Freaky Factory Tips and Tricks

(By the way, there is already a great article in Issue 143 of the NT by dexanth about the basics of the game. I’m assuming you have already read it and so have some idea how the game works.)

The following are ten tips that are sure to help your game!

1. Always play the game using the ‘Fullscreen’ function, as this enlarges the blobs and gives you a better chance of hitting them, particularly the half-size ones that fill up the vats so neatly without overflow.

2. If possible, play this an older computer or slower modem. By doing so, when the Grundo is poking his head up or toys are moving along the conveyor belt, the blobs do not travel so fast and you have a better chance of hitting them. The Grundo also comes up in fits and starts rather than one smooth motion, increasing your chance of seeing him and bopping him on the head!

3. In the early levels, go for every blob you can. You’re unlikely to fill your waste before making 10 toys. Be more circumspect in later levels. Keep a firm eye on your waste vat as much as you can.

4. Spend some time practicing with blobs in both directions so that you learn what angle to click on them so that they land in the correct vat.

5. Never, under any circumstances, take two bites at the cherry. By that I mean, never stab at a blob that you have missed and which has sailed past the point at which you usually click to send it down into the vat. Nine out of ten times it will just fall into the abyss and add to your waste.

6. A lot of sites that give tips and tricks tend to belittle the freezing and speeding blobs. While I do not use the freezing blob often, it does have one benefit. If you still have time with only a toy or two to go and perhaps have ‘orders’ for rainbow toys, using the freeze blob will slow down a toy that is going hell-for-leather towards the end of the conveyor belt, thus allowing time for the other toys to be made and to appear on the conveyor belt. Once they are there, you will get the points for them even after the game is over (the numbers float up from the belt towards the box that shows your score). Of course, you have to weigh this again the consecutive bonus you might have racked up.

7. If it has a face, don’t touch it! I know, I know, people have said that before, but the evil blob looks kind of cute (in an ugly sort of way) when it turns black, chokes and falls down. However, even the smallest mutant blob is the equivalent of about five small normal blobs when it fills up your waste and, should they fall into a vat, they clear it out of any Kreludite you may have put in there. It’s not worth the temptation! If you want to giggle over them, play one round where all you do is click on them. Get it out of your system!

8. Dropping Angel blobs on the plushies is tempting, but it only adds one single point to the total of the toy, and if you miss, it’s about ten small blobs worth in the waste. A huge risk. If you get it by chance, congratulations! Otherwise, it’s probably something to avoid, at least on a regular basis.

9. The sounds on the game can be a little distracting, particularly when clicking on the blobs. Be prepared for anything from a gentle plop as they fall into the vats to a good imitation of a rooster being strangled. Kadoaties shriek for all they are worth if they get a blob on the head and the staff will yelp most indignantly (although getting that on the head, I would, too!). Best revenge for the shock of this is to drop another blob on their heads. It won’t affect them, but it will make you feel better!

10. When the angel blob appears, think about where to put it. It is easiest to get it into the yellow vat, but of the three colours, most of the Kreludite that appears will be (or seems to be) yellow and it’s also easier to get in than either red or blue. Therefore, save the angel blobs for the red or blue vats if you can. Happily, angel blobs, if they are dropped into a full vat, will not overflow it or make any difference to your waste.

Oh, yes, the ‘real’ red and blue blobs (that is, not the mutant ones) come from the opposite side of the screen from the vat in which they belong. Therefore, if you have filled the red and yellow vats, but need blue to make three rainbow Kaus (or whatever), watch the left-hand side of the screen. As you will see them coming, this is also a good time to check what the Grundo is doing and also to see how much time you have left and how full your waste is.

One final thing. In addition to all of the above things, you will, of course, have kept an eye on the clock and know when you are to be hit with that dreadful siren that signals the end of your current game. If you do run out of time, toys on the conveyor belt don’t count towards your total, so work like mad to get them to the end. The speedy blob helps, of course, but without it, it usually takes about five seconds for a toy to travel from one end to the other, so don’t forget to calculate that into your total.

And of course, keep an eye on that pesky little Grundo thief. His actions can mean the difference between becoming Grand Master and being just a boring old Novice.

Now if only I could get one of those lovely shiny trophies…