Level 1 (Clear 25 red pegs from 83 total - Pro target 425k)
The first design is a geometric arrangement of single pegs in a pattern of nested rectangles.
Attempt #1 - No power ups. Score: 321,480
- As far as level 1s go, this is a particularly tough one. The angles are all over the place and catches are very hard to judge. Also, because of all the gaps, the balls have an annoying tendency to just drop through the holes which cuts down on the ricochets. I don't like jumping straight for the laser ball after just one attempt at the very first level so I'll give it another go. But I'm not convinced I'll fare any better.
Attempt #2 - No power ups. Score: 552,730
- That really was my own fault. I kept being tempted by the purple pegs even though I didn't need the points and would have been much better off making sure of the reds. I ran out of balls with one red peg left.
Attempt #3 - No power ups. Score: 742,480
- A completely opposite experience to my first attempt. This time the ricochets were unavoidable. So much so that I hardly needed to make any catches as I was earning so many extra balls just through the ricochets. I ended up taking a complete clearance with about half a dozen balls to spare.
Level 2 (Clear 25 red pegs from 94 total - Pro target 400k)
The second design has a couple of zigzagging lines. One going around the tower on the left, and the other going through the middle of the tower on the right. There are plenty of single round pegs arranged in columns, and a teleport portal going from bottom right to top left.
Attempt #1 - No power ups. Score: 399,770
- I was struggling for points through a lot of that game, but I thought I was going to just pinch it at the end after a couple of lucky bonuses. I just missed the very last catch though and ran out of balls one peg from victory.
Attempt #2 - No power ups. Score: 606,050
- No problems that time. I had a much better grasp of the angles, took more catches and made more ricochets.
Level 3 (Clear 25 red pegs from 107 total - Pro target 650k)
The third design is of a small circle, a large circle and two stadia all concentric. I'm not sure how this relates to the picture, mind you.
Attempt #1 - No power ups. Score: 509,410
- Only one red peg left at the end, but I needed a few more points. The red pegs didn't seem very favourably placed though, so it's worth another try.
Attempt #2 - No power ups. Score: 890,730
- If anything the reds seemed even more awkwardly placed. It started badly as well. I very quickly went down to four balls left, at which point I'd scored less than 200k, still had 14 red pegs left, 40 blue pegs and, of course, no power ups. A victory seemed a long way off, and I certainly wouldn't have believed that I could go on to make a total clearance and nigh on 700k more points. But I stretched those four balls out for a further 28 shots and did exactly that. I even still had a ball left in hand at the end.
Level 4 (Clear 25 red pegs from 104 total - Pro target 425k)
The fourth design puts straight lines around the doorways to the towers, and single round pegs scattered over the rest of the structures.
Attempt #1 - No power ups. Score: 272,010
- The reds were awkwardly placed there so I needed a little bit of luck and I got absolutely none at all. The bonuses wouldn't come, and nor would the ricochets. The balls just kept finding paths through all the pegs to the bottom of the screen and went nowhere near the bucket.
Attempt #2 - No power ups. Score: 465,490
- A much better effort as I got some better ricochets there, but I was still struggling to clear the red pegs. One more try I think.
Attempt #3 - No power ups. Score: 446,780
- A similar story to the last attempt. I could get the pro target OK, but struggled to clear the red pegs, particularly those around the right-hand doorway. I'll use a laser ball.
Attempt #4 - Laser Ball. Score: 419,170
- Even with the laser ball I found it tricky to break into the right hand doorway. I missed two red pegs and they were both in there. The rim bounce from the laser ball went the wrong way unfortunately, otherwise it would have gone straight through it.
Attempt #5 - Laser Ball. Score: 501,840
- Again the rim bounce went the wrong way, leaving the main doorway mostly unscathed. But I got a little bit more luck this time and managed to get rid of the red pegs in there with some fortunate ricochets.
Level 5 (Clear 25 red pegs from 114 total - Pro target 500k)
The final design has three sets of nested rectangles, similar to the inlaid patterns on the tower walls. There are also three rectangles of separated round pegs, and a couple of horizontal lines toward the bottom.
Attempt #1 - No power ups. Score: 457,350
- I just couldn't quite get through to the last red peg with the last ball. I tried to take a catch off an adjacent blue peg to make a path, but the catchwas tricky and I missed it. Not bad for a first attempt though.
Attempt #2 - No power ups. Score: 355,610
- I could have got to the last red peg that time, but I had to try and build some more points first. Despite all the horizontal and vertical rectangular pegs, catches in the endgame are not as easy as might be expected. They all seem to get in each other's way.
Attempt #3 - No power ups. Score: 468,980
- I had the points that time, but it cost me too many balls to get them. I had too many red pegs left to get in the endgame, and I couldn't get through them all.
Attempt #4 - Laser Ball. Score: 900,560
- I got the yellow peg with the first shot, and then the laser ball got a perfect double rim bounce which took out nearly all of the central design. A pro score was practically in the bag from that moment on, and I would have had to mess up quite spectacularly not to get one.
Level 6 (Score 500k with 35 red pegs and 72 blue - Pro target 850k)
The same design as level 3, but with 10 more red pegs, 200k on the pro target, but just a score now needed.
