Brain Out Level 173
📝 Walkthrough
Overview
Level 173 displays the text "No Smoking" above a cartoon man standing with closed eyes, a lit cigarette in his right hand, and a contented expression. He wears a green sweater and dark gray pants with visible side pockets. The puzzle asks you to enforce the no-smoking rule on him. A single tap on the cigarette does nothing, because he keeps holding it; the Brain Out trick is to first remove the cigarette pack from his pocket so he cannot relight, then tap the lit cigarette over and over until it is stubbed out. Once the cigarette is extinguished, the level is solved.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Estimated moves: 7
Step-by-Step Solution
- Look at the man's dark gray pants. He has a visible side pocket on his right hip (the pocket on the left side of the screen from your point of view). That pocket is where the cigarette pack is hidden.
- Press and hold on the pocket and slide it open. A small cigarette pack slides out from inside the pocket into view. This removes his supply, so he cannot simply relight the cigarette later.
- Now look at the lit cigarette between his fingers. The red glowing tip is at the end away from his hand. Tap that glowing tip repeatedly, four or five times in a row.
- Each tap presses the cigarette against an ashtray-like invisible surface and burns off a little more of the tip. After several taps, the red glow goes out and the cigarette is stubbed.
- Once the cigarette is extinguished, the level-complete pop-up appears with the line "Great!" Tap Next to continue. If you tap too slowly, the cigarette stays lit; the taps need to be consecutive.
- Keep tapping the glowing tip repeatedly until the cigarette burns down and goes out. Do not tap the filter or the pocket pack.
Strategy & Reasoning
The puzzle combines two Brain Out habits: hidden inventory on a character, and repeated tapping to simulate an action. Tapping the cigarette once does not put it out, because a single tap in this game represents a single stub rather than a full extinction. The man's pocket is also deliberately drawn as a separate shape from the pants, which is the visual cue that it can be opened.
Skipping the pocket step and tapping the cigarette directly fails because the man can relight it or the game refuses to register the extinction while he still has a pack. The pocket must be emptied first. Conversely, sliding the pocket but not tapping the cigarette leaves him still smoking, which also fails. The two actions are both required.
This level is a small tutorial for the repeated-tap mechanic. Many Brain Out puzzles use multiple taps to represent physical actions that take several motions, such as stubbing out a cigarette, shaking a device, or pressing a button. The hidden pack is the game's way of ensuring you notice the pocket before you start tapping. The congratulatory line "Great!" confirms the rule has been enforced.
Tips & Common Mistakes
- Tapping the cigarette once and waiting. It takes four or five rapid taps to fully stub it out.
- Forgetting to empty the pocket first. The hidden cigarette pack must be slid out before the extinction will register.
- Tapping the man's face or body instead of the glowing tip. Only the burning end of the cigarette counts.