PaneSlide's levels are grouped into chapters of 20. Each chapter has its own scene, its own stained-glass window to restore in the House, and a boss at the end. This guide covers the first two chapters, Sunroom (levels 1 to 20) and Greenhouse (levels 21 to 40). It gives tips for each stretch without spelling out solutions, so the "aha" is still yours.
How a chapter is built
Every chapter follows the same rhythm, which helps you know what is coming:
- Levels ending in 1 and 6 are breathers. They are a swipe or two easier than their neighbours, and the obvious moves usually work.
- Levels ending in 4 and 9 are "aha" levels. They are checked by the game to make sure that simply moving the most obvious pane does not solve them. Expect to think about move order.
- Levels ending in 9 are challenges, marked with a trophy on the map. They are about one swipe harder than the levels around them.
- Every 20th level is a boss. Bosses mix the ideas of the chapter, and beating one restores that chapter's stained-glass window.
Milestones (level 5 and every tenth level) can also give you a free hint if you have room for one.
Sunroom: levels 1 to 20
The Sunroom is the gentlest chapter. Par starts at 1 swipe on level 1 and rises to about 5 or 6 by the end. Almost every board is 4×4, with a 3×3 board for the first two levels. The first ten levels are the real tutorial: they teach gliding, sticking on new colour, and using one pane as a stopper for another.
Tips for levels 1 to 11
- Read the small picture first. Count which cells are mixed colours, because every mixed cell needs two or three panes to overlap.
- Panes stop on the first new overlap in their way. If a pane needs to stop in the middle of the board, look for the crossing pane that will catch it.
- Do not worry about stars yet. Three stars only need par or par + 1 on most levels, and the early levels are short.
Level 12: locked glass arrives. A locked pane never moves, so it is a fixed stopper. Ask which moving pane will bump into it or stick on it. The locked glass guide shows the common patterns.
Level 18: two-colour pictures arrive. Some pictures now use only two of the three glass colours. With fewer colours there are fewer mixes, so the challenge moves to stopping panes in exactly the right cell. See two-colour puzzles.
Level 20: the first boss. It is a 4×4 board with a par of 5 and uses locked glass. Look for the pane that the locked glass is meant to catch, and move the others around it.
Greenhouse: levels 21 to 40
The Greenhouse steps up quickly. Most boards are now 5×5, and par sits between about 4 and 7. Two new kinds of cell appear.
Level 25: stone pillars. A pillar is a block in the middle of the board that stops glass just like the edge does. Pillars let a pane stop in mid-air without any crossing glass. A useful habit: for every pane, check whether a pillar sits on its rail. If one does, the pane can only ever be on one side of it. More in the stone pillars guide.
Level 33: gems. Gems sit on empty cells. Sliding glass over a gem collects it for a bonus shard. Gems never change what counts as a solve, so you can ignore them and still earn three stars. If you want them, look for an order of swipes that sends a pane across the gem on its way to where it is needed anyway. The gems guide explains how to collect them without wasting swipes.
Two-colour pictures and locked glass come back often in this chapter, now on bigger boards. If a level feels crowded, find the pane with the fewest possible positions. A long bar on a 5-wide row can only be in a few places, so it is often the easiest one to place first.
The Greenhouse boss (level 40)
Level 40 is a 5×5 board with a par of 6, and it brings back locked glass and two-colour mixing together. A calm way in:
- Work out where every pane must end up by reading the picture, cell by cell.
- Find the pane whose stopper is already in place (the locked glass, the edge, or a pane that is already correct). That swipe is usually safe.
- Leave the panes that need a moving stopper until their stopper is in position.
If you get stuck, undo is always there. It does not give swipes back, but it does let you test an idea.
Tip. If a level takes many tries, open the hint. Hints never cost stars, and the shards you earn from gems and perfect solves can buy more in the shop.
What carries forward
By level 40 you have met four of the nine kinds of special glass and cell. The habits from these chapters (reading the picture first, finding stoppers, and saving the panes that need help for later) are the same ones you will use on level 400. Next up: Lighthouse and Tea Garden, where ice and sand change how far glass slides.