Farm Hustle

Farm Hustle is an online Flash game on Avocadolite Farm in which the player rearranges small animals, who live in a grid, into sets of three or more.

Gameplay

Gameplay consists of clicking on neighboring animals, which switches their places, producing a light "ding" noise. When a set of three or more of the same animal is arranged, that set combusts into a small cloud of bluish magic, vacating the grid cells so that animals above fall into them, and awarding the player with points.

When gameplay begins, each grid space is tinged blue with magic. Combusting an animal in a certain grid space will use up the magic in the grid square. All magic in the grid must be used to advance to the next level.

Each level has its own time limit, counted down by a counter slightly below and on the lefthand side of the animal grid. Level 1 begins with 4 minutes even on the timer, and each level has 15 seconds less to begin with.

Combos can be produced in this fashion, leading to cascading eliminations of animals. Combos of sufficient depth produce bombs, arranged slightly below and on the right-hand side of the animal grid. When a bomb is used, a number of animals in random locations on the grid are combusted. The number of successive combos required to generate a bomb increases with the level which the player is on. Using a bomb can lead to combos that generate more bombs-- this is referred to as "beitbeiting." However, beitbeiting is relatively infrequent at higher levels.

Theory

Farm Hustle is a game based on the movement of animals. The only interaction with the animal grid possible is movement of animals. Some have proposed that Farm Hustle is in fact an allegory for an agrarian, communistic society in which farm resources of nature are paramount. The presence of magic in grid squares supports a traditional, premodern interpretation. However, others have noted the presence of a point system invites more capitalist interpretations. Regardless, it is unquestionable that the game is a powerful commentary on modern social norms (LMFAO).

It is also well-known that Farm Hustle is the only game of its kind to require the player to combust an animal in every square before advancing to the next level. By contrast, in the Flash game Zookeeper, for example, the player must destroy a set amount of each animal before advancing, but where the annihilation occurs is of no consequence. Therefore, experts observe that Farm Hustle takes as its basis Newtonian absolute space, as opposed to a system more like Einsteinian relative space (as in Zookeeper).

World Records

Currently the highest known score is a massive 23,925, attained on level 11. The record was set by an accountant from Liverpool, England, UK, known as scousecat.



Currently the highest known level achieved is level 12. The record was set on the 25th March 2007 by a Graphic Artist from Farnham, England known as Lorna.
 
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