Rampage Attack FAQ(GameBoy Advance) version 1.0.0 copyright 2003 by Andrew Schultz schultza@earthlink.net Please do not reproduce this FAQ for profit without my prior consent. However, if you write a polite e-mail to me referring to me(and this FAQ) by name, then I will probably say OK. But if I ignore you that means no--and I am bad about answering e-mail. Sorry. **AD SPACE** My home page: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/2762 ================================ OUTLINE 1. INTRODUCTION, HISTORY, ETC. 2. CONTROLS 2-1. MOVING PIECES AND WHAT THEY DO 2-2. OBJECTIVES OF THE FOUR SUB-GAMES AND GENERAL STRATEGIES 2-3. POINTS 3. PUZZLE MODE(1-1 through 10-5, which you can use CTRL-F to sift through) 4. CLEAR MODE 5. RESCUE MODE 6. MARATHON MODE 7. VERSIONS 8. CREDITS ================================ 1. INTRODUCTION, HISTORY, ETC. Rampage Puzzle Attack isn't really based on the classic arcade game, but it features George, Lizzie, and Ralph, the three humans turned into mutants that starred in Rampage. There they knocked down buildings and took out helicopters and so forth. All sorts of people-weapons tried to take down the monsters' health meters and it was the sort of mindless destruction I don't enjoy. The puzzle game itself feels relatively mindless. It's one of those block droppers and the purpose on any move is to try to zap a huge mass of blocks of the same color. There's only marginal doubt you can actually win it and no excitement when you do. Many of the puzzles are repeated and the rest are far too easy. The rest are just easy. Having four modes only helps so much. But it's a decent time waster and you don't have to learn too much to get into it. The game also goes through ten cities with five sub-scenes each in Clear, Rescue and Puzzle modes, but there's no real difference between them. You also have five characters to unlock but quite frankly a new one doesn't do much except look weird in a different way. Rampage Puzzle Attack also employs a password system which doesn't retain your high score but is thankfully pretty painless to remember--a ten letter jumble chosen from 16 consonants. This FAQ contains text maps that describe what to do, so I described that briefly below. ** Ledger ** X = regular block to drop(cannot be vanished) * = monster's cage in Rescue Mode RBGYP = gem blocks rgbyp = regular blocks Notation for moves: a-b c-d Tells you that you want to move colors c and d into columns a and b(numbered from the left, increasing) and drop them. 2. CONTROLS 2-1. MOVING PIECES AND WHAT THEY DO I define two pieces: a gem and a block. Gems are shinier. There are five colors of block(blue, red, green, yellow and purple) and a corresponding gem for each one. At the top of the screen, you have six different blocks you can flip around to get into position to drop, and you can drop two at once. They're immediately replaced, but differently according to which game you're playing. Occasionally the play field will have solid blocks that won't vanish, and if they are in midair they make dropping stuff tricky. First of all whenever you drop a gem, if there is a block of the same color adjacent, it will wipe that block out. And any block adjacent to it--and so forth. This all happens in the game in one big swoop. Once the shape has disappeared, all other pieces drop straight down into the void. It's possible to get a chain reaction, which gets you a lot more points. You can flip pieces in any two adjacent of the six colums by moving the directional pad left/right and pushing A. B doesn't do anything. Pushing A twice gets you back as you were. You shouldn't need too many flips to get the move you want. On time critical levels you'll need to master being able to push A and right quickly and repeating but the main logical thing may be, if you want to change a...b. to ....ba Then note you'll have to flip b to the right after flipping a all the way over. Also to switch a....b to ..ba.. you'll need to flip a to the right twice and b left three times. It's a common logical fallacy to 'put a in place first' but by moving b past it you'll in fact move a out of place. Moving a..b.. to ..a..b is of course much easier although moving from left to right you might want to move a right twice, move b right twice, and come back for a, if your cursor starts off on the left. If it's on the right you may wish to move b over then a all the way. There's no way to loop the braces past the side. In some puzzle levels the next blocks that drop down will be predetermined. You may want to keep track of these so you can make two quick drops. In general you don't want to waste too much time switching but if it is unavoidable and you have to drop blocks in a certain place, there's nothing you can do. Saving a second or two placing something close, however, is better. You can also make a move while reactions are still going on. This allows you to extend a chain for a bit, which will reward your speed with points--they accumulate with each chain. It also helps your time bonus, of course. The only drawback to this is that sometimes if you just eliminated a color it won't register with the game and a block of that color will pop up in your tray. 2-2. OBJECTIVES OF THE FOUR SUB-GAMES AND GENERAL STRATEGIES In Puzzle Mode, the object is to clear all the colored blocks out of the way in a fixed number of moves. If you drop a pair of blocks, they are replaced by solid blocks to drop. Every colored block has a purpose and you often have to use them exactly. One of the big tricks to watch out for is that there may be an obvious move that takes out a good deal at first. Sometimes you'll need to drop one solid block at first, or even two. There's also some danger of taking out too many squares and leaving yourself with, say, a green block and no gem to match. Often though you'll be able to isolate the toughest square to pick off and work backwards from there. In Clear Mode, you have limitless time to get rid of a pile of blocks. I found I didn't slip up here much and in fact a big help was that, once you clear the board of a certain color, it either reappears right away in your tray of six or not at all. This can a problem with just one color left on the bottom when you think you've solved things, but even there you can proceed logically. Setting up for a combination generally works well. The first few moves also seem pretty well set in stone. In Rescue Mode, you are a bit cramped for space. There's a 4x3 cage holding your friend, and you must remove all colored blocks above him and touching the cage. Fortunately you can use the very sides as places to dump blocks, and in fact, the game only regenerates items in your six-block tray according to what's above the cage. You can also leave blocks above blocks suspended in midair above the cages. There's a set pattern to start the game here too and often you can get off to a quick start. For the last few levels this is almost necessary. In Marathon Mode, you just keep dropping blocks and new ones appear below, moving the whole screen up. It goes on for quite a while and gets a good deal quicker. Eventually you can't sit back and view the pyrotechnics, and you have to compromise between making the perfect move and just dropping pieces in reasonable places. A big skill in Clear/Rescue mode is to wrap things up when you have just two colors left. First of all there's one logical disconnect I missed. Let's say you have the following set-up: gyPpyy pp gg If you drop the purples and get to pop up(purples were only just cleared) then you can still win--just flip the greens together. Then only greens will pop up from then on. This makes you feel silly when you realize it but it's pretty simple. Clearing out a pair of colors in general is a bit tougher. Let's say you didn't have any greens at the top but rather: yygpyy gg Only one gem will appear at a time, and you can get stuck in a cycle where you constantly kill off one color, then another appears. Actually in this case you might be better off dropping a yellow/green and then whenever a yellow gem and a green appear, drop the yellow gem with a spare yellow to match things...but this is a side lesson. If the colors are too varied on top then you will want to concentrate on green/purple. Basically you want to keep the greens on one side and the purples on the other, with the exception of one gem that will start a chain reaction. So, first move: ..gp ..gg If a purple gem appears next then you will want to drop it to the side, i.e. ...g ..gp ..ggP Now a green gem will take everything out. If green/purple appears then you can do this: ...p ..gg ..gp ..ggP The game seems reasonable about passing out gems evenly but here a purple gem doesn't do any harm if you place it on top. If you get two green blocks you put them to the left of the three in a column, and purples can go on top of the big structure. A green gem wins at any time and a purple gem can be dropped in column 4 without harming the potential chain reaction. Simple moves that keep the total piece count down aren't productive here, but setting up a simple combo definitely is. 2-3. POINTS You get 10 points per block/gem when you dissolve a big shape. For chain reactions you get 10 points per block, plus what you got for the previous one. In