Not sure if I can explain it clearly but let's try.
I would like to slice my map(image) into squares. Let's say entire map is 320x320px and one square is supposed to be 32x32. So it would be 10x10 units. Character can only move from one unit to another. It's exactly like in Tibia. Your character can't move freely. When "transfering" character from one square to another, walking animation is played .I'm not asking for code, I'd love to know how to approach this problem.