What are circle mazes?
A circle maze, also known as a circular or radial maze, is a maze with a circular shape and arranged in a series of concentric circles or rings.
The pathways radiate through the maze from the starting point to the ending point, with all kinds of branches and dead ends to confuse you and make it harder for you to solve the maze. These points can lie at outer edges of the maze, near or at the center of the maze, or somewhere inside the circle other than the center.
No matter the shape or the difficulty of a circle maze, unlike a labyrinth, it always has a clear starting and ending point.
Examples of circle mazes
As noted above, the path to follow through a circular maze from the start to the end of the maze, can go from outward to inward, from inward to outward, or crisscross through the maze.
Below are some examples of such entry and exit points.
Circle maze vs square maze
A well-designed circular maze is usually harder to solve than an equally well-designed rectangular or square maze.
What are the differences in particular? Below we’ll discuss structural and navigation differences as well as differences in gameplay.
Structure and navigation differences
Structure of circle mazes
The paths in a circle maze follow curved or spiral patterns without sharp turns, which in turn create a sense of continuous movement. This makes navigating a circle maze more difficult to orient yourself through the maze, because the maze feels less predictable, with fewer reference points for straight-line direction.
It makes it also harder to gauge your distance from your goal and to track of your progress through the maze. Another thing you will notice if you play lots of circle mazes is that it’s generally harder to find suitable landmarks that can serve as reference points through your navigation.
Structure of rectangular mazes
On the other hand, a rectangular or square maze has paths that follow straight lines (horizontally or vertically) with sharp, right-angle turns. This makes the predictability of the maze easier for you while navigating it.
Since the the directions are more straightforward and the grid-like structure makes it easier to spot and memorize reference points (such as specific walls, corners, intersections), your overall orientation through the maze will be easier than that of a circle maze.
Gameplay differences
Circle maze gameplay
In gameplay aspects of mazes, circular mazes may feel more disorienting due to their round structure and you need to rely on a different type of spatial awareness than what you’re usually used to in rectangular shapes. Some circular mazes may have fewer dead ends, but the curved paths and indirect routes increase the difficulty of finding the right way.
In general, you could say that circle mazes are harder to map mentally.
Square maze gameplay
However, rectangular or square mazes are easier to memorize and the overall strategy often revolves around memorizing or systematically exploring the grid layout by turning at corners and retracing your steps where necessary.
It’s also easier to use use systematic exploration (such as wall-following) as a strategy to find your way out in a rectangular maze.
Finally, although dead ends and traps are more common in a rectangular maze, it’s also are generally easier easier to recognize, remember, and find your way around these traps.
As such, rectangular mazes are often easier to map in your mind, which makes navigating (and solving) them a bit easier.
Circle maze | Square maze | |
Ease of memorization | harder | easier |
Keeping track of your progress through the maze | harder | easier |
Ability to orient through the maze | harder | easier |
Number of dead ends and traps | less | more |
Overal difficulty | harder | easier |
From all the different types of mazes, you now know about the rectangular or square maze and about the circular maze.
What do you think of circular mazes?
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