Clear Mode you get 100 points per second under 1:00, and in Rescue Mode you get 100 points per second left. 3. PUZZLE MODE(1-1 through 10-5, which you can use CTRL-F to sift through) There's no time limit for the puzzles although George and Lizzie and Ralph will get a bit miffed if you wait around, as they can't bash things unless you solve the puzzles. **************** *LEVEL 1: TOKYO* **************** ************* *Puzzle 1-1:* ************* XYXXXX yy yy yy yy yy (1 move required) Drop a yellow down column 3, 4, 5 or 6. There are more ways to do this puzzle right(assuming you drop the yellow) than wrong, actually. ************* *Puzzle 1-2:* ************* BGXXXX bb gg bb gg bb gg (1 move required) This is pretty easy. You obviously have to drop both jewels at once, and it's clear where to drop them since they have to be together--and touching the big blocks. The move: 3-4 B-G ************* *Puzzle 1-3:* ************* XXGPXX ppp ggggg pppppp (1 move required) A bit trickier here as you don't want to dissolve the purple jewel right away. You'll also need to drop the green and there's only one way to leave the purple for later. The move: 4-5 G-P ************* *Puzzle 1-4:* ************* XYPXXX ppp ppp ppp yyy yyy yyy pppppp pppppp (2 moves required) A bit of subtlety again as you can't just go dropping both gems at once. Once you know this it's pretty clear the yellow area has to go first to make one big purple lump. The moves: 3-4 X-Y 1-2 P-X (obviously other solutions do the same thing i.e. 4-5 Y-X but we won't outline those from here on out) ************* *Puzzle 1-5:* ************* XXGyXX yy yy gggg gggg gggg Ygggg (1 move required) Your first experience dropping a colored non-gem. There's no bridge from the yellow to the gems but fortunately you can make one. The 'y' goes in column 2 leaving just one place for the green to drop to knock off its block which, when it vanishes, drops the yellows right in. The move: 1-2 G-y **************** *LEVEL 2: DELHI* **************** ************* *Puzzle 2-1:* ************* XGBXXX gg gg gg gg bb bb bb bb gg gg gg gg (4 moves needed) Obviously one shot won't take things out but here you need to put the blue gem on a pedestal to knock everything out. That lumps the greens together and makes your next move easy. Although it's a bit tedious to shuffle the gems around. The moves: 3-4 X-X 4-5 X-X 4-5 B-X 3-4 X-G ************* *Puzzle 2-2:* ************* yyyyyy XY X XXYX XXXX X XX X X (3 moves needed) That's an odd formation--no gems to drop. The trick is to get one gem to knock out several blocks but it seems you can only drop two blocks per gem. The key is not to connect everything at once. Obviously you need to drop two each time and the solution should follow from there. The moves: 2-3 y-y 2-3 y-y 3-4 y-y Creating a five-unit yellow snake which soon goes poof. ************* *Puzzle 2-3:* ************* XYXXbb yyyyyy yyyyyy yyyyyy yByyBy yyyyyy yyyyyy yyyyyy yByyBy (2 moves neeeded) Dropping the yellow immediately does no good. And you also have to bridge the gap between gems. The moves: 3-4 b-b 1-2 X-Y ************* *Puzzle 2-4:* ************* XBbXXX gggB gggg bbbb bbbG (2 moves needed) Tough to tell but both of those squares are blue. The gem needs to wipe out the bottom blue so the greens get lumped. That leaves the block. The moves: 1-2 X-B 5-6 X-b ************* *Puzzle 2-5:* ************* brXXGX gRggBg gggggg grggbg grggbg grggbg gggggg (2 moves needed) Two moved, three tasks: drop the red and blue in line with their colors(don't touch the gem to start,) and wipe out the grid with the green. The final must be done last. The moves: 3-4 r-b 5-6 X-G ******************* *LEVEL 3: HELSINKI* ******************* ************* *Puzzle 3-1:* ************* XXGgXX ggg g ggg g XXX X XXX X (3 moves needed) You can't take them all out with a direct drop but fortunately you can make a bridge. The moves: 4-5 X-X 4-5 X-X 4-5 G-g ************* *Puzzle 3-2:* ************* XpBGPXX g gg bb bb pp pp (2 moves needed) Each drop will require two colored squares. Haste makes waste here as dropping the purple gem first is a no-no. Or is it? I see a non-degenerate double solution. The moves(1): 2-3 p-G 4-5 B-P The moves(2): 1-2 p-P 3-4 G-B ************* *Puzzle 3-3:* ************* XYyXGX yB Ybyb XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX (2 moves needed) The play field is pushed up here to annoy you and give a sense of urgency(don't let the blocks reach the top, blah, blah.) Standard methods don't seem to work here and in fact a chain reaction is really the only way to go about it. If you drop jewels too soon there will be a checkerboard you can't liquidate. This is a cool level where you have to think ahead a bit. The moves: 3-4 X-Y 5-6 Y-B Watch the fireworks. ************* *Puzzle 3-4:* ************* PgGYpp yy yy gggg gggg gggg pppppp pppppp pppppp (3 moves needed) Again you need to prepare a bit as you have to wait to drop the purple, and you need to be careful dropping the green gem. Fortunately the yellow's a good place to start(a similar solution would be 2-3 Y-g, drop the purple blocks, and drop P-G 1-2.) But below works OK too. The moves: 1-2 p-g 1-2 G-Y 5-6 P-p ************* *Puzzle 3-5:* ************* XXYyXX bbbbb bbbbb bbbbb yyybb yBybb yyybb Ybbbbb (2 moves needed) A nasty curve here as it seems any gem dropped in the corner will leave the yellow brick out to dry as you can't nail the blue until you nail the yellow, and vice versa. But 'useless' blank blocks save your bacon here. 1-2 X-y(now the gem is blocked off...) 1-2 Y-X(...temporarily. Watch the chain...whee.) **************** *LEVEL 4: PARIS* **************** ************* *Puzzle 4-1:* ************* ByXXyB bb bbbb bbbbbb bYbbYb bbbbbb ybbbby ybbbby yybbyy byyyyb bbbbbb (2 moves needed) The ugliest pixelated/magnified smiley I've seen in a while leads to a nasty lack of space here, but fortunately you can just sneak things in. You also have to watch for dropping the blues right next to each other. And you can't drop one of them first as they'll just dissolve the yellows, leaving yellow bricks for you to drop. So 1-2 y-y 2-3 B-B while it looks well intentioned is out. Fortunately... The moves: 2-3 y-y 1-2 B-B ************* *Puzzle 4-2:* ************* pBpyyp pbbb ybbb p bbP y bbP (3 moves needed) Lots to bridge here and not many moves to do it in. For starters you need to arrange the yellows and then the purples don't seem trivial either. The blue gives a chain reaction that hopefully sets everything in place. The moves: 2-3 y-y 2-3 p-p 5-6 p-B ************* *Puzzle 4-3:* ************* XXYbyX XyBX XyyX XyyX XyyX XybX XybX XybX (2 moves needed) Here you have to throw a block away to get things done and set up the finale where yellow is zapped before blue. But where do you sluff it off to the side so it doesn't block things up? 2-3 X-y 3-4 b-Y ************* *Puzzle 4-4:* ************* XRXXXX ------ R Y G B B G Y P R G B ggX rr rrX bb yyX pp bbX gg ggX bb rryyyy (1 move needed) Looks more impressive than it actually is. There's a choice between two drops, really, 2-3 R-X or 4-5 X- R. And only one gives the massive chain reaction. The move: 4-5 X-R ************* *Puzzle 4-5:* ************* XXGbry XXXXX XRXYX XXXXX XBXXX XXgXX XXgXg gXgXg gXggg gggggg (3 moves needed) The uncolored blocks will fall as you take out the gems/green blob, but the question is, how? It's possible to see ahead here but you're probably best off doing the obvious first. You may fail but the right first move should be apparent shortly. The moves: 5-6 y-G 1-2 r-X 3-4 b-X ******************** *LEVEL 5: HOLLYWOOD* ******************** ************* *Puzzle 5-1:* ************* XXXXGR Y yyyX XXXY XXXX XXXX XXXg yyyg XXXgg XXXrrr (2 moves needed) The obvious way is not the right way although it gets you close. That top bunch is tough to knock out...but you don't have to let both gems down at once. The moves: 5-6 X-R 5-6 X-G ************* *Puzzle 5-2:* ************* bbyyXX ------ XY XX XX XX XXB XXX XXX XXX XXXX XXXX XXXX (4 moves needed) Again the lack of space is annoying but you do have to make each move count--in an odd way. You'll need to build a ladder so the yellow and blue bricks get used, and you can't go for a chain reaction right away. You'll need to swivel quite a few bricks around to nail this down. The moves: 3-4 X-X 3-4 X-X 3-4 y-b 3-4 y-b ************* *Puzzle 5-3:* ************* XXBGRY gg gg gg gg rr yyy rggygg rggygg bbbbbb bggbbb (3 moves needed) Here the trick is to figure what can be safely knocked out. In this case you can go with two relatively innocuous colors right away, but you need to wait a bit for the knockout blow. The moves: 3-4 R-Y 3-4 X-B 3-4 X-G ************* *Puzzle 5-4:* ************* GYppXX R y X yP XXrrr XXggPX XXXX XXXX X X X X (2 moves needed) Some chain reactions are pretty clearly indicated. If you knock out the yellow then the purple goes too soon--so you'll have to leave that second. You'll also need to place the green jewel so it takes the others out, all while dropping the purples over on the right. The moves: 5-6 G-p 3-4 Y-p ************* *Puzzle 5-5:* ************* XXGgRr Xggg X Xrrr X Xrgr X Xrrr X XgggRX XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX (2 moves needed) You can't dump any noncolored squares, and dropping a jewel too soon will leave the field barren. You've blockaded a jewel from the main group of glop before and you'll need to do it again here. The moves: 4-5 g-G 4-5 r-R ************************** *LEVEL 6: WASHINGTON D.C.