● Intermediate · Tutorial 3 of 6

All 9 Puzzle Types — Complete Guide

EscapeMaker ships with nine distinct puzzle types covering the full range of classic escape room mechanics — from simple number codes to draggable jigsaw pieces to rotating pipe grids. This tutorial is your complete configuration reference for every puzzle type, with setup instructions, all available options, and design tips for each.

⏱ 20 min 📚 Intermediate 📄 Requires: QS 4 complete

What You'll Learn

Full config options for Combination Lock
Full config options for Pattern Match
Full config options for Sequence
Full config options for Wires
Full config options for Jigsaw
Full config options for Item Slots
Full config options for Slider Lock
Full config options for Image Button
Full config options for Pipe Rotation

Every puzzle type requires the same two-step wiring: (1) an event with an Open Puzzle action to make the puzzle reachable, and (2) an event with a Puzzle Solved trigger to react when it's completed. Configuring a puzzle in the Puzzle Panel alone does nothing in-game — it must be connected to events.

Combination Lock

The Combination Lock is the most versatile and widely used puzzle type. The player must enter a correct code — numeric or alphabetic — by manipulating dials, pressing a keypad, clicking arrows, or typing letters.

Configuration Options

Option	Description
Style	Dial — rotating disc spinners. Keypad — 4×3 numpad grid. Buttons — up/down arrow buttons per digit. Alpha — letter characters instead of digits.
Digits	Number of characters in the code. Range 1–8. Default 3.
Solution	The correct answer string. Numeric for Dial/Keypad/Buttons (e.g. "742"). Any string for Alpha (e.g. "ROSE", "OPEN", "EXIT").
Show Clue	Optional text displayed above the lock in the overlay. Use as an in-puzzle hint or flavour text (e.g. "The year on the painting…").
Reset on Wrong	If checked, all digits reset to zero/A when the player submits an incorrect answer. Increases difficulty significantly on 4+ digit codes.
Image	Optional background image for the puzzle overlay. Use to frame the lock inside a safe door, padlock shell, or decorative surround.

Best for: Safe combinations, padlocks, PIN entry panels, keypad doors, word-based riddle answers.

Alpha style is excellent for word puzzles. Pair it with a clue like "What four-letter color is never seen at night?" where the answer is "DARK". It brings a completely different feel from a number code.

Pattern Match

The Pattern Match puzzle presents the player with a grid of tiles. Each tile can be toggled on or off. The player must reproduce a hidden solution pattern by toggling the correct cells.

Configuration Options

Option	Description
Grid Size	Dimensions of the grid: 2×2 up to 6×6. Larger grids are significantly harder. Start with 3×3 for beginners.
Solution Grid	Click cells in the editor's grid preview to mark which ones must be on in the solution. Filled/highlighted cells are ON; empty cells are OFF.
Tile Image (ON)	Optional image for a toggled-on tile. Defaults to a filled square.
Tile Image (OFF)	Optional image for a toggled-off tile. Defaults to an empty square.
Show Clue	Optional text shown above the grid. Can hint at the pattern (e.g. "Match the symbols on the wall").

Best for: Light-switch puzzles, illuminated tile patterns, symbol-matching, pixel art reveal puzzles where the solved pattern forms a picture or letter.

The solution is set visually by clicking cells in the editor. Filled cells must be toggled ON by the player to match. The player starts with all tiles OFF. If you want some tiles to start ON, there is currently no "starting state" config — the puzzle always starts with all tiles in the OFF position.

For a "lights on" light-switch puzzle, use a bright bulb image as the ON tile and a dark bulb image as the OFF tile. The visual swap makes the puzzle immediately readable without any written instructions.

Pattern Match config with a 4x4 grid and L-shaped solution highlighted

Click cells in the editor grid to define the solution pattern.

Sequence

The Sequence puzzle requires the player to click a set of objects in a specific order. Unlike other puzzle types, the "pieces" of a Sequence puzzle are your existing scene objects — you don't create new elements, you choreograph clicks on what's already on the scene.

Configuration Options

Option	Description
Sequence List	An ordered list of scene objects. Click "Add Object" and choose from your scene's object names. The player must click them in this exact order.
Show Clue	Optional hint text shown at the top of the puzzle overlay (or on the scene itself — see tips below).
Reset on Wrong	If checked, clicking an object out of order resets the entire sequence back to step 1.

Best for: Button sequences, color-order puzzles, musical note sequences, ritual step-by-step actions.

Because Sequence uses scene objects rather than an overlay grid, it behaves slightly differently from other puzzle types. The puzzle overlay is minimal — it may just show the clue text while the actual interaction happens on the scene itself. This makes Sequence feel very integrated with the game world.

Use invisible click-zone sprites (transparent rectangles with Interactive ON) positioned over existing scene objects. This lets you make any visual element part of the sequence without needing it to be a separate named interactive sprite. Name them clearly: seq_btn_1, seq_btn_2, etc.

