Apparently people actually read these comments, and I need to give an update that I was finally able to complete the Bloon X-ing badge after looking up walkthroughs online.
I almost thought that I completed the game and didn't get the achievement... And then I realized there were more "Extra" levels after Hard. >_< 5 hours total, and now it's actually completed.
Gah. Apparently I tried this game 8+ years ago, and I just couldn't get past lvl 38 of the water faucet. Now I'm trying again. Guess what? I'm still dying every time at either level 37 or 38. ONE time, I managed to get to lvl 42. Clearly, my strategies are not working.
Questions I had while playing this game: Why do these penguins have all these keys? Why are these penguins such a different style than in the first two games? What happened to all the orange balls?
This was much better than the 1st one (in the sense I was able to complete it much faster), but I did find myself referencing the "hint" page more. I finally gave up on level 24 and started taking pictures of every screen after the 11th ball, so I would be able to flip between the picture (before I clicked the ball) and the screen (after the new one appeared). The snake levels were fun, because I grew up playing Snake more than pong/arkanoid, but it was disorienting to only be able to turn the one direction. This level 25 was much less frustrating than the previous game's final level.
Shaking the tree... Shaking the tree... Shaking the tree... HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO SHAKE THIS THING FOR?!! .. Oh. Don't try to avoid the black sides - you have to go from the middle of the black part on one side to the middle of the black part on the other side.
Fun fact: beating the final boss on endless mode works for the badge. It doesn't have to be done on level 5. So if you happen to find it easier to get that far on endless mode, then by all means, take advantage of those DAMAGE powerups!
You know what would be great? Being able to see all of the "story" pieces back to back after finishing the game. Sometimes the levels take long enough that by the time you see the picture, you've forgotten what the previous picture looked like, and the story doesn't make sense.
For those who aren't aware, the sequel to this game is already out. It's called "The Journey Home" or something like that. It's more interactive, but just as fantastic.
Super creepy: Having Notepad++ randomly pop up with an update as soon as the glitches start appearing. NO! FLASH NON-GAMES AREN'T SUPPOSED TO HAVE THAT EFFECT!
I am soooo glad that these are not "realistic" constellations. I've never been able to "connect the dots" to be able to see anything other than the Big/Little Dipper.
Level 5-2, ending text. "Nature is literally worse than ____." Did you somehow grab profile/cookie information to fill in a local city name, or did you actually choose my city randomly? o_O
I do not see how Minefield II is possible. I don't think it's possible to get to the computer terminal without being blown up, and I can't sidle along the wall around the camera because of the Warning signs. Ignoring the camera and triggering the alarm makes a guard come out of the exit and kill me. WHAT AM I MISSING?!?!? (BTW: putting mines where the player can't see them because of camera angles AND not making them visible on the minimap is just annoying and artificially raises the difficulty level.)
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