* ************************** ************* *Puzzle 6-1:* ************* PYXXGX ggg Pgg yyy yyy ppp (2 moves needed) The purple gem below is shaded two ways but it shouldn't be too difficult to figure what to do. The green has to go first, and then...take out the purples all at once. The moves: 3-4 G-P 2-3 X-Y ************* *Puzzle 6-2:* ************* XXYrXX yy yy yy yy XR yy yy yy yy (6 moves needed) Those six moves are for building a pedestal to drop something on. Once you realize this and take the shameless approach it's all pretty easy. The moves: 5-6 X-X 5-6 X-X 5-6 X-X 5-6 X-X 5-6 r-X 5-6 Y-X ************* *Puzzle 6-3:* ************* XXBPXX YBYGR bybyb bRGRGr rgrgrr XpGPBY Xppbpb GRGRGy rgrgyy bPYPBy bbpypb (1 move needed) OK, it's not clear where the purple goes but just dropping the blue will get results. And with one move you might as well bring the purple along for a ride that will take longer than the actual thinking/solving part. Everything collapses. A 23-chain. The move: 1-2 B-P ************* *Puzzle 6-4:* ************* GXXXBg B G Y B gggg bbbb yyyy gggg bbbb (2 moves needed) Just dropping the green gem takes everything out, so how to waste a move? You need to drop the other pieces where they won't take anything out. The moves: 3-4 B-g 2-3 G-X ************* *Puzzle 6-5:* ************* XBBGRR gggggg XXgrrX XXgBrX XXgrrX XXgBrX XXgrrX (3 moves needed) A different sort of move wasting here. You need to get rid of some gems but not too quickly. There are a few ways to do this and you want to make sure you drop certain pairs of gems right. The moves: 3-4 R-B 4-5 B-R 2-3 G-X (cop out, sort of: 1-2 B-B, 1-2 G-X, 4-5 R-R) ***************** *LEVEL 7: MOSCOW* ***************** ************* *Puzzle 7-1:* ************* BXyXgX bbbbbb bbGbGb ggbbbg bbbbbb bbYbYb yybbby (2 moves needed) Here there are some gaps to bridge(yellows and greens aren't linked yet) and not many blocks to do it with. A little logic tells what to place where. The moves: 3-4 X-y 4-5 g-B ************* *Puzzle 7-2:* ************* BbYXXX X yyyyy yyyyy BXyXX bXXyXX bbbbbb (2 moves needed) Another not too bad level where you just need to figure out where to jumk the blue brick--can't touch the gem, quite. The moves: 3-4 Y-b 1-2 B-X ************* *Puzzle 7-3:* ************* XXBXGg Bg bgbG (2 moves needed) A chain reaction is needed here. It's not clear what to set up and what to move around, but you'll note that with 4 B's you'll need two combos of two blues and 5 G's make for one combo of two and one of three. How to link them together? The moves: 5-6 B-g 4-5 G-X ************* *Puzzle 7-4:* ************* XRGgXX r XXrrr XXgrrg XXgggg XgRgg XXXXX XXXX XXXX X X X X X X (2 moves needed) My what a cute animal. Cute solution too. A bit easy though. All you need to do is make sure you flip the greens over to the side when dumping the red(greens first leaves one red gem.) The moves: 2-3 X-R 3-4 G-g ************* *Puzzle 7-5:* ************* rryyXY X yyyy R XXXX XrXXXX (4 moves needed) The reds seem hard to position. How do you pile them on, especially with all the ledges, and still take everything else out? The yellw gem comes last but what until then? The moves: 1-2 X-y 1-2 X-y 1-2 X-r 2-3 r-Y **************** *LEVEL 8: CAIRO* **************** ************* *Puzzle 8-1:* ************* XrRyYX rr rr rr yy yy RyyR (2 moves needed) Although the gems are spread apart you don't need to take them all out at once. The key thing here is probably lumping the yellows together and giving access to the gem--as you can't quite drop yellows the first turn and then reds. The moves: 1-2 r-y 1-2 R-Y ************* *Puzzle 8-2:* ************* ryybbg Y Y B X X X X X X X X X X X X XGXBXR (3 moves needed) Really as silly as it looks. Or should look by now. You've probably mastered flipping gems, so no further comment. The moves: 5-6 b-r 3-4 y-b 1-2 y-g ************* *Puzzle 8-3:* ************* XyyRXX XX XY rrr XXrXX r yyyyy (4 moves needed) It looks like you should be able to wipe out the red immediately but that zaps the yellows before their time. With so many quick puzzles a deliberate one can throw you off guard. Lots of dull moves to prepare the final combo. The moves: 1-2 y-X 1-2 y-X 1-2 X-X 1-2 R-X ************* *Puzzle 8-4:* ************* XPPXYy y pypY pypX XXXYXX XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX (2 moves needed) A chain reaction looks pretty necessary as you'll need to link the jewels on the right together. But how can you knock off both purple bars safely without zapping the wrong yellows first? The moves: 3-4 P-y 1-2 P-Y ************* *Puzzle 8-5:* ************* gXbYrP pp pp Brrg yyrrg ybbRG (3 moves needed) A very colorful level where it's not quite clear what end to start from. You can nail chain reactions both ways. But pedantic moves shouldn't be counted out here. Don't try to get too cute. The moves: 5-6 r-g 3-4 P-b 1-2 Y-X ****************** *LEVEL 9: AREA 51* ****************** ************* *Puzzle 9-1:* ************* gGbgXX XXXX XXXX gggB gggg bbbbg XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX (2 moves needed) A totally unnecessary space crunch where it should be pretty clear what to do by now. Just keep the greens together for the big bomb. The moves: 1-2 g-g 1-2 G-B ************* *Puzzle 9-2:* ************* XXGRBX bb bb bR gg gg rr rr (2 moves needed) Here it doesn't quite seem like you can line up EVERYthing at once. The blue has to go first but what after that? You need some way to delay the red bouncing down. The moves: 2-3 X-G 3-4 R-B ************* *Puzzle 9-3:* ************* YRGXYX ggg ggg ggY rrr rGr rrr yyyyyy (2 moves needed) It almost seems bad form to put a level with such a straightforward solution into the level. But here it is. With four gems to drop in two moves you'll clearly need to take out the yellow bottom first(but not use both gems,) and that makes it pretty clear roughly where to put the other yellow. The moves: 1-2 Y-G 5-6 Y-R ************* *Puzzle 9-4:* ************* XPYpXX yyy yPy yyy ppp pYp ppp (2 moves needed) You may get stuck with the single Y on top if you do things wrong, specifically if you leave the purple gem until last. Hmm. The moves: 1-2 P-p 2-3 Y-X ************* *Puzzle 9-5:* ************* YXXRXX XX X yyrY yyrr yyyy (2 moves needed) Going down the left with the yellow doesn't seem to work, and you also can't go down the center with the red. But that additional move gives you the possibility of an alternative path, and with all those blocks to jettison the game does lead you on a bit. The moves: 4-5 Y-X 5-6 X-X 5-6 X-R *********************** *LEVEL 10: OUTER SPACE* *********************** ************** *Puzzle 10-1:* ************** XXyyPY XXX ppp ppX ppX ppX ppXX (4 moves needed) There doesn't seem to be enough time to blast the Y's(2 moves) and build stairs for the purples(3 moves.) Maybe you can mix the two operations somehow? The moves: 4-5 X-y 4-5 X-y 4-5 X-Y 4-5 P-Y ************** *Puzzle 10-2:* ************** gbyrXX X Y yyX yyR rrX rrB bbX bbG ggr Xggr R (3 moves needed) Dropping the red brick off to the right side(5-6 r-X) leaves you with no blocks except the ones you have to drop. Maybe you can drop them before the big reaction so they lump with their respective colors? The moves: 1-2 g-y 1-2 b-X 5-6 r-X ************** *Puzzle 10-3:* ************** ggXBYy y y bb XXbX XXGX X XX (3 moves needed) You need to drop the greens in the hole to get to the gem. But you obviously can't do them one at a time. And there's still the yeoolw to worry about, but it's a pretty benign structure. The moves: 4-5 Y-y 3-4 x-G 4-5 g-B ************** *Puzzle 10-4:* ************** XXGRYX y r r rr G rr yyyr ggggX ggXXX (2 moves needed) A level all decked out in 'stoplight tones'--how nice. Blasting the yellows or greens on the first iteration leaves the other color suspect, and taking out the reds also creates problems. You can get rid of the yellow but the green gem can't go anywhere. Procrastination is a virtue here. The moves: 5-6 Y-X 4-5 R-G ************** *Puzzle 10-5:* ************** GXBYPP pp ygg XXypp yybpp XXYpp XXXpp (6 moves needed) A worthy final level with a clever twist. Placing green and purple down as a starting chain reaction seems to have effect but in fact there'll be something at the end that catches you if you just nail the greens/purples first. You need to have everything in place as you drop the final blue, including that vexing yellow gem above. Preparing early for something that seems to require an extra move will allow you to pass the level. The moves: 5-6 X-P 5-6 X-G 1-2 X-X 1-2 X-X 1-2 Y-X 5-6 B-P Congratulations, you've won this part of the game! 4. CLEAR MODE Only a few puzzles here are time critical, so don't pay attention to when the mutant monsters get annoyed. It's more important to think out a good move. Basic tricks here include dropping a block in the right place to link up two formerly separate colored blocks and also getting rid of a certain color and keeping it gone. Obviously in the second the best time to do this is when that color isn't in your tray on top and in fact if you can get rid of one more block of that color before dropping a gem, that is a great idea. **************** *LEVEL 1: TOKYO* **************** ************* *Puzzle 1-1:* ************* bGbgGb ggbbgg ggbbgg Here is a good enough introduction. Drop 1-2 G-b to start and then 5-6 G-g. Then drop a couple blues on the remaining structure. All blocks that reappear will be blue so just keep dropping them and you'll win pretty quickly. ************* *Puzzle 1-2:* ************* bryybr rr rr rr ryyryy ryyryy bbbbbb byyyyb byyyyb You can make a good start with 4-5 r-y and then drop red in 1. Now the reds are connected, and if a red gem appears then the yellows will be connected. You'll want to leave the blues for as long as possible, until you can drop them onto the crescent of blue blocks already there. That way you can take out all the blues at once. ************* *Puzzle 1-3:* ************* ybbggy yyyyyy yyyyyy ggyygg ggyygg yybbyy bbyybb yyggyy ggbbgg Here thinking ahead will pay off rather quickly. That big yellow blob on top is annoying and the first move 1-2 y-y will make it more imposing, but that much more will vanish when a yellow gem appears. 