins, a plane, a house, etc. Has a secondary playable option where you can play on screen and try to solve an invisible maze !

Solution generated: No

Downloads available: Only by right clicking to download directly from the browser

Examples: each maze is 21 x 21 (really? - well that is what the settings said !). The maze on the left generated extremely easy…. The maze on the right was generated using the chaotic setting. Unfortunately, each of these mazes are very easy to solve. Be sure to check to see if the generation you use is difficult enough.

7. mazepuzzlemaker

You’ll notice the controls of this website are very similar to Printable creative above with some additional options available. This is available to be used for commercial uses and is the PAID version of the site above.

Shapes: 55 selectable shapes, including letters A-Z, and many more; 4 geometric; 29 Fancy shapes

Cell types: Square

Width/Height: You can choose between 10-30 “cells”

Start: automatically generated at top and bottom of the maze shape

End: Start/end can be turned on, showing a green and red box to indicate the start/goal

Solution generated: Yes

Downloads available: Paid. Yes, PDF in multiple sizes, PNG and SVG

What this site does best: Creates puzzles for commercial use. Has a large amount of fancy shapes available. Gives more examples than any other website (by a wide margin).

Examples: The best way to check out is to view their page of examples, featuring 82 different examples !! Here is a snapshot of that page to give you a small sampling:

8. Glass Giant

Shapes: 1 : Square

Cell types: 1: Square

Width: 2 - 40

Height: 2 - 40

Start: Marked by a green diamond INSIDE the maze

End: Marked by a red square INSIDE the maze.

Advanced options: There are 5 levels of difficulty. You can choose the color of the maze walls and the background color (9 colors available). You can also choose the size the maze generates in.

Solution generated: No

Downloads available: Only by right clicking to download directly from the browser

Examples: Left is a standard 20 x 20 maze and on the right is a 20 x 20 maze with the options for Red walls on a Cyan background selected.

9. printablecreative

Shapes: 11 : Box, Circle, Diamond, 4 Rooms, L, Moon, Square, Star, Strike Triangle, 2 Rooms

Cell types: 1: Square

Width/Height: You can choose between 10-30 “cells” for the free version

Start: automatically generated at top and bottom of the maze shape

End: Start/end can be turned on, showing a green and red box to indicate the start/goal

Solution generated: Yes

Downloads available: Yes, PDF in 2 different sizes, PNG

This maze generator also allows you to pick the size of the cell corridor (10-30) adjusting the scale of the maze you generate. It also has 3 difficulty levels (Easy, Normal, Hard).

What this site does best: They have their own page of maze examples featuring 19 options ! It also features 11 pre-made shapes.

Examples: The top 2 show the Start and Goal indicators. Shapes in the examples are Square, Two Rooms, Circle and L.

10. Here and above

Shapes: 1 : Rectangle

Cell types: 1: Square, Rectangle

Width: 2 - 500. Note that I made a 500 X 500 successfully, but at higher numbers you may get an error.

Height: 2 - 500

Start: Entrance and exit are not specified, and may be on any side of the maze.

End: 1

Advanced options: You can choose wall and path widths. You can generate a maze in many colors (basically every color) using the RGB system. That is one thing that sets this site apart from all others - every color is available to make a maze in.

Solution generated: No

Downloads available: Only by right clicking to download directly from the browser

What this site does best: Large sizes - this website generates the largest mazes that I have found ! And the ability to use any color you can think of using an RBG selector.

Examples:

11. KIDEV

Things are different here compared to the other websites. On this site the solving of the mazes happens ON SCREEN. If that is what you are looking for, this is the site for you ! Also includes sections of Puzzles, Learning (Letters and Numbers), Drawing and a Code game. The mazes all feature themes as you will see in the examples !

Shapes: 34+ : 34 different styles of maze are currently available to be generated, plus a 27 predefined shapes in the Shapes section that allows you to create your own shapes.

Cell types:: Many. The 34 shapes include some unique inner cell shapes that are best explored on your own !!

Width and Height: Varies, but you do not control the output size for the 33 styles generated. However, under the Create button you can control the X and Y to create a maze in the size you want.

Start: Pre-defined in Style mazes

End: Pre-defined in Style mazes, internal or external in the Create section

Solution generated: No

Downloads available: Mazes are both shareable and Printable

Examples: 4 of the 33 styles are shown below. Rail, SawBlade, Jigsaw, and Corn mazes.