The short version
A calmer, more thoughtfully-paced maze puzzle than this engine's other small games -- a generous 60-second timer rather than an instant-death mechanic, and a genuine pushable-wall twist with contextual hints -- confirmed working correctly on both touch and keyboard, but held back by the same cosmetic "undefined" label bug already flagged in its sibling Snake.
Biggest strengths
- Confirmed working via direct testing on both platforms — the identical Right/Right/Down/Down sequence moved the duck to the same relative maze position on touch and keyboard, with the countdown timer ticking correctly on both
- A real puzzle mechanic beyond plain navigation — walls can be pushed, and the game proactively hints "Try pushing a wall!" when it detects you're stuck, a thoughtful design touch
- A generous 60-second timer rather than a punishing instant-death mechanic, making this considerably more approachable than this engine's Snake entry
Biggest weaknesses
- Confirmed, reproducible: after the first touch, the Escape and Enter button labels permanently relabel to the literal text \"undefined\" for the rest of the session -- the same bug already documented in this engine's Snake review, at the same severity (two menu labels, not the pervasive version seen in Spring)
- Desktop keyboard play is completely clean by contrast -- confirmed correctly-labelled throughout -- so this is specifically a touch-triggered regression, not a general design flaw
- A simple top-down maze-escape structure at heart; the pushable-wall twist adds welcome depth but the genre itself is well-worn
Who it's for: Fans of gentle, exploration-paced maze puzzles who can look past a cosmetic display bug.
Our recommendation: mixed
6.5 / 10
Duck Maze 2 is a top-down maze-escape puzzle built on the smolpxl teaching engine -- a remake of author Andy Balaam's earlier standalone Duckmaze, now folded into the same small-games showcase as Snake and Spring. The pitch is calmer than its stablemates: escape a maze within a generous time limit, with walls you can push out of the way when the direct path is blocked.
Controls (7.0), confirmed working on both platforms. We ran the identical Right/Right/Down/Down input sequence on touch and keyboard and got matching results both times -- the duck moved to the same relative position in the maze, and the countdown timer ticked down correctly on both runs. That's genuine, confirmed movement. The same cosmetic bug we flagged in this engine's Snake review is present here too: the moment you touch the screen, the Escape and Enter panel labels permanently become the literal text "undefined" for the rest of the session. We confirmed this is touch-specific -- desktop keyboard play showed correct labels throughout our entire test.
A genuinely nice design touch. Exploring further, we found the maze includes pushable walls, and the game proactively displays "Try pushing a wall!" when you seem stuck -- a small but real piece of thoughtful design that goes beyond plain navigation. Combined with a 60-second timer rather than an instant-death mechanic, this is a noticeably more forgiving, exploration-friendly experience than Snake's fast-reflex grid game.
Where this lands. We're applying the same standard here that we applied to Snake: a real, reproducible display bug that appears the instant a touch player interacts with the game is a legitimate mark against it, even when (as here) every button still functions correctly underneath. Duck Maze 2 does more right than its sibling -- better pacing, real puzzle depth, a nicer hint system -- but the identical polish issue keeps it from clearing our bar on this pass.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Confirmed working via direct testing on both platforms — the identical Right/Right/Down/Down sequence moved the duck to the same relative maze position on touch and keyboard, with the countdown timer ticking correctly on both
- A real puzzle mechanic beyond plain navigation — walls can be pushed, and the game proactively hints "Try pushing a wall!" when it detects you're stuck, a thoughtful design touch
- A generous 60-second timer rather than a punishing instant-death mechanic, making this considerably more approachable than this engine's Snake entry
- Credits the level author in-game ("Level: 1 (by Andy Balaam)"), suggesting a structure built for multiple contributed levels
Cons
- Confirmed, reproducible: after the first touch, the Escape and Enter button labels permanently relabel to the literal text \"undefined\" for the rest of the session -- the same bug already documented in this engine's Snake review, at the same severity (two menu labels, not the pervasive version seen in Spring)
- Desktop keyboard play is completely clean by contrast -- confirmed correctly-labelled throughout -- so this is specifically a touch-triggered regression, not a general design flaw
- A simple top-down maze-escape structure at heart; the pushable-wall twist adds welcome depth but the genre itself is well-worn