3-4 b-b and 5-6 g-g are good waiting moves too. You'll want to hold off on other colored gems if possible because if you drop in a yellow then you'll have some blues and greens connected. The next bit will be a bit pedantic but a few 3-4 y-y's will connect the remaining yellows. You can probably link the greens near the bottom together as well with a 3-4 g-g. ************* *Puzzle 1-4:* ************* yBypby yybbyy ppyypp ppyypp bbggbb bbggbb ppyypp ppyypp Finally you've moved on to four colors. This is not too harsh an introduction as 3-4 y-B is a great way to start here as it links some yellows together immediately. Then 4-5 y-p links all the yellows on top. If another purple block appears before a gem, put it in column 3 to connect the purples on top. You can connect the squares next to the edges if you need and in fact if a gem appears to knock one out you may want to wait to place it until the center square is cleared and you can connect the two squares on the edges. ************* *Puzzle 1-5:* ************* YbgrgR b b bbyybb gggggg rrrrrr rrrrrr gbyybg gbyybg 2-3 b-g and then 3-4 Y-g is a good way to start out here as once the green is gone you can use the red gem to great effect. Take out a blue with ablue gem to give the green more surface area and use a R-r if possible to get rid of all traces of reds. **************** *LEVEL 2: TOKYO* **************** ************* *Puzzle 2-1:* ************* Gryygg yyrgyy ggyyrr ggyyrr rryygg yyXXyy ggXXrr ggXXrr This is your first experience with blocks against the ground, and they're actually a bit of a help here as you can use them to link shapes on one side with the other. Here you want to start with 5-6 g-g before dropping the green gem with 3-4 r-G. This extra move gets you that much closer to your next gem without using up any space. From there you should be able to drop in a yellow gem. If you have severl reds or greens then you can connect the square with the 2x1. You can also leave red gems on top of the green or vice versa to create a combo. Yellow gems can also be left although the chain reaction will be a bit longer in coming(wipe out greens and reds.) ************* *Puzzle 2-2:* ************* Yygpyp yygyyg pgypgy pgypgy pgypgy pgypgy I didn't measure the exact height of the vertical lines here but I do think a good start is to play 4-5 y-g and 2-3 Y-Y. This wipes out the yellows that were blocking progress and links the greens together. From there you'll want to play p-g 1-2 once a purple appears. If a yellow gem appears first then drop it in columns 3 or 6. Any other color and you'll have shafts to drop gems down which should reduce the tall sticks easily. ************* *Puzzle 2-3:* ************* YbrBrb b brr brrbb rrbbrr bbrrbb rrbbyy bbyyyy The reds and blues are very disjointed here but fortunately you can make some headway linking them together. The first move 4-5 B-b seems pretty clear although if you want to wait a bit you can play 2-3 b-b and 2-3 r-r hoping for another blue brick. Then 4-5 B-b would take out the whole top b's. From there it is a case of linking the red rectangles and dropping a gem--or putting b's in columns 2 and 4 so that when a red gem comes the blues below are linked. If too many yellows pile up in your tray check the blocks and drop the gem--another should appear soon enough. ************* *Puzzle 2-4:* ************* bryybr X rrX rr rr ryyryy ryyryy bbbbbb byyyyb byyyyb The blocks above are annoying but playing r-y 1-2 and r-y 5-6 will start off well enough. Red gems are what you want at first and once you get one you will want to place it in column 1. Then a blue gem to that side and a yellow--in that order preferably but if the blues pile up in your tray, get rid of the yellows and then pitch the remaining blues and use a gem. You can let stuff pile up on the right in the meantime although you want to keep some semblance of shapes together. There also may be a problem with one stray block on the left and you may have to wait a bit for two blocks of the same color to come together. Or just get rid of everything the first time. But if you don't you can also place blocks one at a time on the floating blocks(2-3 and 4-5 moves) and drop a gem to the left, drop a gem on 3 and make 4-5 moves to wipe out the top part. ************* *Puzzle 2-5:* ************* ppyygg XXXX X X X X Xgp Xgp GY py gyggpy The bottom part looks intimidating but once you get a green in there you'll manage a huge chain reaction, so that's ok. The top part affords some bunker for wasting moves but you don't want to pile up to the top or you may not be able to get rid of squares. Getting rid of the mess below should be first priority though and with two 5-6 g-p moves you should get some sort of gem. The yellows can go in the upper left part and once you get a purple or green gem, use it in the gap. The other color should follow shortyly and then you only need another purple gem. Here you can put the greens off in 1-2 and yellows in 3-4 and drop any p-y blocks down the hole. Once the purples are zapped a green will make short order of the bottom left. Then you can chip away at the right side. You might even want to try to drop one color of blocks into the hole and the other into the left, i.e. make a 4-5 move when you have to split the colors. Eventually you should get a gem and then be able to make the board monochrome. **************** *LEVEL 3: TOKYO* **************** ************* *Puzzle 3-1:* ************* yybbpp pp bbppbb bbyybb ppyypp ppbbpp yybbyy 3-4 b-b 5-6 p-p 3-4 b-b will set up some big chain reactions once a gem drops. You can repeat the process of dropping double-colors for quite a while. If you're really lucky you can drop one of the center blocks to make a big shape. But you've probably been through the general process before so I won't elaborate further. ************* *Puzzle 3-2:* ************* bgygyb yy yy bb gg bb gg gg bb gg bb yy yy yy yy bb gg bb gg gg bb gg bb Not a lot of real estate to deal with here so you'll want to place things exactly down the center. You don't have any real chain reactions to work at first but 3-4 g-b 3-4 g-b should work. From there you just want to hook up squares on opposite sides before dropping a gem. They should get reduced pretty quickly. ************* *Puzzle 3-3:* ************* pybpyb pybpyb p p p p py p pyb bp pybybp pybybp pppppp yyyyyy bbbbbb 1-2 p-y and 5-6 b-p should get the purples out of the way long enough for a gem to come down. If not drop the purples in columns 2/5 and just build up the blue/yellow sticks that form. Once you zap the purples the yellows will lump and you can use a big gem there. If a blue gem appears first drop it in 1 or 6 and the chain reaction will win easily. ************* *Puzzle 3-4:* ************* gbrgbr gg gg gg gg gg gg bb rr Xb rX gg bb XXbbXX rrbbgg XXXXXX Here you can link the b's together with some patience. 