Attempt #1 - No power ups. Score: 411,380
- I did OK there, but generally didn't make enough catches. I was scoring bonuses, but running out of balls too quickly.
Attempt #2 - No power ups. Score: 575,420
- I was trying to hang on to the last ball at the end, but missed a catch. None of the catches I was attempting were particularly hard, but when you're on your last ball, it just takes one mistake. It's clearly possible because I achieved a score of 890k in level 3, but I did have to make a lot of catches to do it. I'll use a laser ball this time.
Attempt #3 - Laser Ball. Score: 1,135,970
- An excellent double rim bounce with the laser ball gave my score a big boost and opened up some big gaps which made taking subsequent catches much easier. I went on to take a comfortable total clearance.
Level 7 (Clear 35 red pegs from 104 total, with only 9 balls - Pro target 550k)
The same design as level 4, but with 10 more red pegs, one less ball, and 125k on the pro target.
Attempt #1 - Laser Ball. Score: 613,620
- I picked up a few useful bonuses and some good ricochets. The laser ball worked pretty well too, getting a reasonable rim bounce.
Level 8 (Clear 35 red pegs from 114 total, with only 9 balls and a 5s shot-clock - Pro target 650k)
The same design as level 5, but with 10 more red pegs, one less ball, 150k on the pro target, and a five second shot-clock.
Attempt #1 - Laser Ball. Score: 596,030
- One red peg left. Maybe I should have taken it instead of looking for more points, but I wanted to be sure of reaching the pro target.
Attempt #2 - Laser Ball. Score: 730,690
- It took a couple of balls to get to the yellow peg, and the rim bounce with the laser ball went the wrong way, although I still managed to catch it. It left me 9 balls to get 14 red pegs and 455k points. I generally tried to go for my shots throughout the rest of the game and was generally rewarded for doing so. I struggled a little at the very end as I couldn't hit the final red peg directly with the last ball, but I managed to take it by playing high off the side wall.
Level 9 (Clear ALL pegs - 40 red and 43 blue, with only 9 balls - Pro target 750k)
The same design as level 1, but with 15 more red pegs, one less ball, 325k on the pro target and a total clearance now requried.
Attempt #1 - Laser Ball. Score: 644,570
- I missed the final catch even though it wasn't a particularly difficult one, and ran out of balls one peg short. I still would have needed a decent final bonus, but disappointing nonetheless. I failed to get a rim bounce with the laser ball which didn't help.
Attempt #2 - Laser Ball. Score: 580,780
- I needed a bit more luck with the catches and ricochets than I got. Too many misjudgements.
Attempt #3 - Laser Ball. Score: 488,640
- The laser ball worked much better, but it took too many balls to get to the yellow peg, and I didn't have enough balls left to pick off all the pegs that were left in the endgame.
Attempt #4 - Laser Ball. Score: 543,020
- That one was closer, but again the yellow peg took two or three balls to get to. I was always struggling for points so I had to take on some slightly more ambitious shots than I was entirely comfortable with.
Attempt #5 - Laser Ball & Big Bounce. Score: 971,380
- I added a Big Bounce and both power ups worked particularly well. The laser ball had an extraordinary four rim bounces (although the last two didn't score anything) for 270k, and the Big Bounce picked up an exceptional 290k, mainly in distance bonuses. After that I only had 16 pegs left, with 10 balls to get them with, and only about 130k left to score, so it was child's play from there.
Level 10 (Clear ALL pegs - 45 red and 49 blue, with only 9 balls - Pro target 750k)
The same design as level 2, but with 20 more red pegs, one less ball, 350k on the pro target, and a total clearance now needed.
Attempt #1 - Laser Ball. Score: 948,850
- I went straight for a laser ball on this one. It took a few balls to get through to the yellow peg, and I went for a path with the laser ball that would take out most of the steps on the right-hand side. I had a few lucky catches and ricochets after that, but that's the way it goes sometimes.
SUMMARY
Level | Reds | Pegs | Target | Balls | Clock | Pro | Attempts | Record | Average | Video |
1 | 25 | 83 | Reds | 10 | - | 425k | 3 | 742,480 | 538,896 | |
2 | 25 | 94 | Reds | 10 | - | 400k | 2 | 606,050 | 502,910 | |
3 | 25 | 107 | Reds | 10 | - | 650k | 2 | 890,730 | 700,070 | |
4 | 25 | 104 | Reds | 10 | - | 425k | 5 | 501,840 | 421,058 | |
5 | 25 | 114 | Reds | 10 | - | 500k | 4 | 900,560 | 545,625 | |
6 | 35 | 107 | 500k | 10 | - | 850k | 3 | 1,135,970 | 707,590 | |
7 | 35 | 104 | Reds | 9 | - | 550k | 1 | 613,620 | 613,620 | |
8 | 35 | 114 | Reds | 9 | 5s | 650k | 2 | 730,690 | 663,360 | |
9 | 40 | 83 | All | 9 | - | 750k | 5 | 971,380 | 645,678 | |
10 | 45 | 94 | All | 9 | - | 750k | 1 | 948,850 | 948,850 |
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