How to Fix a SyntaxError in Your Python Text Based Game

Well, it was until I hit a SyntaxError that left me completely stuck. I thought it would be something simple maybe a missing parenthesis but it turned out to be a bit more involved than that. If you’re new to Python like me, let me walk you through what happened and how I fixed it.

The Project Idea

I built a game called “Stop the Shot Caller.” The goal is to collect six items a Pistol, Key, Ammo, Kevlar Vest, Flashbang, and Evidence before you enter the room with the SHOT CALLER, or else it’s game over.

Here the original version of the code I wrote:

#Jessica Call

def showInstructions():
    print("Stop The Shot Caller ======== COLLECT ALL ITEMS TO WIN. A Shot Caller is waiting for you! Just go South, go North, go East, go West. Collect Six items before you meet the Shot Caller. Find a Pistol, A key, Ammo, a Kevlar Vest, A Flashbang and the Evidence!")

def showStatus(currentRoom, inventory, rooms):
    print(' ---------------------------')
    print('You are in the ' + currentRoom)
    print('Inventory : ' + str(inventory))
    if "item" in rooms[currentRoom]:
        print('You see a ' + rooms[currentRoom]['item'])

def main():
    inventory = []
    rooms = {
        'Lobby': {'South': 'Basement','North': 'Study', 'East': 'Attic', 'West': 'Kitchen'},
        'Basement': {'North': 'Lobby', 'East': 'Security', 'item': 'Flashbang'},
        'Elevator': {'West': 'Study', 'item': 'Key'},
        'Study': {'South': 'Lobby', 'East': 'Elevator', 'item': 'Pistol'},
        'Kitchen': {'West': 'Lobby', 'item': 'Ammo'},
        'Attic': {'West': 'Lobby', 'North': 'Parking Lot', 'item': 'Kevlar Vest'},
        'Parking Lot': {'South': 'Attic', 'item': 'SHOT CALLER!!!!'},
        'Security': {'West': 'Basement', 'item': 'Evidence'}
    }
    
    currentRoom = 'IceHall'  # Oops! This room doesn't exist!
    showInstructions()
    
    while True:
        showStatus(currentRoom, inventory, rooms)
        
        if "item" in rooms[currentRoom]:
            if rooms[currentRoom]['item'] == 'SHOT CALLER!!!!':
                print("DEAD!!!.... GAME OVER!")
                break
        if len(inventory) == 6:
            print("Congratulations! You have collected all items and now have won the game!")
            break
        
        print(" ---------------------------")
        print("Enter your move: ")
        move = ''
        while move == '':
            move = input('>').lower()
            move = move.split()
            if len(move) != 2:
                print("Invalid Input!")
                continue
        
        if move[0] == 'go':
            if move[1] in rooms[currentRoom]:
                currentRoom = rooms[currentRoom][move[1]]
            else:
                print("You can't go that way!")

        elif move[0] == 'get':
            if "item" in rooms[currentRoom] and move[1] in rooms[currentRoom]['item'].lower():
                inventory.append(rooms[currentRoom]['item'])
                print(rooms[currentRoom]['item'] + ' got!')
                del rooms[currentRoom]['item']
            else:
                print("Can't get " + move[1] + "!")
        else:
            print("Invalid move!")

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

The Error I Got

When I tried to run it, Python threw this error:

SyntaxError: invalid syntax
File "main.py", line 58
    else:
    ^^^^

What Went Wrong

Here’s what I learned:

• I had misplaced or badly indented else: blocks, which Python does not tolerate.
• I had nested a while loop unnecessarily inside another, making things more confusing than they had to be.
• I also used 'IceHall' as the starting room but I never defined that room. So when the game tried to look it up in the dictionary, it crashed.

What I Fix

Here are the changes I made:

• Replaced 'IceHall' with 'Lobby', which does exist in my rooms dictionary.
• Cleaned up the indentation for all the if, elif, and else blocks.
• Simplified the move logic.
• Made inputs case-insensitive using .lower().
• Prevented items from being picked up multiple times.

def showInstructions():
    print("""
Stop The Shot Caller
======================
COLLECT ALL ITEMS TO WIN.
A Shot Caller is waiting for you!

Move commands: go North, go South, go East, go West
Add to Inventory: get 'item name'

Items to collect: Pistol, Key, Ammo, Kevlar Vest, Flashbang, Evidence
""")


def showStatus(currentRoom, inventory, rooms):
    print('---------------------------')
    print('You are in the ' + currentRoom)
    print('Inventory:', inventory)
    if "item" in rooms[currentRoom]:
        print('You see a ' + rooms[currentRoom]['item'])


def main():
    inventory = []
    rooms = {
        'Lobby': {'South': 'Basement', 'North': 'Study', 'East': 'Attic', 'West': 'Kitchen'},
        'Basement': {'North': 'Lobby', 'East': 'Security', 'item': 'Flashbang'},
        'Elevator': {'West': 'Study', 'item': 'Key'},
        'Study': {'South': 'Lobby', 'East': 'Elevator', 'item': 'Pistol'},
        'Kitchen': {'East': 'Lobby', 'item': 'Ammo'},
        'Attic': {'West': 'Lobby', 'North': 'Parking Lot', 'item': 'Kevlar Vest'},
        'Parking Lot': {'South': 'Attic', 'item': 'SHOT CALLER!!!!'},
        'Security': {'West': 'Basement', 'item': 'Evidence'}
    }

    currentRoom = 'Lobby'  #  Fixed: Changed from 'IceHall' to valid room
    showInstructions()

    while True:
        showStatus(currentRoom, inventory, rooms)

        # Check for loss condition
        if "item" in rooms[currentRoom] and rooms[currentRoom]['item'] == 'SHOT CALLER!!!!':
            print("You walked into the Parking Lot and faced the SHOT CALLER!")
            print(" DEAD!!!.... GAME OVER!")
            break

        # Check for win condition
        if len(inventory) == 6:
            print(" Congratulations! You have collected all items and stopped the Shot Caller!")
            break

        move = input('\nEnter your move: ').lower().split()

        if len(move) != 2:
            print("Invalid input. Use format: go [direction] or get [item]")
            continue

        command, target = move

        if command == 'go':
            if target in rooms[currentRoom]:
                currentRoom = rooms[currentRoom][target]
            else:
                print("You can't go that way!")

        elif command == 'get':
            if "item" in rooms[currentRoom] and target in rooms[currentRoom]['item'].lower():
                if rooms[currentRoom]['item'] not in inventory:
                    inventory.append(rooms[currentRoom]['item'])
                    print(f"{rooms[currentRoom]['item']} got!")
                    del rooms[currentRoom]['item']
                else:
                    print("You already picked that up.")
            else:
                print("Can't get that item here.")

        else:
            print("Invalid command. Use 'go' or 'get'.")

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

Practice Feature I Added

To make the game more interesting and great for practice, I thought of a few bonus ideas you (or future-me) could implement:

1. Track the number of moves made before winning or losing.
2. Add a help command to remind the player how to move or get items.
3. Randomize the location of items for replayability.
4. Let players save their progress or add difficulty levels.
5. Show a final score based on how quickly you won or how many items were collected.

Final Thought

This project taught me a lot more than just how to use if statements. I learned how important structure and indentation are in Python and how easy it is to break things with one wrong line. If you’re a beginner like me, don’t be discouraged by syntax errors. Sometimes it’s just a matter of looking at your code a little more closely or asking for help.