3-4 b-b and wait for the next blue. You can dump greens on top, on 1-2. Later you'll need to drop a green gem and red gem down columns 4 and 3 respectively. ************* *Puzzle 3-5:* ************* bryybr X XX ryXXXb ryXXXb bbbbby bryyyy bryyyy Drop 1-2 r-y until you can't any more and even put off dropping gems for it if you must. That will clear off the left part but you will have a problem with the right. A 5-6 drop is necessary leaving something on the suspended blocks. Then you'll probably need some 3-4 drops and then a 2-3 and a 1-2. The important thing is to wipe out stuff from right to left--when a block is on 5, make 3-4 moves where 4's color equals 5's. Use a gem at the right time and use 1-2 as a dumping ground. Fortunately there should only be two colors left so it shouldn't take too long. **************** *LEVEL 4: TOKYO* **************** ************* *Puzzle 4-1:* ************* yrrybb yyyyyy yrrrrr brbbby yrbybr brbbby yrrrrr yyyyyy 3-4 y-y 5-6 r-r 1-2 r-r and once the yellow gem pops out you can work on other things. There's no way to wipe out the shapes quickly but you've probably got the general pattern down by now. ************* *Puzzle 4-2:* ************* pYpybB pp pp pp pp bbyybb bbyybb yyggyy yyggyy pbbbbp ggppgg ggppgg 3-4 y-Y 5-6 B-b 3-4 p-p and you should be off to the races. Drop a green gem in 3 or 4 to start a chain reaction. ************* *Puzzle 4-3:* ************* rbrbrb r b br br rb rb br br rb rb XX XX rXrrrX rXrrrX bXbbbX 4-5 r-b is a good way to start out and then 3-4 r-r continues it. You really won't be able to help needing to drop a red and blue down 1 and 4 so you just have to spend time until then. Note that you can drop a gem in 3 or 5 and usually take out 2 other squares at once. The staggered appearance of the columns may make you a bit nervous but you should always be able to dump either a red or a blue so it builds on a shape, and gems are plentiful enough that you can drop them down column 4. Save the left side til last. ************* *Puzzle 4-4:* ************* ybRybr yyyyyb yyyybr yyybry yybryb ybrybr brybry rybryb ybrybr Here you will want to place the blues first and the reds over them, holding off on dropping a yellow gem until you have some infrastructre. The more stairs you can make connecting the squares diagonal to each other the easier things will be. You'll want to avoid breaking that up too. Always be on the lookout for a way to set up a chain reaction that won't take out another gem but will leave the lower diagonal squares connected. If you do that the board should breeze by. ************* *Puzzle 4-5:* ************* bgbgby XXgggp bbyyyp bbgXXp bbgXgg yyyXgg XXyXbb ppyXbb This level is a bit of a scramble and there's a forced order in how to do things. You'll need to drop gems of color green, yelow, blue, green, yellow and purple down the column 3 well respectively. In addition you'll need to take out the purples, greens and blues in column 6. Use the platforms on 4 and 5 to lump extra blocks and get rid of them. At the end you may have a bunch of blue blocks and no easy way to get rid of them--all monochrome and still a puzzle. The best solution is to keep going 5-6 and when a gem comes up dump it in column 5. Eventually you'll connect a full shape. **************** *LEVEL 5: TOKYO* **************** ************* *Puzzle 5-1:* ************* yryrrg bbbbgg bbbbgg bbbbgg yyyrrb yyyrrb ggbbyr ggbbyr ybgrbg ybgrbg Around here the game starts forcing you to get pedantic. 1-2 y-y 3-4 r-r 5-6 r-g should allow some nice chain reactions later but there are only so many and you'll need to drop quite a few gems to break everything up. ************* *Puzzle 5-2:* ************* pybgrp pp rr yy gg bb bb bb bb gg yy gg yy gg yy rr pp rr pp rryypp rryypp 3-4 r-y 3-4 g-p will set up some potential links and you can probably go from there. This is a bit nasty as there are no ways to drop any gems right away but even if you have to keep filling the wells you can probably eventually get a blue gem to connect the squares on each side. That will buy space and time. ************* *Puzzle 5-3:* ************* ggbbpp bbgggg ppggbb bbppbX ggppXX gXppXX bXXgXX bXXgXX bXXgXX 3-4 p-p 5-6 g-g 1-2 b-b gets rid of the first line and then the gems should start fapping. Using a green gem first is best, then a purple, then a blue for maximum combo power. If you can wipe out purple early on you'll be doing well. Then you can just 1-2 b-g(or g-g) until you get a green gem and 4-5 g-b until you get a green gem(3-4 g-g to get rid of the greens and then 4-5 G-b or g-B to make it monochrome.) ************* *Puzzle 5-4:* ************* pybgbp bbbbbb gggppb gggppb yyybbX yyybbX yyybby XbXgXy XhXg y XbpX y XXpX y There are a lot of columns to get rid of. 3-4 g-p 1-2 b-b 3-4 y-p will set you up well for when a blue gem shows up. Once you get rid of the top part then you need to pick off the columns one at a time. Liquidate the color of the blocks hidden in that column from your tray, then use the gem. Then move over and repeat. See 4-4 for how to get rid of the final color. ************* *Puzzle 5-5:* ************* ggbbgr gpgp gpgp bybyby bybyby grgrgr grgrgr You'll have some seemingly useless squares in your tray at first and 1-2 g-g 1-2 b-g sets up some sort of combination. If a purple gem appears try to wait for two purple blocks in your tray to wipe out that color at once. You can bridge many of the gaps between the 1x2 blocks in this fashion to save some time. **************** *LEVEL 6: TOKYO* **************** ************* *Puzzle 6-1:* ************* rbybyr yb yybb bbrryy bbrryy yyybbb yyybbb Here the game keeps throwing out lines that bubble up from the bottom. Fortunately they're all of the form bbrryy so they don't matter much. But it does take a while. I found a good start here is 3-4 y-b until you get tired of it. A gem should drop down and provide you with space and a column to dump the reds in. From there it's straightforward. ************* *Puzzle 6-2:* ************* rbbryy rr bb XX XX rrXXbb rrXXbb yyXXpp yyXXpp 1-2 y-r 1-2 y-r is the way to go here. Enough reds and you can maybe bridge them with the top when a gem comes. But just a red gem and then a yellow on the left wipes out one of the colors. Purples may not show up much but 5-6 b-p would be a good move if they do. ************* *Puzzle 6-3:* ************* bryybr yy yy yy brrbyy brrbrr ryyryy ryyryy bbbbbb byyyyb byyyyb We've seen the blue 'protecting' the yellow before and here it certainly makes things sticky. As a yellow gem seems to drop right after 3-4 y-y is a good move but 1-2 b-r and 3-4 r-b are also strong waiting moves. Then you can link the shapes below together. ************* *Puzzle 6-4:* ************* rgbrbg ggrr rrbbgg rrbbgg XggrrX XbbrrX XbbrrX XXggXX XXggXX XXXXXX Not too hard to get to the center of the deal here if you start carefully. 1-2 r-g 5-6 g-r and a green gem seems to drop down regularly. 3-4 g-g buys enough space for this to be nice and pedantic. You can then bridge the reds. ************* *Puzzle 6-5:* ************* ggbbyy yy bbbyyX XXpppp XXpyyy bbbyXX bbbyXX bbbggg XXXggg XXXggg Tight quarters and it seems the game drops a purple gem on you when you don't really have the space. 1-2 b-b is safe as is 5-6 y-y. From there you may need to make a 2-3 drop and then a 3-4 for the purple gem and a 3-4 to get the yellow. Then you can start working away as usual. **************** *LEVEL 7: TOKYO* **************** ************* *Puzzle 7-1:* ************* The puzzle moves up much more quickly than 6-1 so you have to keep your head in the game. 2-3 b-r and 3-4 r-r should get the reds in order. Blue gem in column 1 or 5 should be devastating. ************* *Puzzle 7-2:* ************* ybybrb bbbb rrrr yryyry brbbrb brbbrb yryrry brbbbb brXyXb yyXyXy 5-6 b-r 1-2 y-b 3-4 y-b works well here. A blue gem is obviously key and once you get it you'll have a lot more space. The rest should be pretty trivial. ************* *Puzzle 7-3:* ************* bypybb pp bby bbyyb XXXppp XXXyyy XXXppp XXXbbb XXXbyb XXXppp XXXpyp This level is a bit of a scramble and a purple gem seems to come first--dump it in column 3. For starting out b-b 5-6 y-y 3-4 is as good as any. ************* *Puzzle 7-4:* ************* bprypr pp p rrr rr yyy yy bbb bb ppp pp rrr rr yyy yy bbbbbb Preparation is everything here. 3-4 p-y and 4-5 r-p is a great start and then dump a red down the whole if possible but if not two blues should be OK too. Try for as many horizontal lines as you can as that will help you work down quickly. ************* *Puzzle 7-5:* ************* rrbyrg bb ryyr grbbrg bggggb bgrrgb bgrrgb bggggb brbbrb yryyry 5-6 g-r is a great way to start as a red gem will link the greens below. There's nothing else terribly pressing or special about the level once the green is out of the way. **************** *LEVEL 8: CAIRO* **************** ************* *Puzzle 8-1:* ************* yrpybb b rrrrr rbbbp yrbpbp brbbbp yrrrrr ybpppb This board is a bit fractured but not especialy difficult. You can pass a few moves with 5-6 b-b and 1-2 y-y which will make for some extra big shapes when the red gem finally comes down. ************* *Puzzle 8-2:* ************* pYpybB p p pp pp bbyybb bbyybb yyppyy yyppyy pbbbbp yyppgg yyppgg Don't try to finesse here. Just knock the two rows down with your gems. 3-4 y-Y 3-4 b-B 3-4 p-p and once a purple gem comes there's little else to worry you in this level. ************* *Puzzle 8-3:* ************* rbrbyy yb r yrb rb ybr br ybb rr yXX XX rXyyyX rXrrrX bXbbbX Clearly you'll need yellow/red/blue gems on columns 1 and 4. But in the meantime start with 3-4 b-y and 4-5 y-r. You'll want to reduce the 2-3 and 5-6 buildup to gain space and in fact if you see a yellow gem I would push it off to the left. Yellow blocks can also go down the center. ************* *Puzzle 8-4:* ************* bbgrrg gggg bbbb rrrr yyyy gggg bbbb rrrr yyyy gggg bbbb rrrr 5-6 r-r 5-6 b-b 5-6 g-g is a great way to start. You'll want to get going knocking off rows and once a few fall then you will be able to use the space to get rid of useless pieces--or to set up chains. Although it's always more favorable to drop a gem into the right corridor and you can often do something like this to anticipate a gem: r rrrrr. If you get in an emergency there are worse things to do. You can even waste a piece to the right if it means you can get the right colored gem over there on the next move to take out a shelf. ************* *Puzzle 8-5:* ************* Why is such an easy level so far along? 