Cacti Corner - Levels 133 - 138

[Phaedrakiki]

135: gotta dig 21 levels in 3:05 min (5 jewel colors.) There are snakes throughout, as well as some ice blocks. Tried it once, and needed a breather...heart was a'poundin'! Here's the level, top to bottom:







Had to restart a couple times to get all that, lol! And do some piecing together...anyway, I'm trying to figure out if I actually have to clear all the snakes, or if I can just dig in the middle & ****ing snakes is a "bonus." Played once, and got 15/21. Maybe I spent too much time ****ing reptiles...(?)

[Phaedrakiki]

OMG! I just went to try 135 again...and I'm locked out! It doesn't show that I beat level 134, what the? I've been having issues with freezing for a long time, and the occasional energy fluctuation (both up & down.) They're more annoying than anything. But this won't do! Arggghhh!!!! I've done all the usual things to fix my other issues, updated software, hard restart, force-close, delete/reinstall Jewel Mania, etc. No help. Guess I'll try 'em again to see if I get my proper level back. Hmmm, better not say anything else...

[Phaedrakiki]

Oh, well...played 134 again and passed. Got several diamonds--even swapped two (after swapping one w/blaster.) Got a better score, too. But now I don't have confidence in JM. Am I gonna end up spending lots of turns on a level & finally pass--only to end up back where I started? Will this happen again? :worried:

[Phaedrakiki]

135: (...)
I'm trying to figure out if I actually have to clear all the snakes, or if I can just dig in the middle & ****ing snakes is a "bonus." Played once, and got 15/21. Maybe I spent too much time ****ing reptiles...(?)

Tried again, and yes, you have to **** the snakes. I was hoping that since the snakes didn't really block the dirt/bricks, that the screen would scroll. But no, alas you must **** the serpent! Which means, I'm gonna have to move much, much faster. Only got to level 15 again...

[Gardienn]

Beware: I lost almost all my gold on level 135 because I was trying to beat the timer and still swiping with the darned "buy more time" notice popped up.

I'm stuck on 138 now. It has glass, is not timed, and there are no levels to dig down, but glass in the upper corners and the top snake heads are almost impossible to get because there are only two blocks surrounding them, so they have to be broken with special jewels.

[Gardienn]

Nice screen shots you're posting.

[Phaedrakiki]

Beware: I lost almost all my gold on level 135 because I was trying to beat the timer and still swiping with the darned "buy more time" notice popped up.

I'm stuck on 138 now. (...)

Yeah, I do that all the time on timed levels (always swiping frantically and pressing that ginormous button!) But, I already lost my gold on the last island--though luckily this time, the extra time I got actually helped me pass the level (for once!) I was pretty shocked, actually! Since then I've won another 10 gold on challenges, but I don't think it's quite enough to "steal" that way. But I am trying to be more careful about it. It's such a huge complaint on these forums, and they've done nothing to fix it. (I doubt they ever will...)

Good luck on 138! The snakes are fun, but a little hard to get used to (though not nearly as tough as unbreakable/stone jewels, imo!)

Nice screen shots you're posting.

Thanks!

[Phaedrakiki]

OMG! I just went to try 135 again...and I'm locked out! It doesn't show that I beat level 134, what the? (...)

I'm only getting 16/21 levels on 135, so I'm swiping like a madwoman! It's probably best I don't have enough gold...cuz it wouldn't last...

I'm going to be so mad if I finally do pass it, and JM "forgets" again like the last level!

[Phaedrakiki]

Finally! Passed 135--that was tough! I'm still shaking (these timed levels really do a number on me...)

Level 136: Dig 12 levels in 50 moves (5 jewel colors.) Snakes & a few ice blocks as barriers. Took some screenshots of the level. Gonna talk about it for a bit before I try it, cuz I need to recover first. (Yeah, a real # on me...)
Here's the level, top to bottom:





Gonna go give it a try now... Will prob use basic digging strategy, as well as try to start with a good board (matches next to dirt, as well as snake-clearing and/or special-gem-creating moves) or restart the level.

[Gardienn]

Since then I've won another 10 gold on challenges, but I don't think it's quite enough to "steal" that way. But I am trying to be more careful about it.!

Do. I lost 9 gold when I swiped jewels and my screen said I chose a boost. Definitely didn't. In the same set of swipes it also said a couple of times back to back that I swiped in the opposite direction I'd swiped in. I wonder if it's a board sync problem like I had in Castle Story. There I even used a stylus and clearly selected a cow, but noooooo, the game said I hit the wall well above it. I lost tons of gems to that sync problem. It finally seemed fixed after the board mod sent a report to TL for me. Totally not happy with lost gems anywhere.

Congrats on passing 135 finally. I'm still on 138. On my last round I got about 4 diamonds, and that should have cleared it, but one last glass tile in the upper corner held me back. This one is turning out to be another level 89 for me. Ha!