Back home
Mystery Box
A prompt in, a deployed game out. Below is the exact input I hand the pipeline and the output it produced — generated end to end by Alfred, my agentic game-generation pipeline.
Input
The prompt handed to the pipeline — it describes the game concept.
Build a math game called "Mystery Box — Find the Hidden Number".
CORE IDEA
An early-algebra puzzle built on a two-pan balance beam. One pan holds a covered "mystery box" that hides a single unknown number; the other side shows known numbers. The child drags number tiles into the box until both sides weigh the same and the beam sits level — then taps Check to lift the cover and reveal the hidden number. The lesson is the idea of an unknown, and of keeping an equation balanced.
WHO IT'S FOR
Class 3–5 students crossing from arithmetic ("fill in the blank") to early algebra ("solve for the letter").
ARCHETYPE & INTERACTION
- Archetype: Board Puzzle — the balance beam IS the round.
- Interaction: drag-and-drop number tiles into the box, with an explicit Check gate.
- Evaluation: deterministic — the beam is level exactly when the box makes both sides equal.
- Shape: multi-round, 10 rounds, 3 lives.
WHAT THE PLAYER SEES
A vertical mobile layout:
- A balance beam in the centre — known weights on one side, the covered box on the other — that visibly tilts toward the heavier side.
- A pool of draggable number tiles below the beam, and a "Check" button.
INTERACTIONS
- Drag a number into the box → the beam re-balances in real time. Drag freely and swap tiles; exploring costs nothing.
- Tap Check when the beam is level → the cover lifts, the hidden number is revealed, a quick chime plays, the next round loads.
- Commit a wrong answer → a heart shatters and a short line explains what balance means here.
PROGRESSION (10 rounds)
- Rounds 1–3: a bare box — just find the number that balances.
- Later rounds: the box is labelled with a letter (x, n, …), introducing the idea that a letter simply names the hidden number; bigger numbers and an extra known weight raise the difficulty.
SCORING, LIVES & STARS
- 3 lives (hearts); the game ends after 10 rounds or when all lives are gone.
- Stars reflect how many hearts survive to the end (up to 3).
FEEL
- Numbers stay kind — the challenge is the reasoning (what balances?), not heavy arithmetic.
- The beam animates so balance is felt, not just computed; dragging is forgiving, and only a wrong Check costs a heart.Output
The pipeline deploys a single self-contained HTML file. This is the live artifact:
Running live below — drag a number into the box to balance the beam, then tap Check. Best on a phone-sized screen, or open the link above full-screen.
More games from the pipeline
Other games Alfred generated — different math domains and interactions (drag, tap, balance). Each opens in a new tab; best on a phone-sized screen.