3-4 Y-y is pretty clear and then 5-6 g-g and 1-2 b-b...and that's if no gems appear. You can work your way down at your leisure. ****************** *LEVEL 9: AREA 51* ****************** ************* *Puzzle 9-1:* ************* ybgryy yy grrg grrg gXXg yggy yggy brbbrb brbbrb ************* *Puzzle 9-2:* ************* yryprg bbbbgg bppbgg bppbgg yyyrpp yyyrpp ggbbyr ggbbyr ybgppg ybgppg ************* *Puzzle 9-3:* ************* ggrbrr bb bb bbrryy bbrryy ggrrgg ggrrgg yyybbb ybybyb The level rises here fast and a good pace is important. Don't try for the super best move but instead just place squares well. 4-5 r-b is a good start(only one flip) and then a blue gem appears above: 2-3 B-r is also expedient and cuts down the play field. 5-6 r-r makes a big lump of reds. ************* *Puzzle 9-4:* ************* rrbbGg bb bb rrggrr rrggrr ppbbpp Not too intimidating at the start but then the levels start building up as new lines get thrown in on the bottom. 1-2 r-r and 3-4 b-b make for a strong start and you may want to save the green gem to drop on the square i.e. 4-5 G-g. Some lines will bounce back up but if you keep the first wave down you should be ok. ************* *Puzzle 9-5:* ************* ggbbyy yy bbbyyX yypppp yypyyy XXXyXX bbbyXX bbbggg XXXggg XXXggg This last one is rather easy really. No rising lines to worry about. 1-2 b-b 5-6 y-y and now I found 3-4 P-p 1-2 b-b could work well. You eventually get two yellows(5-6 y-Y) and the next purple can be put in column 4. Then you just need to drop a bunch of gems down the center. *********************** *LEVEL 10: OUTER SPACE* *********************** ************** *Puzzle 10-1:* ************** rryybp yy yy rppr rbbr ryyr ppbb ppbb rryyrr rryyrr Getting started here is tough but you do get a blue gem and a purple gem quickly so I recommend 1-2 p-r 5-6 r-b. You won't need to wait long and you can just lump a yellow shape together in the meantime. After this there are no rising lines to deal with, so you can just coast. ************** *Puzzle 10-2:* ************** bYpyyb yy pp yy pp bbbbbb yyybyy pppbpb You may need quick work at the end but fortunately it's pretty easy to get things done quickly at first. 3-4 Y-y is a good start and then 5-6 b-b works well. Having three colors helps a lot. You may want to finish off the last two colors with a combo although the game does pop all three colors up with lines from under. You can probably just keep dropping bricks and get a match by accident eventually. After this there are no more rising lines. ************** *Puzzle 10-3:* ************** ppyybb p p byy ppyy yppyy bbppbX bbyXbX yXpXyX yXpXyX If you want to complete this level quickly you'd do well to wipe out the far right at first. Leaving it until last means you'll have to drop many same colored bricks down to zap the right side as other parts of the structure will slide. 4-5 y-y 5-6 p-p gets you close to dealing with the right. Purple and yellow gems soon follow. ************** *Puzzle 10-4:* ************** bgbgrr rrrr gggp bbyyyp bbgXXp XXgXgg yyyXgg XXyXbb ppyXbb 1-2 b-g 3-4 b-g 5-6 r-r and when a red gem appears you're in business. If you can then use a green gem after the blue, the yellows will drop and you'll be close to linking them together. Hold off on using a yellow gem until you've dropped a block, and you can get through this pretty quickly. Otherwise it's just a matter of doing things by parts and you can dump spare pieces on the 1-2 shelf. ************** *Puzzle 10-5:* ************** ggbbrr bb x xx xx xx xx rrxx rrxx bbxx bbxx ggxx ggxx There's not much space here(three spaces in column 3-6) and fortunately you don't need too much. The object is to drop a red, blue and then green down the left and clean the mess up later.The game always drops a gem when you need it and it also drops a red gem after your first drop, and you should only drop one gem at a time. If you want to be strictly correct you should drop 3-4 b-b and then 1-2 R-r to start--that way when you drop in a blue, it will take out everything. However you still have the problem of taking out the red to the left. The best way to do this is to wait for a red gem and block. Then drop two blocks of any color into 3-4 and then you can drop the gem/block leaving 1 open for the next gem. The mop up at the end isn't too tricky as the game is very nice about giving you the right things to drop. Password to get through all of the puzzles: QFQGCTQLRP. 5. RESCUE MODE Here you need to remove all the blocks from on top of the cages of your friends. After each set of two levels(five scenes each) a new friend is unlocked. The strategy is still roughly the same, but you are time limited, which adds an extra dimension to the puzzle. One break you do seem to get is that the game only produces new gems/blocks of the colors already in the central four columns, on the playfield. Mop-up techniques are especially important here but because you don't have to clear the board fully they should just be perfunctory. Also, just hacking away is not as effective as planning things in advance and at the later levels you'll need to know the order the blocks fall in. If you mess up you can just try the same pattern as before as the blocks come down in specific order. This allows a lot of planning. Some levels can be very easy if you cheat like this but I stuck to general principles for the most part. **************** *LEVEL 1: TOKYO* **************** ************* *Puzzle 1-1:* ************* Time: 1:10 rryryy yyyy rrrr xxxx xxxx xxxx Another easy introduction. Drop y-y on 2-3 and r-r on 4-5 and gems should eventually fall. ************* *Puzzle 1-2:* ************* Time: 1:20 bggbbg gbbg bbggbb bgbbgb ggbbgg bxxxxg bxxxxg gxxxxb This is a bit tougher to deal with but you can still start 5-6 g-b 1-2 b-g. Now anything can go in 3-4 and with only two colors you should be able to work down a bit. You can also connect shapes(green in particular) and you won't need to worry too much about the sides. Once the blue in the center is zapped you can just place 1-2 b-g and 5-6 g-b to get rid of the rest. ************* *Puzzle 1-3:* ************* Time: 1:15 ggrrgy ggyygg yyrrgg rrggrr yrgrry yxxxxy yxxxxy yxxxxy This can be a bit sticky but 1-2 g-g and 3-4 g-y gives you two shapes to build. You'll need to chip away as before but it shouldn't be too bad. ************* *Puzzle 1-4:* ************* Time: 1:10 ppbbgg bbgg bppbbg bppbbg pxxxxp pxxxxp pxxxxp To linke stuff together quickly, 1-2 b-p and 5-6 g-g will work well. You might want to save 3-4 p-b for later, along with any purple gems. ************* *Puzzle 1-5:* ************* Time: 1:10 ggrrgy yyyyyy ggyygg yyrrgg rygggr yrgrry yxxxxy yxxxxy yxxxxy A yellow gem won't come for a bit but when it does you'll be prepared. You can drop from 1-2, 3-4 and 5-6 as things are and it'll work well. The next green gem can be used on the right. **************** *LEVEL 2: TOKYO* **************** ************* *Puzzle 2-1:* ************* Time: 1:10 gygygb yyyy bbbb gbgy gbgy gbgy xxxx xxxx xxxx This is not a tough level. Leave column 5 open for a yellow gem and put b-g-b in columns 2-3-4. Then you can just drop gems on top of that after you get a blue gem. ************* *Puzzle 2-2:* ************* Time: 1:00 bbggrr bbbb rggr rXXr ggbb ggbb xxxx gxxxxg gxxxxg The ledge above the cage is a good place to dump blocks you don't want once it's cleared. Starting out you can use 4-5 b-r, 2-3 r-b, and wait for a blue gem to show up. ************* *Puzzle 2-3:* ************* Time: 1:00 yrryPy yypp yypp pprr pprr rryy rryy xxxx xxxx xxxx 2-3 y-y 4-5 y-P gets a big block of yellow, and you can follow that up with 4-5 r-r to set up either yellow or red for the next gem. In general one gem per original square means six gems until mop-up. ************* *Puzzle 2-4:* ************* ppyybb ppyy ppyy bbgg bbgg bppyyg bppyyg pxxxxp pxxxxp pxxxxp Obviously a green in column 6 would work great but until then you may have to bide your time with 1-2 b-p and 3-4 p-y. You can slip the other blue in column 1 so that it's easier to deal with the vanishing color(one more space in your tray for colors you can use) and then see if you can use a green gem before the yellow(big chain reaction there.) ************* *Puzzle 2-5:* ************* Time: 1:00 bgypbb bbbbbb bbbbyb ypybyy bbbggb gppyyg bxxxxb bxxxxb bxxxxb 1-2 b-p 3-4 y-g 5-6 b-b gets rid of the original row quickly. Obviously a blue gem will get you going here but you do have to show a bit of speed. After completing this, a new monster escapes. You can change your character to Ruby if you'd like. **************** *LEVEL 3: TOKYO* **************** ************* *Puzzle 3-1:* ************* Time: 1:00 yrrbpy ppbb ppbb rryy rryy xxxx xxxx xxxx You really only need four gems to get through this level: one for each square. 