Finished Candy Crush Saga

Around 8 months ago I saw a few of my friends playing a game on their mobiles. It looked too simple and unimpressive as I was used to a lot of different kinds of games with amazing visuals etc. I did not even understand the game. Then once I asked my friend about the game, how to play it, what is the objective etc. After that I decided to try it. I downloaded it. It was Candy Crush Saga. After that things were not the same anymore.

I opened it and the instructions were pretty much built-in in the game. I just breezed through the initial 50 levels or so in a couple of days . The game is pretty simple and that is in fact one of its strengths. The colors and music also add on to the whole experience, although later on I started to play with the music muted. I even informed one of my school friend of this game and both of us carried on playing the game. Today I finished the game- 800 levels as of now (in 5 months) and that's what I was waiting for before writing this post. (* Update I have finished 1175 levels and I have now stopped!)

About the game

This game can be played on your mobile. It can also be played on your PC/laptop through Facebook. You can also connect the mobile game to Facebook account. One of the benefits of that is that you can track your progress as well as that of your friends. It is something that further motivates you to keep on playing. Although I would like to give you a warning before you start. It is a very, very addictive game and you might not be able to stop once you start. At the end, I will put an article that explains why it is so addictive.

The method of playing it is simple. You have to bring at least 3 similar candies in a row to eliminate it. You can also combine 4 or more candies in different ways and you get different things like striped, wrapped candy etc. The instructions are there in the game so it shouldn't be difficult. What I will share with you is my experience and some tips which helped me to complete the game.

10 useful tips for you :

1. Try making combinations at the bottom and not at the top. This is because if you make changes at the bottom, candies will fall from the top and some will eliminate as they automatically form combinations.

2. Play the levels in both mobiles or tablets and also through Facebook on your PC or laptop. This is because one level might be easy on the mobile whereas other might be easy through Facebook. So you should try from both if you find a level too difficult to clear.

3. While playing on the mobile, if you don't get a good board initially, you should just go back and start the level again. This way you will not lose a life and you can wait till you get a good board layout from the beginning. You could go back and load again till you can make a special candy in the first move itself- maybe a wrapped candy or color bomb etc whatever is the requirement of the level.  However, in the timed levels, if you go back, you will lose a life. Also if you have already made a move and then if you go back, then again you will lose a life.

4. Try to use as many special candies as you can. Specially combinations. Color bomb with stripped candy works wonderfully well when there are jellies in difficult places or in a level where you have to collect many striped candies. Striped candy + Wrapped candy also works wonderfully when you have a complete row of many blockers, jelly etc. Color bomb + wrapped candy will remove all the candy with the same color of the wrapped candy plus the next most populated color candy. This will leave you with candies of only 3 or 4 colors making combinations very easy.

5. In levels where it is required to collect candies of a particular color (eg. blue), you can use the color bomb to remove candies of a different color (like red) so there will be lots of blue candies left on the board which will form combinations and eliminate themselves.

6. While playing on the mobile, once the lives are finished, you can minimize the screen go to settings and change the time setting and move the clock forward by 3 hours. Then go back to the game, open a level and again come back, make the time normal and then play. This way you can have unlimited lives!

7. The Lollipop hammers are really useful. Every time that you spin the wheel, try to stop when it reaches the hammer. Chances are that you might land on a hammer. Don't try for the jackpot. You will never get it. It is manipulated. I finished the game within 5 months and I never received the Jackpot. Try to collect as many hammers as you can.

8. Don't pay. I cleared all the levels without ever paying anything for the game. Once you pay, you will want to do it again and before you know it, you would have spent a lot on the game.

9. Don't go crazy over it. There will be days and levels which will drive you crazy. The best thing to do is to take a break and come back much later. Many times it happens that a level that seems impossible, gets done easily later on and things just seem to be working for you. Keep collecting the boosters in the mean time as well.

10. Have a friend or family member sit with you if you find a level difficult. Different people see things differently and they might provide you a different perspective, or they might see possible combinations that you might not have seen.

Here is more on that from an article in the Guardian, April 2014:

Candy Crush Saga, the mind-numbingly simple yet addictive game that involves matching coloured sweets, is estimated to be worth $7.1bn. Candy Crush is played by 93 million people every day, and it accrues an estimated $800,000 daily through players purchasing new lives and boosters that help them to conquer new levels. All told, half a billion people have downloaded the free app. 

So what is it about this game that makes it so addictive?

First off, it’s simple. The premise of Candy Crush is basic enough for a preschooler – just match three candies of the same colour. Initially, the game allows us to win and pass levels with ease, giving a strong sense of satisfaction. These accomplishments are experienced as mini rewards in our brains, releasing the neurochemical dopamine and tapping into the same neuro-circuitry involved in addiction, reinforcing our actions. Despite its reputation as a pleasure chemical, dopamine also plays a crucial role in learning, cementing our behaviours and training us to continue performing them.

If the game remained this easy, however, we’d quickly tire of the jellybeans and gum drops, becoming bored after a couple of binge sessions. But Candy Crush keeps us coming back in several ways. As we play, the game gets harder, the wins (and those bursts of dopamine) becoming more intermittent.

Candy Crush is essentially a game of luck, your success dependent on the array of colours you have randomly been given rather than your swiping skills. This means that the reward schedule becomes unexpected: we lose more often than we win and we never know when the next triumph will come. Rather than discouraging us from playing, this actually makes the game even more enticing than if we won easily. This strategy is known as a variable ratio schedule of reinforcement and is the same tactic used in slot machines; you can never predict when you’re going to win, but you win just often enough to keep you coming back for more.

Candy Crush effectively puts you into "time out" after five losses. This means you can never be completely satiated when playing and always leaves you wanting more. And by not letting you play, the game actually becomes even more rewarding when you are let back into Candyland. This is also how Candy Crush makes its money, letting you buy back into the game if you’re willing to purchase extra lives.

Happy Crushing!!