The Day Candy Crush Sucked Me Back In
I had pulled free from the sucking vortex of Candy Crush and had released myself from King.com’s evil grip. I was no longer playing down my lives and then resetting the clock to get more chances to pop candy. I was down to playing one or two tries per day, and then clicking away from the game when there were still unused lives at the ready. And then I started going one day, two days, even three days in between rounds. There was a point where over half a week went by without logging on.
Fine, I was playing a grotesque amount of Hay Day instead, but regardless, I was free of Candy Crush.
And then I got a little email.
The subject line was personalized (nice touch, King.com): “Melissa, your candy friends miss you!” and an image filled the majority of the text box:
The Yeti was personally requesting — no, demanding with an exclamation point to boot — that I crush that candy. No one turns down a Yeti. I mean, they’re huge. They’re fierce. They have a whole ride dedicated to them at Animal Kingdom in Disney World.
And lest I not understand that the Yeti is King.com’s Gríma Wormtongue, when you pan back in the message, you can see what goes over the image:
“You know what to do…”
Five simple words, but when I read them, I sat up a little straighter. Yes, I did know what to do. I wasn’t going to leave my friends; that man with the strangely long limbs or the squashed girl or the Yeti. I was going to go back to the Soda Swamp and conquer level 413.
And I did. I breezed through the next few levels to land on the absolutely ridiculous 417. Which is where I am, my attention waning until the Yeti brings me back in his furry clutches.
I will never, ever be free.
16 comments
They do know how to suck you in…
Oh, I can sympathize! I am nowhere near as far along in the game as you (stuck on level 140), but I can’t seem to stay away. I let it go for about three days, but last night, I was bored at work at 3:00 a.m, and without even thinking, I started playing again. Argh! As long as there are more levels to conquer, I will never be free either!
Is candy crush connected to Wreck It Ralph? Have you seen that movie?
Wow, 413?! I have friends who are still struggling to get past the double digit levels.
I’ve never started playing Candy Crush because I am a real sucker for getting addicted to these types of games, and I just can’t afford that kind of time suck these days. G-d knows I have enough of them!
You’re hysterical!
I’m on 410 … Damn the candy crack addiction! Lol!
LOL! Poor old Candy Crush just can’t suck me like it used to, despite its weird pleading characters! After your Hayday post I went and dl’ed it and released myself from the evil CC. But then my Mum started playing Clash of Clans (which I can’t recommend highly enough). Now I’m neglecting my farm and my candy for cute war! Thank goodness I didn’t have access to these games as a child, my willpower for resistance is weak enough now!
“You know what to do …”
And there I thought you were going to “Click here to stop receiving emails from Candy Crush.” Silly me!
These are very clever apps. My theory, which I have developped after playing king games and hayday, is that they have built in filters that alter the randomness of candy patterns, for example, or predictability of next boat order. Every time I try for a longer time to get passed a level and can’t, I leave it be for at least two weeks, and when I come back, poof, I breeze through it. This has happened several times. It cannot be random.
The same with hayday. Which, by the way, I like it better, because at least you are not dependent on lives, you can still putter about even if in theory all your works is done. And you get bonuses for normal things as well, which is very addictive, ooo, I planted wheat, I got a plank for it, whoohoo! But, try selling half your stash of white pullovers, for example, and the probability for the next boat order to include white pullovers is 50% higher. Sell them all, and it is guaranteed.
Also, try looking for items on the boat order list in the newspaper while the boat awaits. Good luck with that. My suspicion is that you can hardly find them in order to twist your hand to spend precious diamonds hiring that little jerk Tom to get them for you. It happened to me even with wheat, and come one, everyone sells eggs and wheat.
On that haydaying note, may I just say how much I hate the following:
– people asking full price for basic produce, wheat and eggs, more precisely. What is WRONG with you speculants?!
– people naming their farms something with bio, organic, all natural, and similar. The best name so far has been FERME TA GUEULE, which is shut up in french, but ferme means farm and close, which makes it quite clever.
– also writing on the wooden plate above the farm stuff like LIKE ME, FOLLOW ME, HELP MY BOAT/FARM. Seriously, people?! These must be children and/or teenagers. I hope.
Done for now. But will be back ranting, count on that. 🙂
I swear, I feel like the game knows if you are gone for a couple of days and somehow gives you an easy set up for when you get back so you pass the level and are pulled back in. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten annoyed at not being able to pass a level so put the game down for a few days only to come back and pass the level on the first try.
For a long time I managed to stay away from candy crush because I knew that once I start I will be addicted. It was okay until my sister put my mother on the game and then my mother needed (needs..) my help with the game. [But yay for 417! I’m way back at 103 🙂 ]
I haven’t played any of these games since I became a WMGTIVF (Working Mom Going Through IVF). But your post does make me wonder what my Sim’s household from back in the day must look like now. You will be free, eventually. But one day someone will cause you to look back and wonder…
You said it sister! Ha What is it about that game. A friend of mine just joined. I warned her how this game eats time. I am at 374 with controlled play time! 😉
I can’t seem to get past 376 and I’m thinking of following Mina’s and Stimey’s advice, although it’s going to be hard to stay away for that long. Meanwhile, does anyone have any advice for level 376?
saw this while looking for something else, thought of you http://flickrshare.blogspot.ca/2013/07/candy-crush-tips-how-to-deal-with.html
That is so funny, I have a second candy crush account on Bliss’ Kobo and I have been playing from the start and doing three stars.