Wires

The Wires puzzle presents a set of colored endpoints on the left side of the overlay and a corresponding set on the right side. The player must drag a "wire" from each left endpoint to its matching right endpoint.

Configuration Options

Option	Description
Number of Pairs	How many wire connections to make. Range 2–6. Each pair has a left endpoint and a right endpoint.
Colors	Assign a color to each pair. The left endpoint and its matching right endpoint share the same color. Built-in color options include red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple.
Shuffle Order	If checked, the right-side endpoints are shuffled into a random order each time the puzzle is opened, so the solution isn't always the same visual layout. Recommended for replayability.

Best for: Electrical panel repairs, color-matching wiring tasks, circuit completion puzzles, telephone junction boxes.

The player drags from a left endpoint toward the right side. A colored wire draws behind the mouse/finger. When the line is released over the correct matching endpoint, the connection snaps into place and a success indicator appears. All pairs must be correctly connected to solve.

Wires draws a draggable bezier curve between endpoints. On mobile touch screens, the drag gesture works the same as on desktop — press, drag, release. The touch target for each endpoint is intentionally generous to make it usable on small screens.

Wires puzzle config showing 3 color pair rows

Define color pairs in the Wires config — the player connects matching endpoints.

Jigsaw

The Jigsaw puzzle takes a source image and slices it into a grid of scrambled pieces. The player drags pieces from a scrambled pool to their correct positions in the solution grid.

Configuration Options

Option	Description
Source Image	The image to slice into puzzle pieces. Upload from your asset library. The engine automatically cuts it into the configured grid. Recommended minimum 400×400px for a sharp result.
Grid Size	How many pieces: 2×2 (4 pieces), 3×3 (9 pieces), or 4×4 (16 pieces). 2×2 is very easy; 4×4 is challenging for a casual player.
Snap Distance	How close to the correct position a piece must be dropped before it snaps in place. Larger values are more forgiving. Default is 30px.

Best for: Torn photographs that reveal a clue, ripped maps, damaged paintings, scrambled family portraits, puzzle fragments that form a code.

Keep jigsaw source images high-contrast with distinct visual features in each quadrant. A solid-color or near-uniform image makes all pieces look identical and the puzzle becomes frustratingly hard. Good candidates: a colorful map, a face with distinct features, or an image with text in a large font.

Jigsaw pieces are cut as rectangular tiles (no shaped interlocking tabs). This is intentional for clarity on screen — players can always see clean edges, making placement easier to judge.

Item Slots

The Item Slots puzzle displays a fixed number of slots on an overlay. Each slot requires a specific inventory item to be placed in it. When all slots are filled correctly, the puzzle is solved.

Configuration Options

Option	Description
Number of Slots	How many slots to display. Range 1–8.
Required Item (per slot)	For each slot, choose which inventory item must be placed there. All defined inventory items appear in the dropdown.
Slot Positions	X/Y coordinates for each slot on the overlay. The editor provides a visual drag interface to position slots over a background image.
Slot Background Image	Optional image for the overlay background — typically an altar, machine, or container that contextualizes why items are being placed.

Best for: Altar puzzles (place the correct gemstones), machine assembly (plug in the correct components), trophy shelves (place items in their spots), symbol placement puzzles.

The player interacts by dragging an item from the inventory bar and dropping it on a slot. If the item matches the slot's required item, it settles into the slot and the item icon appears there. If it doesn't match, the item returns to inventory. Once all slots are filled, the puzzle solves.

Items placed in slots are removed from inventory as part of the puzzle. Design your item flow accordingly — if the player needs a key after solving the Item Slots puzzle, don't use the key as one of the slot items, or give the player a duplicate key through another event.

Keep slot counts low (2–4) for a cleaner puzzle. Six or more slots requires the player to have been collecting items from across the whole game, which is satisfying as a late-game "culmination" puzzle but very confusing if used early.

Item Slots config showing 3 slots with required item dropdowns

Each slot requires a specific inventory item — all filled correctly = puzzle solved.

Slider Lock

The Slider Lock presents a handle on a track. The player drags the handle to a target position. It's a simple but highly versatile puzzle that fits naturally into any physical or mechanical interface.

Configuration Options

Option	Description
Orientation	Horizontal or Vertical. Horizontal fits valves and brightness controls; Vertical fits levers and temperature gauges.
Number of Positions	How many discrete "stops" the slider can land on. Range 2–10. The player snaps to the nearest position when they release the handle.
Solution Position	Which position number (1 = leftmost/bottom, N = rightmost/top) is the correct answer.
Position Labels	Optional text label for each position. Displayed near each stop on the track (e.g. "Off", "Low", "High", or "Cold", "Warm", "Hot"). Leave blank to show no labels.

Best for: Thermostats, valve controls, voltage/brightness dials, water pressure gauges, security access levels, frequency tuners.

Always use position labels when the solution relies on contextual meaning rather than a number. A slider with positions labeled "A / B / C / D" leaves the player guessing which is correct — but if the labels are "Cold / Cool / Warm / Hot / Boiling" and the clue says "Set it to body temperature," the puzzle is satisfying and fair.