1-2 y-r right out works well and then 2-3 r-p 5-6 b-y is the best way to deal with the first wave. You can cheat and see ahead knowing the first gem will be red--1-2 r-p 5-6 b-y and dump something in the first column. ************* *Puzzle 3-2:* ************* Time: 1:00 yrbbrr yybb ybrr brrg brgg xxxx xxxx xxxx 2-3 y-b 4-5 b-r will set you up once a gem comes along. You also may want to dump spare blocks off to the right so you can knock off the greens from below. If you want to cheat and look ahead you can do this right away since a green gem shows up pretty early. ************* *Puzzle 3-3:* ************* Time: 1:10 ppbbgg ggpp ggpp bbpp ppbb bggppg pxxxxp pxxxxp pxxxxp ************* *Puzzle 3-4:* ************* Time: 0:50 rbbgrg rrrr rrrr rrrr rrrr rrrr gggggg rrrrrr yyyyyy bbbbbb bxxxxb bxxxxb bxxxxb 5-6 r-g 5-6 r-g is the surest way to leave your options open. Then a green or red gem will do big damage and a red appears. Then it's a matter of waiting for the right colored gem and placing the colors nearest to the top. The only problem here is if you think too long what to do. Just drop whatever seems right, saving a gem for each layer below, and you should be OK. ************* *Puzzle 3-5:* ************* Time: 1:10 rbbgrg rxxr rxxr bbgg brrg xxxx gxxxxb gxxxxb 1-2 b-r 5-6 r-g allows you a place to drop blue gems or green gems(side) or red gems(center) although you'll want another red block for that. Once one set of green/blue blocks drops you can just dump that color off to the side and focus on getting the colors you need in columns 2/5. **************** *LEVEL 4: TOKYO* **************** ************* *Puzzle 4-1:* ************* Time: 1:20 rrgbgb rr rr gggb grrb rgrrbr rbbggr gxxxxb gxxxxb gxxxxb ************* *Puzzle 4-2:* ************* Time: 0:50 yryryr rrrx yyyr yxry ryry rryr xxxx xxxx xxxx The sidelines are very useful here and although you will want to knock the top off first, you can dump a lot down the right side. A red gem will be very useful there. If you have a yellow on the third level then you can follow up quickly with a yellow gem and get rid of a good deal. As it is a red and yellow gem come in pretty quickly and using them in 3-4 Y-R(saving the spot of course) should help remove a lot of rubbish early on. ************* *Puzzle 4-3:* ************* Time: 0:50 bGbppb gg bpbp bggp bpbp ppbb xxxx xxxx xxxx Start dumping squares off to the right. Put purple in column 5. Use a blue gem and a purple gem to clear out the right side. Now you can dump blues on the right and use 1-2 P-B to take out the left. Green gems can nail the center if you want. ************* *Puzzle 4-4:* ************* Time: 1:00 bryRrb bb ybbr bryb bryy yyrb yybrby bxxxxb bxxxxb rxxxxr Save the red gem until you can see what you need to do. 1-2 y-b is a good opener and 5-6 r-b should also keep things going. The first blue gem should go in the center and then you can try to link the yellows or red in the center together after the other colored gem appears. ************* *Puzzle 4-5:* ************* Time: 1:20 yrgbgB bbgg ggbb rryy ybgr ybgr xxxx xxxx xxxx Sadly it is tough to get any one color eliminated easily but you can make a good start with 2-3 B-g. Dumb the blues you find in 4-5 and greens in the left. If you're clueless drop stuff down the sides so you can be in a position to take out the yellows/reds although if you do it too soon your structure will collapse and many shapes will get broken. Solve this, and you can play as the character Boris. **************** *LEVEL 5: TOKYO* **************** ************* *Puzzle 5-1:* ************* ppbbgg bbbb bgpb ggpp bbgg bppbbb bggppb pxxxxp pxxxxp pxxxxp 1-2 b-g 3-4 g-p 5-6 b-g can start you off and then the gems will start falling. Take out the top blues first and the rest is relatively trivial. ************* *Puzzle 5-2:* ************* Time: 1:20 rbbgyy yy yy rxxr rxxr bbgg ybyygy yxxxxy gxxxxb gxxxxb I found that a green gem appears soon after and 1-2 b-r 5-6 y-g 1-2 b-y is as good a way to wait for it as any. Knocking off the blue and grees beneath the red make it easy just to wait for the red gems and also eliminate two colors from the equation. With two colors you can dump one on the side pretty easily. ************* *Puzzle 5-3:* ************* gbpgyy b xxyy xxgg ppbb ppyy xxxx gxxxxb gxxxxb 1-2 p-b and 5-6 y-y should open the way for reactions below. Obviously the blue sticking out may cause a problem but a blue gen can get rid of it. Two yellow gems can also get rid of the yellows once you've filled the right gap. ************* *Puzzle 5-4:* ************* Time: 1:10 rrbbrb bb rrbbrr bbrrbb rrggrr bbggbb bxxxxb gxxxxg gxxxxg The initial moves, you can't seem to miss, but gems are sparse here so you really need to hook areas up quickly and actually you will want to do stuff like 5-6 b-r right away--so when you get a red gem the blues below will be connected. The big pain is to get rid of the green square below, and with two colors it's a bit easier. But you need to be very proactive. In the meantime connect diagonals whenever possible. ************* *Puzzle 5-5:* ************* Time: 1:10 rrbybr xy b rrxx yy ybbb xxxx xxxx xxxx You may have to bore down a bit here and I recommend filling up the bottom right to get at the blues there. 5-6 b-r leaves you with one hole to fill in and 3-4 y-b lets you take out the top blues. Reds can be sluffed off to the left. Use the first gem on the top blues and then see about the yellows. Don't be compulsive about cleaning up stuff from columns 4 and 5 although you may want to use column 2 to dump unwanted pieces for the last bit. **************** *LEVEL 6: TOKYO* **************** ************* *Puzzle 6-1:* ************* Time: 1:10 yryrbb brrx byyr yxry ryby rrbr xxxx xxxx bxxxxb 3-4 y-r should work for a while as gems will come down. That wil make some room and you should get R-Y gems. Later you'll get blue, red and yellow gems--the blue and red can go in 3 and 4 for more chain reactions. You can also drop stuff down the well to the left to get rid of the reds there. That will straighten up the yellows above and you just have to keep hacking away at column 4. 3 and 5 are useful to dispose pieces you don't need. ************* *Puzzle 6-2:* ************* Time: 1:50 yryrbb x x x x x x x x x x byyr ryby rrbr xxxx xxxx bxxxxb Crashingly easy with the pattern. 3-4 r-y twice and then you can use 3-4 y-Y(Y and R should have appeared) to take out all the yellows and then 3-4 r-R. A blue gem will have appeared--3-4 B-b. Then a Y-y and R-r should do the trick. ************* *Puzzle 6-3:* ************* Time: 0:50 byby ybyb byby ybyb byby byby xxxx bxxxxy bxxxxy Here you can move 1-2 b-y for a while. However a yellow gem doesn't seem to appear for a long time so you may want to go over to 3-4 for a bit until it does--leave one space at the top. Once the yellow comes crashing down you have some work to do linking up the diagonal squares but you can always dump yellows off to the right on 5-6. ************* *Puzzle 6-4:* ************* Time: 1:20 Rybrby yb rbyr byby yrrb byby byby xxxx bxxxxy bxxxxy 1-2 b-R is a great way to start. You can get another set up with 5-6 y-b. Reds don't drop down early so the blue and red gems should give you a lot of relief on the side part of the board quickly. In fact if you drop one side, three reds line up nicely. ************* *Puzzle 6-5:* ************* Time: 0:50 bryypb ppbb ppbb rryy rryy bxxxxb bxxxxb bxxxxb Taking advantage of the fact that the edges are irrelevant here should give you the speed you need. 5-6 b-y turns up a red gem and then 1-2 R-p zaps the red square below. That should do for the reds and the rest of the gems should come pretty quickly so that you won't need to worry about the red gems in your tray. 5-6 b-? is a safe way to dump stuff you don't want until you get a blue gem. You can also drop a yellow gem on the purple square before dumping purple on the left side. Solve this, and you can play as the character Myukus. **************** *LEVEL 7: TOKYO* **************** ************* *Puzzle 7-1:* ************* Time: 1:10 yryrbb rr yy pppppp rrrrrr yyyyyy bbbbbb gggggg gxxxxg gxxxxg gxxxxg This is a tricky one because gems don't like to come down in the right order. 3- 4 r-r 3-4 R-r 1-2 y-y 5-6 b-Y isolates the yellow gem which will cause a chain reaction later and take out the stuff on the left with it. It will take a while for a purple gem to come down but when it does you'll be set. You also will have space to dispose of a blue and green gem. Once you use the red gem to take something out on the side then the yellows should disappear too leaving you with two colors. Chuck anything unwanted off to the side. You really do have to get colors off the board quickly or you'll start running in place. ************* *Puzzle 7-2:* ************* Time: 1:00 brybrb bb bb bryb bryy yyrb yybrby bxxxxb bxxxxb rxxxxr 1-2 y-b 5-6 b-b and the top will soom collapse to a blue gem. A yellow gem will line up the reds. There's a bit of a scramble afterwards but you should have that down by now. ************* *Puzzle 7-3:* ************* Time: 1:15 rbbgyy rryyrr yyyyyy rrxxrr rrxxrr rbxxgr rbyygr rxxxxr gxxxxb gxxxxb Here you'll eventually get that yellow gem you need, but you do need to be frugal first. 3-4 y-y and then two 5-6 b-b. 1-2 r-r and then 3-4 g-B will take out a good deal. 1-2 g-g and 4-5 Y-G will get the other side. Now a lot will collapse and 3-4 r-R should work out OK. You can then chuck blues and greens on the left and right(columns 2 and 5) and use the sides. Eventually the gems will come, you can drop in a yellow, and it'll all be done. ************* *Puzzle 7-4:* ************* gbpgyy bb ggxx yyxx bppbb bppyy bxxxx gxxxxb gxxxxb 1-2 y-b 1-2 g-b [3-4 G-y--green gem appears] 3-4 b-y 3-4 B-y and you have a chain reaction. 