Bomb Circuit

A top-down 2D puzzle game combining the tile-based puzzle mechanics of Chip's Challenge with the destructible-terrain and bomb mechanics of classic Bomberman.

Concept

Navigate a grid-based level, collect the required items, and reach the exit. Blocked paths are cleared with bombs. Hazards, keys, and one-way mechanisms turn each level into a logic puzzle where the order of actions matters.

Core Gameplay

• Grid movement. The player moves one tile at a time across a fixed grid.
• Collect to unlock. Each level requires a set number of chips (or circuit tokens) before the exit opens.
• Bombs clear the way. Drop a bomb to destroy soft blocks and open new routes. Bombs detonate on a timer and propagate in the four cardinal directions.
• Chain reactions. A blast that reaches another bomb triggers it immediately.
• Puzzle logic. Keys open locked doors, ice tiles slide the player, and pressure plates toggle gates. Solving a level means sequencing these correctly.

Tiles & Objects

Tile	Behavior
Floor	Walkable.
Wall	Solid. Indestructible.
Soft block	Destructible by bomb blast.
Chip / token	Collectible. Required to open the exit.
Locked door	Requires a matching key.
Key	Collectible. Opens one door of its color.
Bomb	Player-placed. Timed explosion in four directions.
Ice	Slides the player until a wall stops them.
Pressure plate	Toggles linked gates while occupied.
Exit	Ends the level once all chips are collected.
Enemy	Moves on a set pattern. Contact is lethal; blasts destroy it.

Controls

Input	Action
Arrow keys / WASD	Move one tile
Space	Place bomb
R	Restart level
Esc	Pause
F / F11	Toggle fullscreen

The window is resizable (drag it or use the OS maximize button) and the picture scales to fit. Press F (or F11), or double-click the window, to toggle fullscreen.

Win & Lose Conditions

• Win: Collect all required chips, then step onto the exit.
• Lose: Caught in a bomb blast, touched by an enemy, or trapped with no valid moves.

Getting Started

Requires Python 3.11+. The launcher scripts create a local virtual environment, install dependencies (pygame-ce), and start the game.

# Linux / macOS / Git Bash
./start.sh

# Windows PowerShell
./start.ps1

With no argument the bundled campaign plays (level1 → level10), auto-advancing a moment after each "LEVEL COMPLETE"; finishing the last level shows "CAMPAIGN COMPLETE" (press R to replay from the start).

Pass a level file to play just that one level instead:

./start.sh bomb_circuit/levels/level2.json

Or run it manually after pip install -e .:

python -m bomb_circuit

Run the logic tests (headless, no display required):

pip install -e ".[dev]"
pytest

Roadmap

• Core grid engine and player movement
• Bomb placement, timers, and blast propagation
• Level loader (JSON level format)
• Chip collection and exit gating
• Keys, doors, ice, and pressure plates
• Pixel-art graphics
• Enemy patterns
• Sound
• Level editor

Milestones 1–5 are implemented. The exit unlocks only once every chip is collected. Enemies (milestone 6) are next.

Status

Playable, with pixel-art graphics: collect the chips, then reach the exit. Bomb soft blocks with Space, carry keys to open matching doors, slide across ice, and hold gates open by weighting their pressure plate (a parked bomb works too). Ten bundled levels of rising difficulty:

#	Level	Introduces
1	Demolition Yard	Bombs and soft blocks
2	Chain Gang	Chain reactions
3	The Gauntlet	Chips, ice, keys, plates in one line
4	Black Ice	An ice field where only chips and walls stop a slide
5	Two Locks	Two key colors, and a door that strands you if opened
6	Deadman's Switch	A plate too far from its gate to hold yourself
7	Chain Reaction	Two-thick plugs: one bomb per layer, with a retreat
8	Frozen Circuit	The slide starts the moment you step off the plate
9	Lockdown	Blast a caged key, then key, door, plate, and gate in sequence
10	The Circuit	A blast that opens its own gate to reach the block behind it

Every bundled level has a regression test that solves it end to end (tests/test_golden.py).

Sprites are authored as 16×16 pixel templates built into surfaces at load time (no image files) and scaled up crisply — see render/sprites.py. See TECHNICAL.md for architecture.