The Slider Lock solves instantly when the player releases the handle at the correct position — there is no "confirm" button. Make sure the correct position is visually distinct from its neighbors, especially on mobile where touch precision is lower.

Image Button

The Image Button is the simplest puzzle type. It displays an image, and when the player clicks it, the puzzle is solved. There is no code, no matching, no sequence — just a single deliberate click.

Configuration Options

Option	Description
Image	The image shown in the puzzle overlay before it's solved. Can be a button, lever, switch, or any visual element.
Solved Image	Optional alternate image shown after the player clicks. Gives visual feedback (e.g. a pressed button, a flipped switch, a pulled lever). If left blank, the original image stays.
Show Clue	Optional text shown above the image — can set the context ("Press the red button") or leave the player to infer.

Best for: Pressing a single button, flipping a switch, pulling a lever, activating a device — any moment where the player takes a single deliberate action and something important happens as a result.

Image Button puzzles shine when chained together using conditions. Puzzle A is an Image Button (flip switch 1). Puzzle B is an Image Button (flip switch 2) — but its open event has a condition: "Puzzle Solved A = true". And Puzzle C (the final door) has condition "Puzzle Solved A AND Puzzle Solved B = true". The player must find and flip both switches before the door opens — a satisfying multi-step gate built entirely from the simplest puzzle type.

Unlike most other puzzle types, Image Button has no "wrong" state — the player cannot fail it. They either haven't clicked it (unsolved) or they have (solved). If you want to gate the click with a condition, do that in the open event, not in the puzzle itself. For example, require the player to have a specific item before the Open Puzzle action fires.

Pipe Rotation

The Pipe Rotation puzzle presents a grid of pipe tiles — straights, elbows, and T-junctions. Each tile is rotated to a scrambled starting angle, and the player taps a tile to rotate it 90° at a time. The puzzle is solved when every tile is turned back to the orientation you designed.

You build the puzzle in its solved state. Lay every tile the way it should look when the pipework is connected, and EscapeMaker captures that as the answer. At runtime each tile is randomly rotated away from your layout, and the player's job is to restore it. There is no flow simulation to wire up — "solved" simply means every tile matches the orientation you saved.

Configuration Options

Option	Description
Grid Size	Number of rows and columns in the pipe grid. Larger grids mean more tiles to rotate and a harder solve. Start small (3×3) and grow from there.
Tiles	Set each cell to a Straight, Elbow, T-junction, or leave it empty (no pipe). Empty cells let you carve non-rectangular pipe runs through the grid.
Tile Rotation	For each tile, rotate it to the angle it should sit at when solved. This is the target the player has to find. Straights only have two meaningful positions (vertical / horizontal), so a straight can never be "180° wrong."
Pipe Art	Optional images for the Straight, Elbow, and T shapes. If you leave them blank, EscapeMaker draws clean fallback pipes automatically, so the puzzle works with zero art.
Background Image	Optional image behind the grid — a control panel, a wall, a machine face. The pipe tiles sit inset on top of it so any decorative frame stays visible.
Inlets & Outlets	Optional source/drain markers placed on the edges of cells (with optional images). They are purely decorative — they show the player where flow "starts" and "ends" but do not affect the solve.

Best for: Plumbing and valve rooms, steampunk boilers, sci-fi coolant conduits, wiring and circuit runs — any "connect / restore the line" fantasy where rotating pieces into place feels right.

Mix in a few empty cells to shape the pipe run instead of filling the whole rectangle. An L-shaped or branching layout reads as a real pipe network and is more interesting than a solid block of tiles. Use inlet and outlet markers to hint at the intended path without spelling out every rotation.

Because the player only ever rotates tiles (never moves them), every tile you place must already be on its correct cell in the solved layout. The puzzle scrambles rotation, not position — design the grid as the finished picture.

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Puzzle Type Comparison

Quick reference for choosing the right puzzle type for your design goal:

Puzzle Type	Best For	Setup Difficulty
Combination Lock	Safe codes, PINs, word riddles	⭐ Easy
Pattern Match	Grid toggles, light switches, pixel patterns	⭐⭐ Medium
Sequence	Button orders, ritual steps, color sequences	⭐⭐ Medium
Wires	Color matching, circuit panels, cable routing	⭐ Easy
Jigsaw	Torn maps, photographs, fragmentary clues	⭐ Easy
Item Slots	Placing inventory items, altars, assembly	⭐⭐ Medium
Slider Lock	Valves, thermostats, dials, levers	⭐ Easy
Image Button	Simple triggers, switches, multi-step chains	⭐ Easy
Pipe Rotation	Plumbing, valves, conduits, restore-the-line	⭐⭐ Medium

Every puzzle type uses the same Puzzle Solved trigger in the Event System — so switching from one puzzle type to another in your design never requires rewriting your reward events. Change the puzzle config, keep the events.