Gardenscapes: Levels 20,596–20,645 Were Harder, but Not a Disaster

Three Gardenscapes-style characters examine penicillin samples at a snowy mountain research camp, with a microscope, laboratory notes, test tubes, and a wooden sign showing Levels 20596-20645.

Gardenscapes levels 20,596–20,645 were harder than the previous week, with extra moves, heavy tool use, Crystal, and rising difficulty.

The 50 new Gardenscapes levels, from 20,596 through 20,645, were noticeably harder than the previous week's set. We needed extra moves on 10 levels and used almost all the tools we had available. Even so, this was not the disastrous week we had been expecting as we continued tracking the difficulty pattern.

The Difficulty Increased Right from the First Level

In last week's levels, we had already needed some extra help, but the overall pressure had remained manageable. This time, the difference was obvious immediately: Level 20,596, the very first level in the new set, was particularly difficult.

The other two levels worth mentioning are 20,607 and 20,641. Level 20,596, however, stood out the most. We did not have to reach the middle of the 50-level run to realize that this week was going to demand more resources.

Across the 50 new levels, there were 10 Hard Levels, 6 Super Hard Levels, and 5 One Shot Levels. Compared with the previous week, this set included one additional Super Hard Level, adding another small sign that the overall difficulty had started to move upward.

Extra Moves on 10 of the 50 Levels

We needed extra moves on 10 of the 50 levels. None of them were completed on the final available move. That gives a good idea of how often we had to step in with additional resources to keep the run going, although it does not mean that all 10 levels were equally difficult.

By the end, after taking into account the coins we earned and the coins we spent, we estimate that we finished roughly 2,000 gold coins down. This is not an exact accounting of every coin, but it is the best overall picture of what the week cost us.

Tools and Rewards

Once again, we played with a fully activated Magic Hat. We also had the new X2 multiplayer feature, Swamp Quest, and collected all the rewards available from the familiar Treasure event. That support definitely helped, but it did not completely offset the cost of the harder levels.

We used almost every tool we had without worrying too much at the time about how many would be left afterward. Some came back through rewards, but overall, the week took a noticeable bite out of our stockpile.

There were also those moments when our finger seemed to have a mind of its own: we meant to make a move in one spot, and it went somewhere else. It happened several times. Without those mistakes, the final cost might have been slightly lower, but there is no way to know exactly how much difference they made.

Crystal Appeared as a New Element

The element officially introduced as new in this set was Crystal. In its introduction level, we saw it begin in its third, almost fully uncovered stage, where it needed only one hit from a power-up to be collected.

Later in the same 50-level set, Crystal also appeared in its original form. In that state, it requires three hits from power-ups before it can be fully collected. That is a significant difference, even though it is the same element. We do not know why the developers chose to introduce it in its easier form first. They may have wanted players to understand the basic mechanic without making the first encounter too demanding, but that is only our own theory.

What Other Elements Did We Encounter?

Besides the classic elements that appear regularly throughout the game, we encountered quite a few Picnic Blankets, along with the following:

Ice, Bag of Leaves, Cooler, Hot-Air Balloons, and Brick Wall
Snail, Golf, Vase, Colored Light Bulbs, and Slot Machine
Bow Tie, Watermelon Seedbed, Bottle, and Birdhouse
Shelf with Keys, Statue, Vase Generator, and Hedge
Garden Shelf, Colored Dynamite, Bags of Food, and Lighthouse
Bonus Box, Cave, Conveyor, and Hedgehog

Shelf with Keys and Garden Shelf are two different elements. Having so many different mechanics in the same set added variety to the levels, while Crystal was clearly the most notable addition of the week because of its official introduction and the difference between its various stages.

What Does This Week Tell Us About the Difficulty Pattern?

We have been watching to see whether an extremely difficult week tends to be followed by two or three easier ones before the difficulty starts climbing again. Levels 20,596–20,645 add another piece to that pattern: the pressure definitely increased compared with the previous set, but it did not reach the level of the especially difficult 20,396–20,445 run.

This does not prove that Playrix follows a fixed difficulty cycle. The combination of objectives, elements, available moves, and each level's board layout can dramatically change the overall experience. What we can say is that this week clearly moved in a harder direction.

What Should We Expect Next Week?

Based on the pattern we have been tracking over the past few months, next week should be especially interesting. After the brutal 20,396–20,445 run, we saw three more manageable weeks, while levels 20,596–20,645 showed the first clear increase in pressure. If the difficulty pattern we have been following continues, levels 20,646–20,695 could move further in the same direction and bring us closer to another genuinely difficult week. That is not a prediction, and it does not prove that Playrix follows a fixed cycle. What we will be watching is whether extra moves, tool and booster use, and the overall coin cost rise again, especially on Normal levels, because so far those factors have been more useful than the simple Hard and Super Hard labels in showing when the real difficulty is starting to climb.

Conclusion

Levels 20,596–20,645 were harder than 20,546–20,595. Level 20,596 stood out as particularly difficult, while 20,607 and 20,641 also deserve a mention. We needed extra moves on 10 of the 50 levels, used almost all of our tools, and estimate that we finished the set with roughly 2,000 fewer gold coins.

The pattern we are tracking showed an increase in pressure, but not a return to a disastrous week. And our finger, which occasionally sent a move somewhere completely different from where we intended, made sure to add a little difficulty of its own.