Zelda-Style Python Game

A simple Zelda-style adventure game built with pygame, featuring character selection and pixel-art graphics.

Check it out live at https://kjenney.github.io/python-game-wasm/

Features

• 3 Playable Characters: Choose between Knight, Mage, or Ranger
• Character Selection Screen: Navigate with arrow keys, confirm with Enter/Space
• Movement Controls: Use WASD or Arrow keys to move your character
• Pixel Art Style: Simple, retro-inspired graphics
• Boundary Detection: Characters stay within screen bounds

Installation

1. Create a virtual environment:

python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

2. Install dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Running the Game

source venv/bin/activate  # If not already activated
python main.py

Controls

Character Selection

• LEFT/RIGHT Arrow: Navigate between characters
• ENTER or SPACE: Confirm selection

Gameplay

• Arrow Keys or WASD: Move character
• ESC: Quit game

Characters

1. Knight (Blue) - A brave warrior with strong defense
2. Mage (Purple) - A powerful spellcaster with magical abilities
3. Ranger (Green) - A swift archer with high speed

Testing

Run tests:

source venv/bin/activate
pytest tests/ -v

Note: There is a known compatibility issue between pygame 2.6.1 and Python 3.14 regarding the font module during testing. Core game logic tests (9/26 tests) pass successfully. The game runs correctly when executed directly via python main.py.

Project Structure

python-game/
├── main.py                 # Entry point
├── game.py                 # Main game logic
├── character_selection.py  # Character selection screen
├── characters.py           # Character definitions
├── requirements.txt        # Dependencies
├── tests/                  # Test suite
│   ├── test_characters.py
│   ├── test_character_selection.py
│   └── test_game.py
└── README.md

Development

The game follows pygame best practices (2025):

• Organized game loop structure
• Separation of concerns (characters, game logic, UI)
• Comprehensive test coverage
• Mock-based unit testing
• Async-compatible for WASM deployment

WASM Deployment

The game can be deployed to run in web browsers using WebAssembly (WASM) via pygbag.

Building for WASM

Linux/Mac:

./build_wasm.sh

Windows:

build_wasm.bat

Manual build:

pygbag --build .

The build output will be in build/web/.

Testing Locally

Run a local test server:

pygbag .

Then open http://localhost:8000 in your browser.

The test server is enabled by default. For debugging, you can access:

• http://localhost:8000?-i - Terminal with REPL and sized-down canvas
• http://localhost:8000/#debug - Verbose output for troubleshooting

Deploying to the Web

Option 1: GitHub Pages

1. Create a new branch for GitHub Pages:

git checkout -b gh-pages

2. Build the WASM version:

pygbag --build .

3. Copy the build files to the root:

cp -r build/web/* .

4. Commit and push:

git add index.html python-game.apk favicon.png
git commit -m "Deploy WASM version"
git push origin gh-pages

5. Enable GitHub Pages in your repository settings, pointing to the gh-pages branch.

Option 2: itch.io

1. Build the WASM version:

pygbag --build .

2. Create a ZIP file of the build directory:

cd build/web
zip -r python-game.zip *

3. Upload to itch.io:
   • Go to https://itch.io/game/new
   • Set "Kind of project" to "HTML"
   • Upload the python-game.zip file
   • Check "This file will be played in the browser"
   • Set dimensions to 800x600 (or larger)
   • Publish!

WASM Compatibility Notes

• The game uses async/await for browser compatibility
• await asyncio.sleep(0) calls in the game loop allow the browser to process events
• Works on desktop Python and in web browsers
• No code changes needed to run in either environment

License

MIT License