Level 677

Level 677 is the twelfth level of Crunchy Courtyard and the 147th candy order level. To pass this level, you must collect 5 striped candy + striped candy combinations and score at least 20,000 points in 40 moves or fewer. When you complete the level, Sugar Crush is activated.

Difficulty

 * The player has just 40 moves to make 5 striped + striped combinations. Thus, you need to collect one striped + striped combo every 8 moves. (40 moves / 5 striped + striped combos).
 * Now this level 6 colours, special candies are now much harder to make, and cascades could also set them off more easily.
 * 9-move bombs will fall, which can be difficult to remove.
 * The game gives you seven striped candies in liquorice locks.
 * This level has a more constricted board space than the old Level 421, albeit without cake bombs at the beginning, and you have fewer moves and more orders to collect.
 * This level used to be MUCH HARDER on the mobile phone than Facebook due to the triggering of striped candies when unlocking the liquorice locks and there used to be no striped candies in the liquorice locks in the first mobile version. (Both bugs fixed in the latest update 9/20/2014)
 * Overall, this level was nearly impossible without boosters until it was nerfed.

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 doesn't matter where you start from as long as you don't 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. Don't 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're done with the left side. You should have at least two combos ordered already.
 * Now take a look at the right side. Because there's only three there, you can't get two combos 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 combos 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 combo 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 combo, combine it as soon as you can to make sure it's not ruined.
 * Getting a colour bomb + wrapped candy combo can be even more beneficial as it removes two colours from the board, but don't waste your precious moves just to get this combo. Work on striped candies instead.

Alternative strategy

 * Concentrate on making striped candies.
 * When you mix the striped candies, try to do it so that the blast destroys candy bombs and/or licorice locks so you don't waste precious moves.

Trivia

 * This is one of the few levels to have special candies behind locks rather than marmalade.
 * Clearing the orders give the player enough points to meet the target score.
 * This level formerly had the most order combos needed at 10, beating pre-nerf level 421, which had 7. However, after the nerf, it is at 5 combos, like 421.
 * This is the only level that's been nerfed for fewer colours and more moves, without anything else changed.
 * This level may continue the trend where every 22nd level starting from level 655 is at least very hard.
 * This level may break the trend of every 198 levels from level 83 being medium at the most (level 83 is medium, level 281 is very easy, level 479 is easy, but level 677 is undetermined).