Prizma Puzzle Challenges
Silen Games of Icy Gifts fame has released a new expansion in the popular Prizma Puzzle series of tile-based connection puzzle games. Breaking out of the tyranny of number-based sequel names, this one is called Prizma Puzzle Challenges. A funky 3D style and some sci-fi touches like teleportation and light cannons add some extra interest to the "draw a single path with limited moves and no backtracking" classic puzzle, which is classic for a reason.
Use your mouse to click on a start tile (or one of them, if there are more than one) and then click on adjacent tiles to start drawing a path. Your goal is the tile helpfully marked "finish". Along the way, keep an eye on how many moves you have left, since if you run out you fail the level. Try to pick up stars in the normal level zones, since that's what unlocks more zones and challenge sets. The game also keeps track of your score, and you can check whether you've reached the max score on a completed level by hovering your cursor over the level in the level select screen.
Prizma Puzzle Challenges heard you like achievements, so it put achievements in your achievements so you can score while you score. Or at least that's how it feels early in the game, when achievements are flying at you for even the mildest accomplishments. There are really only 37 awards, so the last ones take actual effort, as opposed to the early ones, which just barely avoid giving you a reward for not choking on your own saliva.
The game is very similar to Prizma Puzzle 3, coming across more as a 40 level expansion pack, which is perhaps why this isn't Prizma Puzzle 4. What it lacks in originality, it makes up for in steady competence, and the developer has been keen to add small improvements in response to feedback. There are no rough edges here, just pure, smooth, 3D goodness.
Walkthrough Guide
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Prizma Puzzle Challenges Walkthrough
General Information
The goal on each level is to make it to the Finish square without running out of energy.
You start each level with five available moves, and can increase this number by landing on energy spaces
Once you have touched a space, you cannot touch it again. Or in other words, no backtracking or path crossing.
Cannons shoot you across the board to the next chargeable square. They cost one move, regardless of how far you go. Paths you take from cannons can cross each other, but once you have used a cannon, you cannot use it again.
Teleporters allow you to start a new path on any start symbol. Teleporting does not cost a move.
Switches make blocks of the same color disappear, and crystal breaker allows you to pass by the pink crystals.
You can collect up to three stars per level. Advanced levels are unlocked by collecting enough stars. You don't need to collect all stars to unlock all the levels, but you do need to collect most of them.
Challenge levels (levels 21 to 40) do not have stars
Scoring is based on number of moves (more moves lead to higher scores) and speed.
For each level, the walkthrough contains a hint under the spoiler tag and the full solution on the accompanying image.
Green Zone
Level 1
Tutorial level: just go straight.
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Level 2
Remember, you can't backtrack over spots you've already charged.
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Level 3
You'll need the Crystal Breaker before you can pass the pink crystal.
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Level 4
Another level where you need to remember the no back-tracking rule.
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Level 5
This level teaches you about cannons. There's only really two choices at the beginning.
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Yellow Zone
Level 6
Pay close attention to which direction all the cannons are firing. Once you leave the center island, you don't have any more choices about where to go.
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Level 7
To get all the stars, you'll need to break both crystals.
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Level 8
Once you collect the 10 energy, don't go straight to the nearest star.
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Level 9
There's only one energy source within 5 steps of the start.
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Level 10
You need both crystal breakers and to hit both switches, which means you need to leave yourself space to go down and back both branches.
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Red Zone
Level 11
This level teaches you about teleporters and should be straightforward.
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Level 12
You'll need to use every teleporter on this level if you want all the stars. Make sure to collect the energy sources first!
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Level 13
You only need one crystal breaker, but you'll end up collecting both of them if you want all three stars.
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Level 14
You can't start at either the top or the bottom start point, as that will leave you without access to one of the stars.
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Level 15
Look at the items you need to collect (stars, energy, switches). Now look for a cannon that points at them.
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Black Zone
Level 16
You only need to clear one obstacle (ie, one of the switches or the crystal breaker) to get at the finish point.
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Level 17
You need all the crystal breakers on the board, which means you also need to hit both switches.
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Level 18
Don't try to find a symmetrical path through this level. Oh, and start with making sure you have enough energy for the level without blocking your path to the finish.
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Level 19
There is only one start location where the path to the teleporter isn't obstructed. Start there.
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Level 20
The idea here is to collect the stars while breaking as few crystals as necessary. You'll need to start at one of the start points that has an energy source nearby.
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Crystal Challenge
Level 21
Every possible path to the finish requires breaking two crystals.
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Level 22
There are three branches you can choose. Only one of them contains enough crystal breaker.
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Level 23
On this level you need to collect both crystal breaker and energy early.
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Level 24
You need the crystal breaker in the bottom corner of the board.
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Level 25
There's not much crystal breaker around the finish, which means you should collect some on the way there.
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Cannon Challenge
Level 26
You only have 10 total moves, and just getting from left to right takes 8 of them, leaving aside travel up and down the screen.
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Level 27
At each point, there is only one valid move to make.
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Level 28
On each row, make sure you land as close to the energy source as possible.
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Level 29
Pay close attention to which way the cannons are facing and where the energy sources are.
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Level 30
Pay close attention to which way the cannons are facing and where the energy sources are.
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Barrier Challenge
Level 31
You need to clear the yellow switch to solve this level.
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Level 32
You have to get both energy sources to get out of this level.
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Level 33
The yellow blocks are the first obstacle you need to clear.
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Level 34
The red blocks have to be cleared, even though that means ignoring another color block.
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Level 35
Start with the green switch. You can't start with red, since the red areas aren't connected, and you can't start with yellow, since there's no energy close enough to the start.
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Teleport Challenge
Level 36
The center path is two steps too long for your starting energy. Happily each side path is only four steps long.
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Level 37
You need all the energy and all the crystal breaker on this level.
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Level 38
There are several ways to solve this level, but in each case, you need to pick up some energy.
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Level 39
There's a nice big block of energy under a crystal. And you only need three crystal breakers to get at it and then get to the teleport.
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Level 40
There are four crystal breakers on this level, but because of the location of the start and teleport spaces, you can only collect two at maximum. Luckily that's all you need to get to the finish.
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Posted by: MmeTurbulence
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October 13, 2011 4:11 PM