Brain Out Level 21

Overview

A lit cigarette sits in the middle of the board, smoke curling up from its burning end, and three red prohibition signs are arranged around it. The prompt reads No Smoking, so the goal is to put the cigarette out rather than to tap one of the signs. The red circular symbols are decorative warnings and do not extinguish anything themselves. The actual solution is to press the glowing ember on the cigarette several times in a row until the smoke stops and the cigarette goes out.

• Difficulty: Easy
• Estimated moves: 4

Step-by-Step Solution

1. Read the prompt and identify the active hazard: the cigarette in the center is the only thing smoking, so putting it out is what the level asks for.
2. Look over the three prohibition circles around the cigarette. They are red warning signs, not controls, and tapping them does not interact with the tobacco or the flame.
3. Locate the burning end of the cigarette, the small red glowing ember where the smoke rises. That is the part of the cigarette you need to press, not the white filter or the paper body.
4. Tap the ember repeatedly, three or four times in a row. Each press presses down on the lit tip, and the flame and smoke begin to die out as you continue.
5. Keep tapping the glowing end until the ember is no longer lit and the curling smoke disappears. A cigarette that is still smoking has not been fully extinguished yet.
6. Once the cigarette is out and the smoke stops, the level clears and the success panel appears. If smoke is still rising after a few taps, continue pressing the ember rather than switching to a sign.

The mechanic here is repeated interaction with a specific part of an object. The level does not provide an ashtray, water drop, or extinguisher prop, so the only available action is working the ember directly with your finger.

Strategy & Reasoning

The prohibition signs are drawn to look like tappable controls, but they only communicate the rule against smoking. The real problem is the lit cigarette itself, and solving it means removing the source of the smoke. The ember is the active part of the cigarette, so repeated taps on that tip smother the flame until it goes out.

Tapping the signs fails because they carry no extinguisher action. Tapping the filter or the paper body fails because those parts are not burning and do not control the ember. A single tap often leaves the cigarette still lit, which is why several presses are needed before the smoke stops. This matches other Brain Out levels where a small repeated action on a specific spot, rather than a hidden prop, completes the task.

Tips & Common Mistakes

• Do not tap the red prohibition circles looking for a switch. They are warning signs only, and none of them puts the cigarette out.
• Press the glowing ember at the burning end, not the white filter or the middle of the paper. The flame lives in the red tip, and that is where the repeated taps need to land.
• Keep going until the smoke actually stops. If a wisp is still rising, the cigarette is not out yet, so tap the ember a few more times before expecting the clear.