Level 677

Difficulty

 * The player has 40 moves to make 5 striped + striped combinations. Thus, he/she needs to collect one striped + striped combination every 8 moves.
 * Now that this level has 6 colours, it is harder to create special candies, but cascades are less likely to set them off.
 * 9-move bombs will fall, which can be difficult to remove.
 * The game gives you seven striped candies in liquorice locks to make the job easier.
 * The striped candies in liquorice locks, if not activated can provide up to 3 striped + striped combinations, leaving you with 1 extra and 2 more combinations to make.
 * The order is worth 25,000 points, which is more than the one star target score.

Strategy

 * There is only one way to get past this level without boosters: the hardcore way. As you are required to collect 5 striped + striped candy combinations, you need to watch your every single move and be careful at all times.
 * Try to make use of the seven striped candies given by freeing them and combining them without setting other special candies off.

Phase One: Free the striped candies

 * There are seven striped candies locked on the sides (4 on the left and 3 on the right). Focus on the left side first. It does not matter where you start from as long as you do not set off the striped candies. However, the bottom and the top two are safer to free and combine. Free two of them and break the icing in between. Do not do anything with the other two at this point. When combining your first pair, be sure that the cleared row is the row with the other two striped candies. This will free them automatically. Combine the last two and you are done with the left side. You should have at least two combinations ordered already.
 * Now take a look at the right side. Because there is only three there, you cannot get two combinations from there like the left side. Free two of them, break the icing in between and free the other one as well. Now you should have three combinations ordered in total.

Phase Two: The Rest

 * Remember the last of the striped candies on the sides? Bring one more striped candy next to it and combine them. This leaves you one more combination to deal with. You should have around 25 moves at this point. If you get a colour bomb, use it immediately. That will remove one colour for a short period of time, leading you to uncover more and more striped candies. If you notice a combination, combine it as soon as you can to make sure it is not ruined.
 * Getting a colour bomb + wrapped candy combination can be even more beneficial as it removes two colours from the board, but do not waste your precious moves just to get this combination. Work on striped candies instead.

Alternative strategy

 * Concentrate on creating striped candies.
 * When you mix the striped candies, try to do it so that the blast destroys candy bombs and/or liquorice locks so you do not waste precious moves.

Trivia

 * This is the first level to have special candies behind locks rather than marmalade.