2-3 p-p 1-2 Y-p 1-2 b-P and it's all over but the clean up. Drop in blues to connect the bottom part and the rest is easy. ************* *Puzzle 7-5:* ************* Time: 0:55 ypypbp x x x x x x xyyx xppx byyp pyby ppbp xxxx xxxx xxxx Here dump in p/y until you get gems--then go with one of Y/y or P/p and then the other. This takes out more gems than using both at once. A blue gem may eventually come out and you will want to waste the purple and yellow structures as much as you can so that the blue gem will take out all the blue squares. From there it shouldn't be too hard as you should have a choice of purple vs. yellow, and how many purple/yellow to use. **************** *LEVEL 8: CAIRO* **************** ************* *Puzzle 8-1:* ************* Time: 1:00 yPrbpy rr yybb yybb rrpp rrpp xxxx xxxx xxxx Fill up the right side before using the purple gem. This shouldn't be too bad as a red gem drops so the red bar on top won't even get split. The other gems should come along especially with one color(purple) out of play--be sure to dump the purple in your starting tray off to the right as well. ************* *Puzzle 8-2:* ************* Time: 0:50 gbbggb gbgb bgbg bgbgbg gbgbgb bgbgbg bxxxxb bxxxxb gxxxxg 3 1-2's in a row get this off to a good start. The key after this is to drop a g-g or a b-b over diagonals that are revealed, so the solo blocks will congeal into a full shape. You need to be quick from here on out, dropping pairs of the same color block usually. It doesn't help that the green and blue are tough to discern. Pause the game if necessary and note that the gem colors usually alternate. If you don't know what to do just go to the side and chuck something but generally you should have a place where you want to dump two greens or two blues. ************* *Puzzle 8-3:* ************* Time: 0:55 ryyrbb x x rrx brrx byyx yxrx rxbx rrbb bxxxx bxxxx bxxxx I found myself pretty easily able to drop bricks down the slot here once I got gooing. Soon after the initial drops(I like 1-2 r-b 3-4 r-r) there will be a red and yellow gem. 3-4 R-Y will make a combo. Then you can drop a red and a red gem down the slot. Blue will soon follow. ************* *Puzzle 8-4:* ************* Time: 1:20 yrrybb rr yy ppp p rrr r yyy y bbb b ggg g gxxxxg gxxxxg gxxxxg 4-5 y-y 4-5 b-b 4-5 r-r 4-5 R-r. That's a great start and then the Y-y should be obvious. Blues come down next but sadly there's no purple spoon fed to you. But you've gotten rid of some colors and when a purple gem does come you'll be ready. In the meantime you can cut out lines on the left half. ************* *Puzzle 8-5:* ************* Time: 1:20 rgbggr b x bgg rrxx yy ybbb xxxx xxxx xxxx You've got some dead stuff to clean up down column 3 and first priority is 3-4 b-g. 3-4 R-g works next, and you can go 5-6 g-r before 5-6 G-b or 4-5 b-G/5-6 b- y. Now to take out the blues. A few more moves(waste stuff on the left and right) before one drops in and makes a nice combo. A yellow gem should come soon and a blue gem may be with it--if so don't drop both at once as one after the other gets to the bottom of things nicely. Curtis appears once you solve this level successfully. ****************** *LEVEL 9: AREA 51* ****************** ************* *Puzzle 9-1:* ************* Time: 1:00 pgbggp yypp ggbb pyyp pyyp ggbb ggbb xxxx xxxx xxxx 5-6 p-g 5-6 P-y reduces the load on the right side and allows you to build up something to knock out a block from underneath. A few greens come later--drop the blocks before the block/gem and it should be pretty smooth sailing. ************* *Puzzle 9-2:* ************* Time: 0:50 pgbgbp p p yypp ggbb pyyp pyyp ggbb ygby xxxx xxxx xxxx Don't be nervous--a purple gem will appear. Therefore: 2-3 p-p 2-3 y-P. The next step is to drop 4-5 g-b twice. A blue/yellow will appear and then 3-4 y-B and 1- 2 g-Y gets you really rolling. 3-4 g-g twice and the second nets you a gem. 2-3 p-y 3-4 Y-B and one color is gone. The others will soon fall. You may need to bridge each color individually(purples first, greens, yellows) but the original work should make it easy. ************* *Puzzle 9-3:* ************* Time: 0:50 bggbbg xx xx xx xxbgb xxgbg bgbgbg gbgbgb bgbgbg bxxxxb bxxxxb gxxxxg Hammer away at the 5-6 corridor until you get a gem. Drop it in and then go to another spot. It's tough to tell what's blue or green and if you slip up you're probably though. I used pause a lot here to think of where I wanted the next piece to go and also remembered that gems alternate colors, and you usually get one green and one blue replacing things. This is a very nice break because you can pile up a certain color, switch, and pile another up. ************* *Puzzle 9-4:* ************* Time: 0:45 pGbggp gxbb pxyx xpxyxx xgpybx xgpybx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx 1-2 p-G and then 1-2 P-g clears out a good deal. You can then concentrate on filling the left up with greens. When a blue gem appears, 4-5 B-b. A yellow gem will follow and you can clear out one color from the playfield. A green gem should come next--chuck stuff off to the side while concentrating on column 2. Then wait for the next gem. It can go down 2 or 4 and you can use the ledges(5-6 even if you must) to get rid of stuff before the next gem. ************* *Puzzle 9-5:* ************* Time: 0:45 rgbygr b xygg bgg rrxx yy ybbb If you can arrange gems to fall in advance more power to you. But you have just enough time to get this board to work otherwise. 3-4 g-g and then 3-4 R-b. You should be able to do 1-2 x-g before a red gem falls. Then you can use a yellow gem to the right and clear out the yellow below the red. A blue gem should follow to cause a chain reaction. Eventually yellow and blue gems will appear together but only use one at once--that will clear the way to the bottom. *********************** *LEVEL 10: OUTER SPACE* *********************** ************** *Puzzle 10-1:* ************** Time: 1:50 rgbygr ybgr bgrp grpy rpyb pybg xxxx xxxx xxxx You've dealt with diagonals before but here it's serial. The first gem to come down is red and then you get a green one--knowing this you can get the reds and greens out of their trays and make some space first. It's a bit too slow to proceed up the right side and you'll probably be better off just taking out two or more blocks with gems as they drop. Like most first puzzles this one isn't too bad so you may just need a try or two. ************** *Puzzle 10-2:* ************** Time: 0:55 yryrbb rr yy ppp p rrr r yyy y bbbggb gggyyg gxxxxg gxxxxg gxxxxg 4-5 y-y 4-5 r-r 4-5 R-r is a good and obvious start although you can put in another r-r and R-Y to make things go very quickly. 4-5 G-g 4-5 B-b and you're almost done already. The purple gem will take a little time but you can just work at the red/yellow stuff above it--no need to worry about the right side. ************** *Puzzle 10-3:* ************** Time: 0:45 rgpygr g xy pgg rr yy yppp xxxx xxxx xxxx What is the key? As usual a good start will do wonders. 3-4 p-y 4-5 y-g 5-6 g-r 5-6 G-p 3-4 R-r 5-6 Y-y 4-5 p-r 4-5 P-g(P-r may be better as it zaps one more color after the next green gem) and now you can start forcing blocks down the center. ************** *Puzzle 10-4:* ************** Time: 0:55 yryrgg x x ggx brrx bygx gyxgx grxbx grrbb bxxxx bxxxx bxxxx This one is usually a close call and there's no really easy way to start things without planning. So I wrote one up. First of all 1-2 g-y twice will start you well. Get rid of the reds in the top center(blocks before gems.) 3-4 r-r 3-4 r-r 1-2 Y-R 1-2 g-B 1-2 G-y to clear a path down the side. 1-2 B-r 3-4 y-y 3-4 Y-y 1-2 b-R 3-4 g-G(pow!) 2-3 y-y 2-3 r-Y 2-3 R-r and 3-4 b-B wins. ************** *Puzzle 10-5:* ************** Time: 0:30 rgbygr b xy bgg rrxx yy ybbb xxxx xxxx xxxx Exactitude is required here given the time constraints so I'll list the moves. 3-4 b-y 4-5 y-g 5-6 g-r(one flip first) 5-6 G-b 5-6 y-r 5-6 y-b 3-4 R-r 4-5 B-g(1 flip) 3-4 y-g(1 flip) 3-4 y-R(1 flip) 4-5 drop 2-3 G-y(a few flips) Drop a few more in 4-5 and when you get the yellow gem stuff it down column 3 with a 3-4. The blue gem will follow. Drop it and you'll have SOLVED the final level. Yay! Noobus appears once you solve this level successfully. Password to replay any part of this: LMLLMMPQMT 6. MARATHON MODE Marathon Mode is such that you will probably get bored of it long before you get killed. The same tricks as you saw in other modes apply but the new lines will just keep popping up faster and faster til they hit the top. Then it's game over. End of FAQ proper ================================ 6. VERSIONS 0.3.0: submitted Puzzle Attack Puzzle Mode guide to GameFAQs 9/22/2003. Parts two and three to come later. 1.0.0: submitted guide with Puzzle, Rescue and Clear modes to GameFAQs 9/28/2003. Forgot password for completing Puzzle Mode but you should be able to figure it out from the FAQ. 7. CREDITS The usual GameFAQs gang. They know who they are, and you should, too, because they get some SERIOUS writing done. Good people too--bloomer, daremo, falsehead, RetroFreak, Snow Dragon, and others I forgot. CJayC for creating GameFAQs.com so that I could post cute little time wasting guides like this. Thanks to falsehead on GameFAQs for yet another recommendation that worked out well. You doso waste my book reading time with your suggestions--but I still don't like the original arcade game ;).