So I decided to track my general progress with Candy Crush starting with the first "season" of 2024. This first entry is for the winter season that started on Jan 8 and ended Feb 1.
Max Level Reached - 2856
The image above is in three sections. The left most is all the gold from various sources in game. The middle is my usage and the totals. The lower section is just for tacking bad usages of extra turns. The right most is tracking the total of gold remaining. The weekly column is new and not yet used.
Good Levels
225 - I love the design of this level even though it is a PITA. It is honestly really interesting from a play and visual perspective.
674 - I like the color bomb mechanic. Also not easy but using one against a color to make sure the next one can drop is neat.
2521 - I liked the mechanics
2823 - Having a sorta timer is a neat mechanic as it does not mean you automatically lose.
Bad Levels (depending on the week these could not be as bad as overall game difficulty changes)
240 - This is easily one of the worst levels I have seen so far unless you have double boosters and even then it is nasty. A level like this should not exist so early.
300 - The 100s were either fun or terrible, this was the latter.
420 - This level is nothing but a required booster level. There is nothing interesting about it.
494 - Either you need boosters or I completely missed doing the required mechanic. Not fun.
504 - Same as above
512 - A pure mechanic level, boosters do nothing to advance you.
537 - Just a string of annoying mechanics one after another.
580 - I am sure Denize won't miss one or two of her babies, I was about to end them for always blocking moves.
1331 - Way too cluttered. I found it really tedious.
1412 - Not that bad, this was just a level I remember from 2020ish that devoured my soul
1449 - Just complete overkill with the waffle blockers. I hate this kind of nonsense.
1462 - Just a bad design overall. The cake in the top left is just frustrating.
1539 - No clue on this one, only was able to get past when I got a lucky level.
1623 - The bombs were on a 5 turn timer... Same setup as you see in videos... 5 turns...
1666 - Found the licorice to appear too slowly
1686 - Just bad.
1750 - More booster fodder
1826 - Bad hatchlings... off the side they go every time.
1982 - So much luck involved.
2040 - My note at the time "Positively Magical".
2418 - Very irritating mechanic.
2458 - Kinda a gimmick level and annoying.
2536 - Chocolate just makes you want to grind your teeth on this one. It is honestly highly irritating.
2580 - A completely savage level in general.
2590 - Order level type, and it is a 100% loss unless you get the order correct.
2605 - And now we hit the gimmick levels in earnest. These are not fun at all. They are just tedious and very annoying.
2608 - Gimmick again
2623 - Gimmick how I hate thee
2832 - Just all around tedious. Was sick of it really fast.
General Feelings
~250- 711 need a massive rework and need to be toned way down. They are far too difficult for being so low level. I can only imagine it drives people away. From around 800 on it has been far more reasonable. I have not run into nearly as back a bunch of levels since then. Also... Jelly Jar... that is a hateful mechanic. Something that adds crap on the board when you destroy it is a terrible idea. They are far worse than mixers.
Extra
I really miss the old music and candy crush crunch sounds.