MemeJak: The Daily Meme Scramble

A daily sliding-tile puzzle game powered by Reddit’s hottest content.

Unscramble the internet's favorite image of the day and beat the clock.

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Project Overview

MemeJak is a daily sliding-tile puzzle game built on the Reddit Devvit Platform.

Every 24 hours, the game automatically fetches the top "Hot" post from a chosen subreddit (e.g., r/memes or r/pics). The image is sliced into a grid (3x3 - easy, 4x4 - medium, or 5x5 - hard) and shuffled.

Players race against time to solve the puzzle using classic sliding-tile mechanics.

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Key Features

The Daily Drop (Recurring Content)

Automated Content Pipeline

• Uses Reddit API to fetch the daily "Hot" post at 00:00 UTC
• No manual curation required
• Fully automated daily refresh

Universal Seed

• Every player receives the same shuffle configuration
• Ensures fairness and shared experience
• Daily state resets every 24 hours

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Gameplay Mechanics

Difficulty Modes

• Casual (3x3) – Quick, lightweight challenge
• Puzzler (4x4) – Standard sliding puzzle experience
• Expert (5x5) – High-difficulty, high-detail challenge

Game Logic

• Classic 15-puzzle sliding mechanics
• Click a tile adjacent to the empty space to move it
• Only valid adjacent swaps are allowed
• Puzzle completes when all tiles return to original order

Live Stats Tracking

• Time Elapsed
• Move Counter

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Technical Architecture

Tech Stack

• Platform: Devvit (Reddit Developer Platform)
• Frontend: Devvit UI (Blocks, Stack, Image)
• Data Storage: Reddit Redis Plugin (Daily State)
• Scheduler: Devvit Scheduler

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Data Flow

Daily Scheduler (Cron Job)

Runs once per day at 00:00 UTC.

Devvit.configure({
  redditAPI: true,
});

Devvit.addMenuItem({
  location: 'subreddit',
  label: 'Show hot meme image',
  onPress: async (_event, context) => {
    // 1. Get hot posts from a subreddit, e.g. "memes"
    const listing = context.reddit.getHotPosts({
      subredditName: 'memes',
      limit: 1,
      pageSize: 1,
    }); // returns Listing<Post> [[getHotPosts](https://developers.reddit.com/docs/api/redditapi/RedditAPIClient/classes/RedditAPIClient#gethotposts)]

    const [post] = await listing.all();
    if (!post) {
      await context.ui.showToast('No hot posts found');
      return;
    }

    // 2. Get the thumbnail image URL
    const thumb = post.thumbnail; // { url, width, height } or undefined [[Post.thumbnail](https://developers.reddit.com/docs/api/redditapi/models/classes/Post#get-signature-35)]

    if (!thumb?.url) {
      await context.ui.showToast('Post has no thumbnail image');
      return;
    }

    // 3. Use the image URL (here we just show it in a toast)
    await context.ui.showToast(`Image URL: ${thumb.url}`);
  },
});

Flow:

1. Fetch Hot post
2. Extract image URL
3. Store image URL in Redis
4. Store post ID in Redis
5. Generate and store daily shuffle seed

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Client (Game Rendering)

Fetch Daily State

• daily_image_url
• shuffle_seed

Grid Rendering

• Uses 9 / 16 / 25 separate <Image> blocks

• Each block loads the same image URL

• Cropping handled using:

  • imageWidth
  • imageHeight
  • resizeMode

Local Puzzle State

const grid = [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8];

• Shuffle using deterministic seed
• Swap indices on valid moves
• Detect completion when grid matches original order

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Core Puzzle Logic

Shuffle Strategy

• Fisher-Yates shuffle
• Seeded random generator for deterministic daily puzzle
• Ensure puzzle remains solvable

Move Validation

A tile can move only if:

• It is adjacent (up, down, left, right) to the empty tile
• The move maintains valid board state

Completion Check

const isSolved = grid.every((value, index) => value === index);

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Development Roadmap

Phase 1: Core Loop (MVP)

• Configure Devvit.configure with Reddit API
• Implement fetchHotPost logic
• Build 3x3 grid UI using Devvit Blocks
• Implement shuffle logic
• Implement move validation logic
• Milestone: Playable puzzle with hardcoded image

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Phase 2: Daily Infrastructure

• Implement Devvit.addSchedulerJob
• Store daily image in Redis
• Store daily shuffle seed
• Ensure 24-hour shared puzzle state

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Phase 3: Polish & UX

• Add timer
• Add move counter
• Add difficulty selector (3x3 / 4x4 / 5x5)
• Add reset button

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Hackathon Categorization

Primary Category: Best Daily Game (Recurring Mechanic)

Secondary Category: Best Use of Reddit Content (Community-Powered Content Pipeline)

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How to Run

devvit upload

1. Clone the repository
2. Run the upload command
3. Open your test subreddit
4. Launch the MemeJak menu item

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Why MemeJak?

• Turns Reddit’s daily content into an interactive habit
• Encourages repeat engagement every 24 hours
• Combines automation, deterministic gameplay, and community-driven content
• Lightweight, replayable, and highly extensible

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Built for the Reddit Games Hackathon