It is still the era of Candy Crush Saga. Family and friends who have claimed that they don’t play video games are now crushing candy whenever they get the chance. The addiction is so bad that a couple of friends have admitted to me that they are annoyed when their loved ones call while they are playing this game. Apparently, in-coming calls disturb the progress of their games on their phones. To all of the Candy Crush lovers out there, especially those new to the addiction, I am sharing some of my hard-earned wisdom. I am not an expert, although I am very proud that at this moment I have reached level 104!
Join Facebook. I have friends who have joined Facebook just to play Candy Crush Saga. Why do this? First and most importantly, your progress follows you across devices and provides a back-up in the event you have to switch devices. For example, if you have been playing on your phone and you get a new phone, you don’t have to start the game all over again. Second, every time you are out of lives, you can switch to another device where you will have five fresh lives and you can pick up where you left off. Remember, you can use maximum privacy settings and “friend,” whom I call, “Candy Crush friends,” that is, others who wish to use Facebook for the sole purpose of playing Candy Crush Saga. Why do this? You can send each other extra moves, tickets for the next episode, and extra lives. You need three tickets to move on to the next episode; therefore, you need at least three Facebook friends.
In the higher levels, Candy Crush Saga begins to resemble Chess. You know how in Chess you have to anticipate the move of your opponent and you have to plan ahead your strategy? From my experience and the experience of my friends, it appears that this higher thinking requirement begins around Lemonade Lake. At that point you are required to plan ahead a bit: anticipate how the candies will fall to produce a 4-in-a-row match to create a wrapped candy. Or, even better, create a 5-in-a-row match to create the candy with sprinkles, which you can combine with another of its kind, or a particular color that you need to demolish. Another hint: observe the pattern of stripes on any striped candy. The stripes indicate whether it will crush horizontally or vertically.
Use your brain, not your bank account! The last thing you want to do is start a bad habit of spending money to make the game easier. This is like gambling, except that you don’t win anything. Repetition and smart thinking is the key to success. You do earn “gold” throughout the game, which you can use to “purchase” power-ups, such as extra moves, the candy with sprinkles, and the hammer. If you are climbing the walls in frustration, try a goodnight’s sleep or give yourself a break for a couple of days. When you come back to it, you may be surprised by your success!
