Tiny Maze Things - when I’m too tired to think

Tiny Maze Things was the last Alexander Shen creation I learned in 2024. Shen’s little puzzles and games are such delightful guilty pleasures. And Tiny Maze Things may be one of the simplest of their works I’ve tried.

Simply put, it is a collection of 200 mazes with multiple starting and finishing spots. In the maze are different symbols. Coins and stars get you points. Skeletons and ghosts cost you points. Swords negate ghosts and shields negate skeletons. And you can never backtrack.

Tiny Maze Things isn’t a game. There are no random elements. You determine everything. So it’s a collection of puzzles. And fairly simple ones, really. Not that that is a detriment, unless you want it to be. 

You can clearly play the game optimally, carefully planning out the route on each maze that will get the most points. However, I have found it more enjoyable to intentionally avoid doing that. Instead, I have been exploring each maze by going through each starting flag, and figuring out the best route that way.

I think Tiny Maze Things works better as a decompression activity than as a brain teaser. I have written about brain fog activities, games for when you’re too tired to think straight. I feel Tiny Maze Things is perfect for that.

This is not my favorite Shen creation. Circuit Board Squares is a genuinely clever set of puzzles. Spooky Forest makes brilliant use of its cramped space. And Quests Over Coffee has hidden depths. However, I’m printing out some pages for those times when I’m mentally exhausted.